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And I only recently got my first tattoo around 40. Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend? Tattoos come and go out of style even in my

And I only recently got my first tattoo around 40. Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend? Tattoos come and go out of style even in my own life (when i was young to young adult, it was bad, then it was good, now seemingly bad again). If I don’t like my tattoo in 20 years I really don’t care, you can always replace it with more work if it fades. Probably will get more. It isn’t very expensive. It’s a form of expression I can’t really get anywhere else - I like looking at my tattoo and dont particularly care what anyone thinks of it.

PcChip 1y ago
I'm 40 now, and have always wanted a tattoo but could never decide what I should get. I was thinking something linux or maybe vmware related because I love both of those things. Very glad I didn't get anything vmware related now!
- failrate 1y ago
  I had a similar issue, so I just got something small and essentially random. Now that the seal is broken, thinking of more tattoos is easy.
- opan 1y ago
  A tattoo of proprietary software or really any company seems kind of sad and dystopian to me. Nothing against vmware in particular. I recall an old meme collage of a bunch of people with Apple tattoos that was not putting them in a favorable light. Maybe a Sun logo could be an exception, they're not around anymore, so it feels more like nostalgia or grieving instead of "this company owns me". I wasn't around/aware when Sun was, also, so they feel more like a mythical thing from a story to me than an old company.
- paidsearchguy 1y ago
  You're too smart to write on yourself
- H3X_K1TT3N 1y ago
  I used to want the visual c++ 6 icon lol
- rambambram 1y ago
  I had the same idea about a linux tattoo. Then I decided I could also design a new linux t-shirt or sweater for myself each year.
- theshrike79 1y ago
  Same here, I want a tattoo, but can't decide what is something I care about enough to get on my skin forever. I've kinda sorta decided on a hex/honeycomb pattern so I can fill each hex with e different thing. That would keep it consistent (can't stand the style of tattoos where they're just slapped haphazardly everywhere) but still variable enough.
parpfish 1y ago
I’d assume that the driving force is just “more people have tattoos”
- prmoustache 1y ago
  This, back in the days having a tatoo was a symbol of rebellion against a norm. Now that everyone and his mother is law has one, it has become a symbol of submission to the norm and establishment.
  - 6stringmerc 1y ago
    I laugh that my most obvious form of rebellion is not going with the trend of getting any ink or piercings. Those large gauge ear plugs didn’t age well AT ALL.
hluska 1y ago
A friend of mine tattoos in my city and we were talking about this a few weekends ago. He mentioned three related things that contribute to removals he’s aware of. Tattooing got immensely popular and a lot of people who shouldn’t not have taken on apprentices took on apprentices. The quality of apprenticeships dropped and artists were getting put on skin way before they were ready. Many artists never learned proper technique or placement. Styles changed so people were getting their first tattoos in visible places. When he started tattooing, artists wouldn’t do a first tattoo somewhere visible unless the client had a very very good reason. It always took dialogue. Now you can walk into a shop, point to flash and get it out on your neck or hand. And finally, realism hit tattoos. So in his opinion. You take a lot of artists who shouldn’t have been putting ink into grapefruits not skin. Put them to them to work on highly visible realistic looking art on people who don’t know enough about tattoo to know whether they’re making a mistake. And you end up with a lot of people staring at visible art that didn’t heal properly, with blown out lines and poor placement. I didn’t get tattooed until after another good friend had finished his apprenticeship- I’m very glad I waited because I love my art and will slowly keep getting more. But I feel bad for people who fell into that trap of getting an unqualified artist to put bad art on their bodies.
- opan 1y ago
  I think you meant "should" and not "shouldn't" both times used here, if I'm understanding what you're trying to say correctly.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
kevin_thibedeau 1y ago
> Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend People who got inked in the 90s tattoo boom are now wearing blurry smudges unless they were careful to minimize the fine detail.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
araes 1y ago
> Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend? Technology improvements leading to better removal quality, reduced removal times, less post-procedure pain, and better word-of-mouth response is a suggestion. Up until the 2010's the range of Quality(Q)-switched lasers was the main tool available. They produce pulse widths in the nanosecond range and can remove multiple colors. Big improvements over the Argon and CO2 laser systems from pre-80's / 90's with less scarring. However, often still had long, painful recoveries between sessions (depending on the tattoo). In the 2010's, the various picosecond pulse-width laser systems came out, and they usually require less sessions than the Q-switched procedures people are used to, and the reports tend be of less pain and discomfort after the removal procedure (described like getting a bad sunburn). Probably both have resulted in better word of mouth, and larger numbers recommending getting removal.

