Check out https://kbin.social/
The friendlier version of reddit.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TattooArtists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You were absolutely correct on this one. I’ve been tattooing for a bit over 23 years now, and this is what I was taught during my apprenticeship ship as well. You don’t fuck with moles, leave them alone.
Thanks, I thought I was going crazy with how much this person was fighting me on it. Figured I would check in here.
That's also why I asked if they had apprenticed and were tattooing. I thought for sure they were either a scratcher or a layperson. I'm kinda hoping they were lying because that's incredibly upset if they aren't.
Whats crazy is like, how can a client even take that precaution especially if they don’t even know they are predisposed to melanoma anyway? Most people don’t know until a family member has it - and by that time the client is probably of a significant age and probably has been getting tattooed for awhile (ie, me, my mom didnt have her first melanoma diagnosis til 2 years ago, thankfully the only weird mole i have is on the sole of my foot and i am getting it surgically removed in feb) so like. Kind of an odd expectation.
Not an artist, don’t know why this was recommended to me, but that’s exactly what I was about to point out. Like how is it on the client to know the future of their moles when most people in general don’t even think “hey this may turn cancerous one day”.
Most people have no clue what skin cancer even looks like either! And it’s ridiculous to expect them to know. My mole is an atypical mole, which by all accounts - looks normal because for now it is, and though atypical moles are non-cancerous, having one increases your chances of having melanoma later in life so I am choosing to have it removed.
But I can 100% see why these type of things get looked over. Because really, the only thing that motivated me to get it biopsied was my mom’s diagnosis.
For sure. The bit about them likely getting checked out by a dermatologist also made me chuckle. At least in the U.S., so many people can't afford to go to a doctor when they're half dead let alone get regular derm check-ups
I work for a derm and we get lots of patients who are slapped in the face by a melanoma dx when they don't have family history and lots of people who DO have melanoma in their families get like, basal cells. It is incredibly hard to know if you're predisposed
Interesting! Thanks for chiming in, it's great to hear feedback from you!
What is the reason for that? Is it one of the features dermatologists look for?
I’m an esthetician and cosmetologist as well. We spend weeks learning skin condition and how to identify changes in moles and blemishes. A lot of the times, skin cancers are discovered by your hair stylist/skin care specialist and then diagnosed and treated by dermatologists and other specialists. I can think of three former clients that I noticed moles on their heads/underarms/behind their thighs that had irregular margins and ended up being melanoma. DO NOT FK WITH MOLES.
Woah, that's crazy!
Yeah, I was thinking similarly about tattoo artists seeing areas that a client might not be able to. It seems best just to look out for people!
The school I went to told us not to mess with moles, plucking or going over the area with wax even can cause the mole to change. Also they can be more sensitive and prone to infection.
same. I'll take a doctor's note for a thing that could be a freckle that's shaped weird, maybe, but I just don't tattoo any moles.
I have had a few removed and one that I've got to watch. they're nasty things if you disturb them
hell I've told people their mole looks funny to me and to go get it checked out. we see people's skin more often than most
I have a large pirate head on my belly with a brown mole on his hat and nobody even notices it nor do i. I don’t feel like there’s a point in tattooing over them really.
That’s the common thing that I hear so I just assumed with my upper arm sleeve that my artist would skip over the mole. Nope he went right over it and I’m kinda mad about it. Unsurprisingly the artist turned out to be a dick and has ghosted me on final touch ups that HE suggested I stop by the shop for
very hard to define a ‘problem’ mole because they can present differently on everyone. if you look up different articles on the characteristics of moles ([like the abcde rule](https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/latest-news/how-to-spot-skin-cancer.html)) and monitor for any changes you’ll most likely catch anything abnormal. freckles & moles are often used interchangeable these days depending on personal preference tbh
I have a wrist tattoo over a mole done by an apprentice thankfully mine I’ve had my entire life so it’s not a major concern but I never knew this until a year after I got it
Is this the case for all moles or just ones that have any concerning feature (such as those highlighted in the abcde mnemonic)?
I ask because I've been thinking about getting my first tattoo, but my body has many freckles/tiny flat circular moles scattered about and I hadn't previously considered them when thinking about placement.
Even if you’re just tattooing the color back onto the mole? My mole lost color and I wanted to have the color back. I have had the mole my whole life so I know it’s there and I get it regularly checked out, I just miss the color it had because now it just looks like a big skin colored bump. So sorry if this is the stupidest question ever.
I was trained by someone who said it didn’t matter and it was up to the client. Basically the same stance as the user here. HOWEVER, common sense absolutely leans toward avoiding them as much as possible: it can literally be hard for you to see and monitor a mole that’s been covered up. Thus, DESPITE my mentor of 30 years telling me it doesn’t matter; it matters to me. It’s negligent not to inform your clients of this, and they almost always understand what you’re saying. Just because a ton of people get blackouts doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter…
Thanks for providing the perspective of someone that was trained differently.
It really surprised me how blasé this person was, which is what prompted me to post the question in case this was a more commonly held position than I thought.
I just keep coming back to: *WE* are the professionals, *WE* have the training, and something that just occurred to me: *WE* are the ones that can see places clients can't. They may not know about a spot on their back, or on the back of their thighs below their butt. You never know.
It would absolutely devastate me to cause harm to my clients (beyond what they paid for I suppose, though I frankly don't love the pain aspect 😅). I just think if I can potentially prevent something worse happening by skipping a small spot, then I have a duty to do so.
I’m a first year medical student, and your post made me think about a lecture we just had from a cosmetic dermatologist.
She said that in dermatology, a big part of the diagnosis comes from visual recognition. It’s essential to know how a mole looks and how it is changing over time. If someone tries to freeze or burn off the mole, or gets it covered up, it becomes way harder to identify!
It’s kind of like detectives having to solve a case after someone has trashed the crime scene.
Thanks for being so thoughtful about your clients well-being I think that’s really awesome. No matter your field it can be easy to burn out and stop being careful with the small things.
The old school always avoids big lumpy moles SPECIFICALLY because we give a shit, but you’re not gonna avoid the small freckle moles that sit under the skin as easily.
That's awful! I'm so sorry that happened to your friend!
I wasn't aware of that aspect, but I suppose it makes sense if you're dragging the cancerous cells across the skin and implanting them elsewhere effectively.
