Oh, don’t worry. I did the same thing. I have quite a bit of free time at work too 😀

I think I read through all the posts on here and as many articles and pages I found on google that I could before I got my tattoo done. And I did notice that not many people said to test products first… I guess people are stubborn. If it worked for them, it just has to work for everyone! :p

Well, I used A&D for the first few days, then switched to Aveeno lotion. It worked for me, and I didn’t have any bad reactions or anything from it.

I haven’t heard of Ink Fixx, and I’ve heard mixed reviews about both A&D and Bacitracin. You’re going to get a lot of mixed answers on here, just because of people’s personal preferences.

So yes, you should definitely do a test area first! Different people react differently to lotions and ointments. It’s best to find out now if it’s safe instead of after your tattoo. People freak out enough during the healing process because it’s a new experience. Don’t want to add any more anxiety, eh? =P

Well, I sort of did both. My inspiration was a Bible verse (yeah, yeah… please don’t get into any religious discussions or flaming), and I used a design of a flower that had been in my head for a few years. But I also searched through hundreds and hundreds of images online so I could sort of see what works, what looked like crap, and what sort of placing would look good. I did custom draw mine, and my tattoo artist tweaked it a little, but I definitely used other pics and tattoos as inspiration for it.

So I suggest doing a google image search of gambling tattoos, and also head over to the Inked Skin forum on here. I know I saw a few gambling-themed tattoos over there, and there was one in particular that I thought was very well done (and gambling-themed isn’t my style). Once you find some that you like, either start drawing up a design you like or take it to your tattoo artist and have them design something for you. Good luck!

-Kelsey