PcChip 1y ago

I'm 40 now, and have always wanted a tattoo but could never decide what I should get. I was thinking something linux or maybe vmware related because I love both of those things. Very glad I didn't get anything vmware related now!

failrate 1y ago
I had a similar issue, so I just got something small and essentially random. Now that the seal is broken, thinking of more tattoos is easy.
opan 1y ago
A tattoo of proprietary software or really any company seems kind of sad and dystopian to me. Nothing against vmware in particular. I recall an old meme collage of a bunch of people with Apple tattoos that was not putting them in a favorable light. Maybe a Sun logo could be an exception, they're not around anymore, so it feels more like nostalgia or grieving instead of "this company owns me". I wasn't around/aware when Sun was, also, so they feel more like a mythical thing from a story to me than an old company.
paidsearchguy 1y ago
You're too smart to write on yourself
H3X_K1TT3N 1y ago
I used to want the visual c++ 6 icon lol
rambambram 1y ago
I had the same idea about a linux tattoo. Then I decided I could also design a new linux t-shirt or sweater for myself each year.
theshrike79 1y ago
Same here, I want a tattoo, but can't decide what is something I care about enough to get on my skin forever. I've kinda sorta decided on a hex/honeycomb pattern so I can fill each hex with e different thing. That would keep it consistent (can't stand the style of tattoos where they're just slapped haphazardly everywhere) but still variable enough.

parpfish 1y ago

I’d assume that the driving force is just “more people have tattoos”

prmoustache 1y ago
This, back in the days having a tatoo was a symbol of rebellion against a norm. Now that everyone and his mother is law has one, it has become a symbol of submission to the norm and establishment.
- 6stringmerc 1y ago
  I laugh that my most obvious form of rebellion is not going with the trend of getting any ink or piercings. Those large gauge ear plugs didn’t age well AT ALL.

hluska 1y ago

A friend of mine tattoos in my city and we were talking about this a few weekends ago. He mentioned three related things that contribute to removals he’s aware of. Tattooing got immensely popular and a lot of people who shouldn’t not have taken on apprentices took on apprentices. The quality of apprenticeships dropped and artists were getting put on skin way before they were ready. Many artists never learned proper technique or placement. Styles changed so people were getting their first tattoos in visible places. When he started tattooing, artists wouldn’t do a first tattoo somewhere visible unless the client had a very very good reason. It always took dialogue. Now you can walk into a shop, point to flash and get it out on your neck or hand. And finally, realism hit tattoos. So in his opinion. You take a lot of artists who shouldn’t have been putting ink into grapefruits not skin. Put them to them to work on highly visible realistic looking art on people who don’t know enough about tattoo to know whether they’re making a mistake. And you end up with a lot of people staring at visible art that didn’t heal properly, with blown out lines and poor placement. I didn’t get tattooed until after another good friend had finished his apprenticeship- I’m very glad I waited because I love my art and will slowly keep getting more. But I feel bad for people who fell into that trap of getting an unqualified artist to put bad art on their bodies.

opan 1y ago
I think you meant "should" and not "shouldn't" both times used here, if I'm understanding what you're trying to say correctly.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

kevin_thibedeau 1y ago

> Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend People who got inked in the 90s tattoo boom are now wearing blurry smudges unless they were careful to minimize the fine detail.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

araes 1y ago

> Not sure this article makes it clear what is driving this trend? Technology improvements leading to better removal quality, reduced removal times, less post-procedure pain, and better word-of-mouth response is a suggestion. Up until the 2010's the range of Quality(Q)-switched lasers was the main tool available. They produce pulse widths in the nanosecond range and can remove multiple colors. Big improvements over the Argon and CO2 laser systems from pre-80's / 90's with less scarring. However, often still had long, painful recoveries between sessions (depending on the tattoo). In the 2010's, the various picosecond pulse-width laser systems came out, and they usually require less sessions than the Q-switched procedures people are used to, and the reports tend be of less pain and discomfort after the removal procedure (described like getting a bad sunburn). Probably both have resulted in better word of mouth, and larger numbers recommending getting removal.