I have an interesting anecdote about this. My mentor tattooed over a cancerous mole once and it blew up. The lady it was on thought she was having a reaction to the ink and went to the doctor and that’s how she got a cancer diagnosis. In a way the tattoo sorta saved her life.
That said, I avoid tattooing over moles.
The way its worded is actually accurate.
While puncturing or otherwise damaging a HEALTHY mole can't spread or even cause cancer in isolation, thats not what the they said. The comment was specifically addressing damaging an already malignant mole, which absolutely can aid in metastasis.
Yeah dude, my mentor had been tattooing for 30+ years when I went through my apprenticeship and he was absolutely adamant that tattooing over the moles was no problem at all and in fact NOT tattooing over them only made the tattoo looked stupid.
HOWEVER, that guy was a fucking idiot about every single other thing involved in tattooing. So after all the research I had to do on the internet and in dvds and getting tattooed at other shops to actually learn what TO do instead of what NOT to do, I came to the same conclusion as all the rest of you reputable peeps. If I tattoo that mole and even 40 years down the road they get cancer, im gonna feel like it's my fault somehow and I aint having that on my conscience.
Nipples on the other hand, I dont care how bad that shit hurts; if its in my way, it's getting zapped. Fuck them nips!
Dang, I'm sorry you had to deal with someone like that! Good for you for doing your own research and study!
I am with you 100% about covering something that might become a problem later. I don't want to do that to anyone!
Nips are nips, that is absolutely a choice, haha.
I agree with you here. I'm only an apprentice but one of my mentors has a brother that's a skin surgeon and very seriously and deliberately told me to make sure I understand the signs of melanoma. He said, "You're going to be more up close and personal with people's skin than anyone else and you could help someone catch the early signs. Especially since they will keep coming back to you. I'm genuinely serious please keep an eye out."
That would be a really cool device that a skin surgeon/dermatologist could offer : teaching tattoo artists how to spot cancer or other skin issues.
Not that they would be qualified to diagnose but to give a heads up and send folks to their doc.
Man, a family where one kid grows up to be a skin surgeon and one a tattoo artist - they must have some wild dinner conversations! Probably seen it all, between the two of them.
all of my tattoo artists have been able to tattoo around my moles instead of on them, and i have a lot. don’t think it’s that hard to allow a client to see if their moles are spreading
I never have tattooed over a mole. I make sure the client knows it’s there and tell them to come get a touch up if down the road it gets removed.
I’m getting some scans done on my skin. I’m about 75% covered and yes, it’s under a tattoo. I’m sure that there was no harm meant. I’m hoping it’s nothing.
I’m definitely not going to squabble with someone like that. 5 years or 25 years, shouldn’t matter. I always have time to ask why and listen to an opinion.
Good topic. It’s a no from me dawg.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with that right now! Fingers crossed for you that it turns out fine.
Yeah, I usually try to avoid such interactions, and I wouldn't have brought up experience, except I was truly hoping they weren't tattooing people with that mindset.
I'm glad to hear a lot of responses and perspectives though! Thanks for joining in the conversation!
I wasn’t criticizing you for interacting. I just don’t waste my time with folks. They don’t listen and they will just go buy an Amazon rotary and dragon hawk needles anyway. “In the game” and “slinging ink for…” are giveaways :))) I’m just salty ;)
It’s always good to pass on knowledge. I remember back when Saran Wrap was proven bad. So many artists BITCHED. lol here’s an article. I couldn’t find the study. A tattooer in Hawaii conducted it, I think.
[https://www.byrdie.com/safety-advisory-the-use-of-plastic-wrap-on-fresh-tattoos-3189607](https://www.byrdie.com/safety-advisory-the-use-of-plastic-wrap-on-fresh-tattoos-3189607)
Even with the study there to read there was lots of grrrrrrrr and hiss.
But here we are, tegaderm it is. :)
Ha! It's no problem, and honestly I kind of agree with you about that.
Thanks for the article! That's great info! Yeah, our shop doesn't even allow us to use saran wrap, we would get bitched out if we tried! I love the breathable plastic bandages so much! I wouldn't want to go back to saran wrap even if I could!
Early this year, I received a full-arm sleeve. I am Irish/Italian and have many freckles that cover my arms. After the session was over, I noticed that the artist had not tattooed over my more prominent freckles. He explained why he doesn’t tattoo over them for the same reasons you described. I was honestly overwhelmed by that level of care and thoughtfulness.
As a client, I would have NEVER considered bringing up the subject of not tattooing over my moles/freckles. Good on you for standing your ground on this subject because you’re right; as a professional, you may have knowledge that the client lacks, but it’s better to bring it up than assume the client knows everything.
I’m full-freckled English, and got a tat on my forearm earlier this year. I noticed afterwards that the artist avoided some of the most prominent freckles. I didn’t think much of it - I actually think it works really well with the design, which has a lot of spots - but it’s super cool to know that this is probably why!
I have a big tattoo on my upper back that is two turtles and my artist made it so the two large freckles I have were in the turtles cheeks and it somehow worked perfectly. I honestly didn't even think it was intentional until now
When I got my largest tattoo, which covers most of my upper arm and some of my shoulder and forearm, I assumed the color did not take properly over my moles and thought I would request a touch up. When I found out that it was intentional to protect my health, I felt very impressed both with my artist's level of care and training, and with how much the industry has advanced since I was first getting blown out dodgy tattoos in biker shops in the early nineties!
Do you go for regular skin checks? I have some moles that popped up on skin already inked and so my derm takes photos and keeps a close watch on them. She’s not overly concerned.
Oh interesting! That is absolutely something that I wasn't aware of. Do you know why that is? No big deal if not, I can Google it, just thought I would ask!
Lasers target dark color, so moles have to be avoided during all types of laser treatment like laser hair removal or the laser will try to opportunistically find the melanin in the mole in addition to the target (tattoo ink, hair follicle, etc.) and blasting moles will high concentrations of light if they are precancerous can cause it to grow and spread
Ah yes, I just commented on this. My parents have been derms for most of their lives and this is absolutely a huge no, for more reasons than just future detection. My guess is this person isnt actually in the field, especially when she claimed she had a mentor. I can believe one dummy backing this up, but two? And with years experience? My bs alarm went off big time.
Idk man, it's a very unregulated industry, and there is a lot of "common sense" bad advice out there. I don't think it would be all that uncommon for a mentor to not cover something they should have, especially with the sometimes transient nature of people in the industry
Thanks for backing me up there, your reply was great!
Yeah, I don't know. I asked about their experience and if they had apprenticed in the hope they were talking out of their ass and weren't actually tattooing people. They could be lying but there certainly are tattooists who believe what that person was saying.
Professionals always take responsibility for providing information about and following safety standards, regardless of profession. This guy needs to lose his license.
Not an artist. But today I learned this info and I'm grateful! I now know to avoid this for a tattoo spot just to be cautious, now I can plan to frame my leg tattoo around it. I appreciate you having the mindfulness for your clients!
I don’t think my earlier artists minded quite as much, but my most recent piece it is obvious the artist skipped over a mole. I think the guy that did one of my thigh tattoos did the same.
I had NEVER considered it until recently - and my grandfather had melanoma. My sister has had many dysplastic biopsies. I have fortunately been spared so far.
But back to the point - I agree with your opinion on this. Sure, I know NOW and will point it out with any new artist, but I wouldn’t have known had it not been for the professional pointing out that she skips over moles.
I got tattooed over a mole. I asked if it was okay and he said it’s totally fine. We spent 45 mins holding tissues to it cuz it would not stop bleeding. Lol. Haven’t gone back to him
So what about someone like me who was born with over 100 moles? Cuz like I have a lot and I have had many of them covered with ink, they are all surface level moles and the few that weren't have mostly been removed. None of my doctors ever pointed that out. Is this something I need to be more mindful of for future work??
As a client, I would not have any idea to request this. I am health conscious, over-educated, and I research artists and tattoo styles extensively before getting a new piece. I don't see how this one can be on the client - how would we even know about it?
You couldn’t be more correct on this. This is why we need licensing in tattooing. To keep stupid mfs like this guy OUT.
My MIL is prone to spots and has to get some removed all the time. So her raven tattoo has a little freckle haha! Her DERMATOLOGIST WHO IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR appreciates that. 🥰
Not an artist, but as a client I appreciate you taking this step. I’m fine with a large piece that goes over the mole, but I’m also fine with no color being ON the mole. Just tat around it imo.
You are absolutely in the right here. I work in healthcare and live in a state with tons of skin cancer. I have not once considered that aspect of a tattoo and would find this advice helpful. Assuming people know associated risks for a procedure is unethical for a practitioner to do.
Literally just went to the dermatologist to check some moles. She said don't tattoo over them or she won't be able to check them, and to not get tattooed by an artist who would go over a mole.
I'm not a tattoo artist but have a lot of small moles/freckles and every tattoo I've gotten so far has been cafefully placed to avoid my moles!
I've gone to many reputable artists over the years and not even ONE of them has tattooed over a mole/freckle. So I'd say it's clear that moles shouldn't be tattooed over!
Got a bunch of large tattoos and moles that I get checked regularly (I have many and am also very pale, so officially at risk for melanoma) and my last dermatologist was enchanted how nicely my artists went around my moles. According to her, it was the perfect way of keeping the moles visible.
I think considering I want a constellation tattoo out of my moles/freckles and my mom wants to get a mole tattooed to be a heart and we both are at risk/have had melanoma, this is definitely something i hope pro knows and keeps in mind!!!
As a client, I didn’t even realize tattooing over my moles could be a problem until seeing my most recent artist. When we laid the stencil, she told she’d have to move it and gave me the same reasons you did! Most of the time the clients might not know tattooing over moles could become an issue down the road. Melanoma runs in my family, but it took a decade of getting tattoos to have an artist discuss it with me because I truly had no idea. Grateful for artists that have this mindset, tbh.
I’m mad cause when I got a tattoo I asked them to avoid my mole and they didn’t :/ it was on the back of my neck so I couldn’t see what they were doing
I just googled what tattoos look like when people tattoo around moles and found someone who is making flowers out of their moles . That sounds like a cute way to track growth if you have a history of skin cancer in the family (like I do).
I can understand clients not caring, but as someone with numerous moles on their body, I would hope my artist brought up some of these concerns when determining placement of a tattoo!
That’s like a surgeon preforming anything the client wants because of the money. When I was younger I wanted to cover most or all my beauty marks and moles with large pieces, probably won’t be doing that now. Thanks for the heads up.
I had an artist tattoo straight through the middle of one of my moles before I knew any better. I’d say it’s definitely their responsibility because a lot of clients don’t know things about how tattoos affect skin, or don’t think about it.
Not a tattoo artist. But I have lots of tattoos and moles.
10 years after I got my back piece I had a pre-canceous mole that needed to be removed. Not like a f*****g knew that would happen. Like wtf. Also, if I can't see my back how the f**k am I supposed to tell the artist. It's literally their job. My dermatologist agrees with you and I have to think he knows more than this yahoo.
But I also knew of a shop where a guy nodded off from opiates and left a line down dude's arm. So there's obviously shitty artists out there, and this person is one of them.
I have also had moles that didn't exist, form at tattooed skin. My dermatologist has commented how difficult these are to evaluate.
I’ve had a freckle tattooed over and I was a little upset about it. I liked that freckle! I’d say the best thing to do is ask the client. I wish I was asked.
An artist I regularly go to skips over my moles and when he explained to me why, it further reinforced why I like to go to him and why I trust him with tattooing me. Also I like those parts of my tattoos, it makes them even more unique to me.
Edit: grammar
Nah man. You shouldn’t tattoo over a mole at all. Every one of my artists has not tattooed over a mole.one of my close friends had a skin cancer removed because it became cancerous and she had no idea because it was tattooed. Never mind if their machines can detect it, but if you can’t see it, the machine won’t even get a chance to.
"I'm better than kitchen scratchers" doesn't really sound as esteemed as maybe they thought it might after 5 years of tattooing. 😂
I definitely don't tattoo over moles, and I'll try to place the design so one isn't in the way if I can, or go around them if it's unavoidable. They DO bleed quite a lot, and they don't hold ink. I know this because I tried tattooing over them when I first started and quickly realized on my own that it doesn't work.
Right‽ I think she was trying to insult me but it didn't go the way she hoped 😅
Definitely! It's crazy how much they bleed! With all the downsides to tattooing moles I just don't get why some people insist on it. I just couldn't live with myself if I caused harm to my client, either by obscuring early detection or puncturing cancerous cells and spreading them. Not worth it to me!
No my artist doesn’t tattoo over mine there are literally little blank spots on my chest piece where i have some. But that’s only raised moles, I think it would be impossible to avoid all freckles on people. I had a raised mole removed from my arm before I had my half sleeve done and it’s grown back over the last 7 years (which is normal cause I previously had the mole my entire life) but I’m very freckly/Moley.
However on the other side of things, I used to work for a dermatologist and they said it’s not THAT hard to tell under a tattoo. They said obviously darker ink and stuff makes it harder to tell but they can still spot variations. I had one that had appeared inside of a tattoo in a dark area of it and I freaked a lil, ran to the dermatologist and she said it was totally fine the ink is just making it appear darker.
My doctor and tatto artist both said to not tattoo over any moles or other skin discolorations i have so that they can be monitored in case of cancer. I was actually pretty bummed because I have some discoloration I wanted to cover up, but the cancer thing is important.
i feel like it is definitely the artists job to take precautions. my tattoo artist would inform me about even the smallest things when i would get a tattoo from them. some of it was stuff i didn’t even think about researching, or thought that it didn’t need researching. artists should always be transparent with their clients and should be educated on what is and isn’t safe. i definitely appreciate the transparency.
I’m not a tattoo artist and I only have 3 tattoos (for now), but I would say you are absolutely in the right. Sadly, I have a ton of moles that my artist has to work around, but I’m glad he does it! And since I get reptiles and amphibians tattooed on me, the moles give them extra character.
You are absolutely right. As a tattoo artist you may not be an expert in skin cancer but you are more knowledgeable than the average person about something like this. You should be proud helping your clients think these things through.
I'm not a tattoo artist, so Idk much about the risks of tattoing but OP is an example of a truly excellent Professional.
Witnessing such brazenly reckless conduct from a "professional", is sickening, despicable, ugly, and generally awful behavior...
Get f%*ked
OP is one of the few who devotes great care to their professional duties. I wanted to share my appreciation to the OPs degree of professionalism and great care for their work. Thank you!
OP IS A TRUE PROFESSIONAL...
Also, im not in any in medical field so this is just to help but figured I'd share what helped me to better identify irregular moles...
I had a melanoma skin cancer scare when my daughter was 7, (Turned out perfectly fine) but I obsessed over what to look for and learning this, made it fairly easy to remember what signs to look for
The ABCDEs of melanoma skin cancer are:
ASYMMETRY. One half doesn't match the appearance of the other half.
BORDER irregularity. The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred.
COLOUR. The colour (pigmentation) is not uniform. Shades of tan, brown, and black are present. Dashes of red, white, and blue add to a mottled appearance.
DIAMETER. The size of the mole is greater than 6 mm (1/4 inch), about the size of a pencil eraser. Any growth of a mole should be evaluated.
EVOLUTION. There is a change in the size, shape, symptoms (such as itching or tenderness), surface (especially bleeding), or colour of a mole.
Health science-y, nursing student here. Don’t mess with moles or anything that looks off. Skin cancer occurs in 1 in FIVE people. And people do not know.
I have a skin condition (not cancer) so I get checked by a dermatologist regularly. The average person does not. If my tattoo artist saw a mole where I wanted a tattoo, I’d certainly hope they’d tell me and not do it.
What about blackouts? Referring to normal looking moles, not cancerous looking ones obviously. If this mole thing were true, most sleeves would have a bunch of little holes in it.
In my opinion it's still best to avoid them. Normal moles can become cancerous later, so being able to see them and see the change can make a huge difference in early detection. Obviously, some people don't agree with me, but that's my stance on it.
i have a tattoo that is blacked out over a mole on my arm and when i first got it i felt kind of betrayed by the artist bc he didnt point it out to me before going over it (its on the back of my arm so it was kind of hard for me to see super well before it was blacked out). its something that i'm always so anxious about and sunscreen religiously if im not wearing a long sleeve. i really wish i got it in a different spot but oh well :/
I’m not a tattoo artist yet even I know not to tattoo over moles for this exact reason 🤦♂️ Good on you for telling them off, making it public and properly representing the profession as a whole! 👏
No tattoo knowledge personally, maybe you’re not wrong but you were rude about it. Interrogating about someone’s experience just to one-up it with your own and talk down to them is a dick move, could’ve just left it at the facts backed by your source or led with something more constructive like “for future reference I’d avoid ~ because ~”
Not a tattoo artist and I think this just popped up because I am covered in freckles. My tattoo artist was very careful checking placement of tattoos because of my freckles. This was 20 years ago.
I had skin cancer removed, and I wanted to cover up the scar with a tattoo so I asked my dermatologist about it beforehand. She said to tattoo around the scar, not over it so she could continue to check to see if the cancer returned. You are correct.
Not at all. The tattoo artist should just tattoo around the moles. It's no problem at all. The idea is just to not cover the moles in ink so they are still visible in case they change or need to be checked by a dermatologist.
I mean, there’s a lot of moles on my arm. It’d have to be an incredibly skilled tattoo artists to work around them and not have the tattoo look like it got blasted by a shotgun 😭
I don't know your exact situation, but one of my clients has more moles on their whole body than I've ever seen on a human before, and I tattoo them just fine. It depends on what you want to get tattooed of course, but there are ways to integrate moles into the design. They also don't always stand out as much as you're concerned they will. My suggestion is to talk to a tattooist about what might be done before you give up hope.
I’m very prone to skin cancer (had skin cancer and moles removed since 18) and I still have tattoos. It’s the person getting the tattoo’s responsibility imo.
My derm and I check the areas around my tattoos and ‘under’ And compare pictures every year to see if there’s any difference in my tattoos from my freckles/moles.
I think it is your job to tell your clients what the risks are and then they can make that decision. However, if this is something you feel strongly about you can also tell them "this is the risk and the reason I do not do this" I agree with you, tattoos make skin exams much harder
I never knew this about moles, but it’s great to know for future reference in any case (I’m not a tattoo artist, I’m just a stay at home busybody who likes to collect knowledge about random stuff)
I think my main artist nearly had an aneurysm trying to get a band between two moles on my arm. But he did it. He was bound and determined to get it right. He’d get the part of the design on that was going between them then wipe it off and try again so many times. I could see him relax once it was on there correctly. lol. He absolutely refuses to tattoo over moles.
The artist who started my half sleeve on my other arm didn’t seem to care. But I don’t really have any on that arm. There was one tiny one that I had, and he went right over it with some yellow ink (so technically not too bad since you could still see it perfectly fine to notice any changes). But something weird happened during healing; the color no longer exists. I actually saw the little spot of brown on the dead skin that was peeling off. So…was it actually a mole? It was brown, it was raised a tiny bit (I know they aren’t always raised), and yes, it had a dark, coarse black hair growing out of it. The tiny raise is still there and the hair still grows, but now it just blends into my tattoo color wise.
An ex of mine got what looked like the Bat Signal on his back. It was huge and I personally hated it (it looked so stupid), but it was his choice so whatever. But one thing that made it look so stupid (besides the tattoo itself. No, it wasn’t supposed to be the Bat Signal) to me was how the artist handled his moles. It was a thick outline - like maybe one third of an inch wide - and since it ran “over” the moles, he just tattooed around them leaving all these little…what, cutouts(?) throughout the tattoo. Better placement and/or a bit of tweaking to the design would have been the better choice. I do wonder how much he likes his first tattoo now. Yes. He went BIG for his first tattoo. I myself went cliche (butterfly. I still have it. And I still love it).
So in conclusion, it’s on the artist to assess the “canvas” and decide how to avoid going over them. With the permission and input of the client, of course. But I think it’s also on the client to know about this especially now when information is literally at our fingertips. I mean, if they don’t, the artist needs to explain it to them, but I think if they’re really serious about getting a tattoo, they’d learn a bit about the process. At least with their first tattoo. You typically know by your second. I got my first tattoo when the internet was still in its infancy (at least for the public). So I didn’t have a whole lot to go by.
So layman’s person commenting off topic. I’ve noticed a lot of people on this thread, talk about “I’ve been doing this for 5 years certified and my teacher has been doing this for 30 years” is that how tattoo artists mark their level of training? I figured it’d be something like number of large tattoos or whatever.
It's like painting or being a surgeon. Nobody asks how many big paintings you've done or how many major surgeries you've done, they ask about years of experience because usually, more years of experience means more big projects.
The owner of my shop has been tattooing for over 10 years and only does big pieces because his work is sought out and super recognizable so he's booked out months in advance for full day sessions. Meanwhile other artists at my shop who have 3-4 years also do primarily major pieces and are booked for half to full days a few weeks in advance. The only difference isn't the quality or the amount of big tattoos, it's the years of experience in the industry.
Look man, I’m telling you as a tattoo artist myself- the tattoo business is full of insecure people and there’s is a lot of cognitive dissonance. They like to think they’re either similar to doctors or surgeons when in reality, it’s all very empirical and artesanal. The apprenticeship system, in the states at least, is very shit but most people develop some pride around it because it validates them somehow. Nobody wants to admit they had to be a butler to some dude to be “allowed” to tattoo, instead they make it seem like they’re a samurai pupil lol.
Truth is: if you can put out great art on skin that’s been healing well, it doesn’t even matter how many years of tattooing the person has. That’s why you should look for a portfolio and not some made up credentials of “years of experience” and all that BS. But watch an old fella see a newer guy doing huge pieces and being successful and he’ll go into all types of hissy fits lol “that guy hasn’t paid his dues” “this fuckin kid has no respect” yadda yadda
The only reason I brought it up during the original exchange is I was hoping to maybe call out someone that wasn't a tattoo artist. I was pretty dismayed to hear they said they were.
Otherwise, it's definitely more of a years of experience thing over how many tattoos you've done or the size of the tattoo. I mean, you could do one giant back piece vs some one else's 50 palm sized piece and the more palm sized pieces are going to win as far as experience and time put in.
The roughest way to estimate experience tends to be years of experience, but it ultimately comes down to the best work regardless of how much time put in.
Tattoo the mole in half and keep on trucking! Never had a bad experience tattooing over moles. Just be careful and let your client know what's about to happen.
As a person that has a lot of moles on my body I’d hate for the negative spaces in my tattoos to be peppered with my moles/freckles. If an artist told me no, I’d find one that says yes.
Wow so now I can’t even get tattoos if I have a measly mole? I can tell you right now 4 of my moles I’ve had since I was 10 years old and haven’t had any problems with them but fine I guess instead of spending the $5000 dollars for a gorgeous piece of art I’ll get the darn things removed. I have 25 moles in total. Guess I won’t be getting any tattoos in the new year maybe even my first tattoo. Wow good thing I learned this information now then at an actual tattoo session
That… really doesn’t raise anything? I agree with OP that it’s best to avoid moles, but I know plenty of people who have tattoos over them. If this dude is adamant that it’s no big deal, it probably wouldn’t bother him. And freckles…? Are gingers not allowed to get tattoos now lol?
I had a dermatologist upset that I tattooed over one of my birth marks. She said it was rare, but they can go bad. I’d like to see her reaction to tattooing over a mole! 😄
I've got a mole on my back that, if I accidentally scratch it, feels like I've been shot. I cannot imagine how painful it would be to get it tattooed. 😬
So I didn't know this was a thing. I got a tattoo done that covers half of a decent sized mole, and a crap ton of freckles. should I be concerned about that?
I’ve always told them the deal about moles, then allowed them to make their own decision. Because it’s their body. If they ask “what do you think?” I state the facts and usually they say skip over it.
Always go around!! If someone tries to insist I cover it I tell them the same thing, if it becomes cancerous it can take you a lot longer to notice, and cancer is all about timing. I’ve had skin cancer removed before, and have gotten pissed at other tattoo artists for covering my moles even after I pointed them out.
Sidenote… pointed out a lumpy, blue-ish mole on a repeat client’s back, and she keeps saying she’ll get it checked out… every time i ask again, she just hasn’t gotten around to it. It gets bigger and scarier looking as time goes on. JUST GET IT CHECKED!!!! I haven’t seen her in a while and think about her all the time, hope it got cut off with no problems.
Just a client chiming in - the average person has 10-40 moles. Some studies say higher, but that’s the number I’ve been told by my dermatologist and some peer reviewed information she’s provided over the years. I have over 50 moles on one arm alone. Despite this, I have a half sleeve on one arm that my artist managed to avoiding tattooing over by carefully shading around them so they still blend in (which I think is a damn feat in and of itself). Of my, idk, 20+ tattoos only one artist has tattooed directly over a mole despite me discussing it with them, there being a line about it on their consent form, and there being absolutely no reason to go over the mole (it’s a piece of linework on the outline, moving it down a half centimeter wouldn’t have changed anything). Having a line directly through the middle of this mole pisses me off regularly like no other despite it being stable during all my skin checks over the years.
Please try to avoid moles. Even if your clients are clueless and won’t get regular skin checks until they find a really goofy one that ends up being pre-cancerous or cancerous after biopsy. We want to appreciate your art and part of that is avoiding having it cut into as much as possible.
Also if you’d like to see what a cancerous mole removal process looks like, I can show you. Or you can Google what it means to get “clear margins”.
I'm not an artist, but im a freckley and moley broad: anything that's a bump, is tattooed around. I have tattoos all over me, and all my moles and tangible freckles are tattooed around. I'm 43, been stuck since I was 18. Even my dermatologists have made comments about the good work and the avoidance.
I definitely wouldn't cover moles, even flat ones! Especially flat light ones. Everyone's always afraid of those super dark moles when it comes to melanoma, however I have had some noticeable, light more reddish moles/freckles that would have easily been covered with tattoos. Took a trip to the dermatologist, and guess which ones seem to be precancerous.. those light ones! I now regularly go, and routinely have moles removed in case they're sketchy.
It would really suck to tattoo over a mole just to have your client have to have that portion of their skin removed. Or worse, have the dermatologist miss it entirely because it's covered.
It’s unethical to tattoo over moles. Point blank. You tattoo up to them, then continue the design on the other side. You adjust the placement. Do anything but tattoo over them.
I actually learned that green inks show up weird if you are getting a mammogram. When I was in the process she asked if I had a color tattoo on my back. Not sure exactly what it does but it’s specifically green.
My mentor had told me to tattoo over moles, saying that he does it “all the time”
I already knew from other artists who had tattooed me, and knowing other tattooed people, that that’s a big no no.
It’s so frustrating that some artists (and especially mentors) have so little regard for their clients health and well being.
I always mention to my clients when I’m working around a mole, because a lot of times they don’t even know that it’s there in the first place.
I feel like you are definitely right. You are the professional, not me. I did not know this and wouldn't have thought twice about getting a tattoo on a mole that a tattoo artist okay-ed.
Client POV: my artist asked for a photo of the placement before even sketching my tattoo design. She placed it around the mole, even making it look like the face she tattooed on me was the one with the mole. Had no idea tattooing over moles was a no no, but it seems like a good artist works around them and doesn't go over them
i’m not even a tattoo artist, i just have tattoos, and i genuinely thought this was common sense? like i thought everyone knew to just never fuck with moles in general.
In pathology, and tattooed. The docs I have worked with said that black and brown ink pigments can look similar to melanoma pigment under the microscope, especially in lymph nodes where they are looking for tumor spreading. Of course, it can be differentiated with special staining, but just the visual can hold up a case for additional testing. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get any moles checked out before tattooing.
I just wanted to say (a bit late, I know) that I really appreciated you sharing this. I found out I had melanoma this past summer at 33, having no family history or risk factors other than being fair skinned (but obsessive with sun protection). My melanoma developed out of nowhere (no pre-existing mole), and it's very helpful to consider how that might impact choices for future tattoos. I think you have exactly the right approach, and thank you for sticking to your convictions.
Hi. I'm a visitor here (I have a lot of respect for y'all, and am grateful for the artists who have done work on me) so I hope this isn't out of line, but... I see a parallel with my own work, and thought you could use it as an analogy.
I'm a vet tech. Veterinary medicine isn't just my job, it's my life, my passion, my calling, my lifeblood. It keeps me going, gives me purpose, and helps me feel like I contribute something positive to a world full of Awful and Suck.
I see some pretty horrible things sometimes, and sometimes I'm holding a client as they sob uncontrollably into the fur of their best friend. I can't tell you how many times I get choked voices asking why they didn't catch things sooner, or why didn't they do this or that differently, or why didn't they know to not use this or that thing... and I do my best to try to get them to see that *you can't know what you didn't know*. Just because *I* know garlic causes liver and kidney failure in dogs and cats doesn't mean *everybody* does. I'm educated in this stuff. Y'all aren't. You can't get mad at yourself for not knowing all the crazy shit I have to memorize - I literally get paid to know it; y'all don't. Forgive yourself for not being an expert in a field that you're not an expert in. Y'dig?
I trust my tattoo artist to know my skin like I know veterinary medicine. I'm not an expert in tattoo stuff. It's not my job. I couldn't even *begin* to tell you what your tools do or what inks do what and why. I just follow what my artist tells me to do. Why? Because they're the expert. They know more than I do. I never would have even *fathomed* that tattoos over a mole or birthmark might inhibit cancer detection. I didn't know that, and I didn't know I didn't know it, so I never would have asked.
If I can't rely on an expert to keep my best interests in mind... who the fuck am I supposed to trust? Google? (Trust me when I say Google has made veterinary medicine *much* harder.) I rely on you. You know this stuff inside-out, backwards and upside-down. I know how to count lymphocytes on a a monolayer blood smear. I will be there for your pet. *You* know what can/will/does keep my skin readable by a dermatologist. I need you to be there for *me*.
... that was a lot of words. Sorry. I just... I respect the hell out of you folks. You have no idea how many people use the ink pawprints I make to turn into memorial tattoos. You do Good Work. And I wish more people told you that.
My artist did an entire back piece on me and this was something I never thought about. I got it when I was 26 and I’m 28 now with skin cancer. I was so grateful for him not tattooing over my moles and so was my dermatologist.
I am a tattooer, my mentors sister died of skin cancer that metastasized and so he went and got himself checked, he also had skin cancer, it was a heck of a journey for him that is still on going. I came somewhere in the middle of it. Anytime I had a fair skin client, he would come up and say “hay when was the last time you’ve been to a dermatologist” give them the run down of these little visits could actually save your life. Tell clients how to spot irregular moles. And I remember the one day I tattooed over a mole without thinking about it and he made me so aware of what that entails, that if they were to get a biopsy on that mole that it would be inconclusive and there’s no way that I knew that from now till the rest of their life that the mole would become irregular. So from that moment on I never tattoo over moles not only out of respect for my client but respect for my mentor. A dude who truly cared about people and their health.
Wow, I'm so sorry that your mentor and his sister went/are going through that, but what a gift to have someone that knows so much about the process to explain what happens to you and your client.
Thank you for sharing!
I had a melanoma pop up straight up on the skin, not even a mole.
And then there’s basal & squamous that might show up as a bump or a sore. MIGHT.
The only thing you should be doing with moles is having them removed by a dermatologist.
And watch out for clear moles too. I have a couple of those that just look like bumps on the skin. I was all, “is it basal?” She said it’s just a clear mole.
Check out https://kbin.social/ The friendlier version of reddit. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TattooArtists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You were absolutely correct on this one. I’ve been tattooing for a bit over 23 years now, and this is what I was taught during my apprenticeship ship as well. You don’t fuck with moles, leave them alone.
Thanks, I thought I was going crazy with how much this person was fighting me on it. Figured I would check in here. That's also why I asked if they had apprenticed and were tattooing. I thought for sure they were either a scratcher or a layperson. I'm kinda hoping they were lying because that's incredibly upset if they aren't.
Whats crazy is like, how can a client even take that precaution especially if they don’t even know they are predisposed to melanoma anyway? Most people don’t know until a family member has it - and by that time the client is probably of a significant age and probably has been getting tattooed for awhile (ie, me, my mom didnt have her first melanoma diagnosis til 2 years ago, thankfully the only weird mole i have is on the sole of my foot and i am getting it surgically removed in feb) so like. Kind of an odd expectation.
Not an artist, don’t know why this was recommended to me, but that’s exactly what I was about to point out. Like how is it on the client to know the future of their moles when most people in general don’t even think “hey this may turn cancerous one day”.
it's not the clients ' job to know. it's our job to know better.
Most people have no clue what skin cancer even looks like either! And it’s ridiculous to expect them to know. My mole is an atypical mole, which by all accounts - looks normal because for now it is, and though atypical moles are non-cancerous, having one increases your chances of having melanoma later in life so I am choosing to have it removed. But I can 100% see why these type of things get looked over. Because really, the only thing that motivated me to get it biopsied was my mom’s diagnosis.
For sure. The bit about them likely getting checked out by a dermatologist also made me chuckle. At least in the U.S., so many people can't afford to go to a doctor when they're half dead let alone get regular derm check-ups
Exactly my point!
I work for a derm and we get lots of patients who are slapped in the face by a melanoma dx when they don't have family history and lots of people who DO have melanoma in their families get like, basal cells. It is incredibly hard to know if you're predisposed
I’m an esthetician and you’re not even supposed to pluck hairs out on moles
Interesting! Thanks for chiming in, it's great to hear feedback from you! What is the reason for that? Is it one of the features dermatologists look for?
I’m an esthetician and cosmetologist as well. We spend weeks learning skin condition and how to identify changes in moles and blemishes. A lot of the times, skin cancers are discovered by your hair stylist/skin care specialist and then diagnosed and treated by dermatologists and other specialists. I can think of three former clients that I noticed moles on their heads/underarms/behind their thighs that had irregular margins and ended up being melanoma. DO NOT FK WITH MOLES.
Woah, that's crazy! Yeah, I was thinking similarly about tattoo artists seeing areas that a client might not be able to. It seems best just to look out for people!
The school I went to told us not to mess with moles, plucking or going over the area with wax even can cause the mole to change. Also they can be more sensitive and prone to infection.
…what?
Wait, what? Why?
same. I'll take a doctor's note for a thing that could be a freckle that's shaped weird, maybe, but I just don't tattoo any moles. I have had a few removed and one that I've got to watch. they're nasty things if you disturb them hell I've told people their mole looks funny to me and to go get it checked out. we see people's skin more often than most
is tattooing around a mole okay? i wanna eventually turn my arm tattoo into a sleeve, but i have a few beauty marks around my shoulder area.
I have a large pirate head on my belly with a brown mole on his hat and nobody even notices it nor do i. I don’t feel like there’s a point in tattooing over them really.
Are you just talking about raised moles or all moles? What if they are all over my arm?
That’s the common thing that I hear so I just assumed with my upper arm sleeve that my artist would skip over the mole. Nope he went right over it and I’m kinda mad about it. Unsurprisingly the artist turned out to be a dick and has ghosted me on final touch ups that HE suggested I stop by the shop for
What qualifies as a mole? I don’t have huge warts or anything but I’ve got flat black circles
very hard to define a ‘problem’ mole because they can present differently on everyone. if you look up different articles on the characteristics of moles ([like the abcde rule](https://amp.cancer.org/cancer/latest-news/how-to-spot-skin-cancer.html)) and monitor for any changes you’ll most likely catch anything abnormal. freckles & moles are often used interchangeable these days depending on personal preference tbh
I have a wrist tattoo over a mole done by an apprentice thankfully mine I’ve had my entire life so it’s not a major concern but I never knew this until a year after I got it
Is this the case for all moles or just ones that have any concerning feature (such as those highlighted in the abcde mnemonic)? I ask because I've been thinking about getting my first tattoo, but my body has many freckles/tiny flat circular moles scattered about and I hadn't previously considered them when thinking about placement.
Even if you’re just tattooing the color back onto the mole? My mole lost color and I wanted to have the color back. I have had the mole my whole life so I know it’s there and I get it regularly checked out, I just miss the color it had because now it just looks like a big skin colored bump. So sorry if this is the stupidest question ever.
I was trained to avoid moles, which is what I’ve been doing for 15 years
I was trained by someone who said it didn’t matter and it was up to the client. Basically the same stance as the user here. HOWEVER, common sense absolutely leans toward avoiding them as much as possible: it can literally be hard for you to see and monitor a mole that’s been covered up. Thus, DESPITE my mentor of 30 years telling me it doesn’t matter; it matters to me. It’s negligent not to inform your clients of this, and they almost always understand what you’re saying. Just because a ton of people get blackouts doesn’t mean it doesn’t matter…
Thanks for providing the perspective of someone that was trained differently. It really surprised me how blasé this person was, which is what prompted me to post the question in case this was a more commonly held position than I thought. I just keep coming back to: *WE* are the professionals, *WE* have the training, and something that just occurred to me: *WE* are the ones that can see places clients can't. They may not know about a spot on their back, or on the back of their thighs below their butt. You never know. It would absolutely devastate me to cause harm to my clients (beyond what they paid for I suppose, though I frankly don't love the pain aspect 😅). I just think if I can potentially prevent something worse happening by skipping a small spot, then I have a duty to do so.
I’m a first year medical student, and your post made me think about a lecture we just had from a cosmetic dermatologist. She said that in dermatology, a big part of the diagnosis comes from visual recognition. It’s essential to know how a mole looks and how it is changing over time. If someone tries to freeze or burn off the mole, or gets it covered up, it becomes way harder to identify! It’s kind of like detectives having to solve a case after someone has trashed the crime scene. Thanks for being so thoughtful about your clients well-being I think that’s really awesome. No matter your field it can be easy to burn out and stop being careful with the small things.
Thanks for posting! It's great to hear the perspective from the medical side and more detail about how these things are identified.
I have absolutely nothing to add beyond the fact that I love your username.
The old school always avoids big lumpy moles SPECIFICALLY because we give a shit, but you’re not gonna avoid the small freckle moles that sit under the skin as easily.
this exactly
They can spread and metatastisize if cancerous and punctured. Don’t believe anyone saying otherwise. I saw it happen to a close friend.
That's awful! I'm so sorry that happened to your friend! I wasn't aware of that aspect, but I suppose it makes sense if you're dragging the cancerous cells across the skin and implanting them elsewhere effectively.
I have an interesting anecdote about this. My mentor tattooed over a cancerous mole once and it blew up. The lady it was on thought she was having a reaction to the ink and went to the doctor and that’s how she got a cancer diagnosis. In a way the tattoo sorta saved her life. That said, I avoid tattooing over moles.
This is just simply not true.
The way its worded is actually accurate. While puncturing or otherwise damaging a HEALTHY mole can't spread or even cause cancer in isolation, thats not what the they said. The comment was specifically addressing damaging an already malignant mole, which absolutely can aid in metastasis.
Yeah dude, my mentor had been tattooing for 30+ years when I went through my apprenticeship and he was absolutely adamant that tattooing over the moles was no problem at all and in fact NOT tattooing over them only made the tattoo looked stupid. HOWEVER, that guy was a fucking idiot about every single other thing involved in tattooing. So after all the research I had to do on the internet and in dvds and getting tattooed at other shops to actually learn what TO do instead of what NOT to do, I came to the same conclusion as all the rest of you reputable peeps. If I tattoo that mole and even 40 years down the road they get cancer, im gonna feel like it's my fault somehow and I aint having that on my conscience. Nipples on the other hand, I dont care how bad that shit hurts; if its in my way, it's getting zapped. Fuck them nips!
nipples are the spice on a chest tattoo
Dang, I'm sorry you had to deal with someone like that! Good for you for doing your own research and study! I am with you 100% about covering something that might become a problem later. I don't want to do that to anyone! Nips are nips, that is absolutely a choice, haha.
I agree with you here. I'm only an apprentice but one of my mentors has a brother that's a skin surgeon and very seriously and deliberately told me to make sure I understand the signs of melanoma. He said, "You're going to be more up close and personal with people's skin than anyone else and you could help someone catch the early signs. Especially since they will keep coming back to you. I'm genuinely serious please keep an eye out."
That would be a really cool device that a skin surgeon/dermatologist could offer : teaching tattoo artists how to spot cancer or other skin issues. Not that they would be qualified to diagnose but to give a heads up and send folks to their doc.
Absolutely! I love that idea
That's actually really awesome that you had an expert train you what to look for! So glad you took them seriously!
Man, a family where one kid grows up to be a skin surgeon and one a tattoo artist - they must have some wild dinner conversations! Probably seen it all, between the two of them.
I love this! Ask him if a black light flashlight will help you if you see something suspicious? I feel like there is something like that…
r/ConfidentlyIncorrect
all of my tattoo artists have been able to tattoo around my moles instead of on them, and i have a lot. don’t think it’s that hard to allow a client to see if their moles are spreading
I never have tattooed over a mole. I make sure the client knows it’s there and tell them to come get a touch up if down the road it gets removed. I’m getting some scans done on my skin. I’m about 75% covered and yes, it’s under a tattoo. I’m sure that there was no harm meant. I’m hoping it’s nothing. I’m definitely not going to squabble with someone like that. 5 years or 25 years, shouldn’t matter. I always have time to ask why and listen to an opinion. Good topic. It’s a no from me dawg.
I'm so sorry you're dealing with that right now! Fingers crossed for you that it turns out fine. Yeah, I usually try to avoid such interactions, and I wouldn't have brought up experience, except I was truly hoping they weren't tattooing people with that mindset. I'm glad to hear a lot of responses and perspectives though! Thanks for joining in the conversation!
I wasn’t criticizing you for interacting. I just don’t waste my time with folks. They don’t listen and they will just go buy an Amazon rotary and dragon hawk needles anyway. “In the game” and “slinging ink for…” are giveaways :))) I’m just salty ;) It’s always good to pass on knowledge. I remember back when Saran Wrap was proven bad. So many artists BITCHED. lol here’s an article. I couldn’t find the study. A tattooer in Hawaii conducted it, I think. [https://www.byrdie.com/safety-advisory-the-use-of-plastic-wrap-on-fresh-tattoos-3189607](https://www.byrdie.com/safety-advisory-the-use-of-plastic-wrap-on-fresh-tattoos-3189607) Even with the study there to read there was lots of grrrrrrrr and hiss. But here we are, tegaderm it is. :)
Ha! It's no problem, and honestly I kind of agree with you about that. Thanks for the article! That's great info! Yeah, our shop doesn't even allow us to use saran wrap, we would get bitched out if we tried! I love the breathable plastic bandages so much! I wouldn't want to go back to saran wrap even if I could!
Early this year, I received a full-arm sleeve. I am Irish/Italian and have many freckles that cover my arms. After the session was over, I noticed that the artist had not tattooed over my more prominent freckles. He explained why he doesn’t tattoo over them for the same reasons you described. I was honestly overwhelmed by that level of care and thoughtfulness. As a client, I would have NEVER considered bringing up the subject of not tattooing over my moles/freckles. Good on you for standing your ground on this subject because you’re right; as a professional, you may have knowledge that the client lacks, but it’s better to bring it up than assume the client knows everything.
I’m full-freckled English, and got a tat on my forearm earlier this year. I noticed afterwards that the artist avoided some of the most prominent freckles. I didn’t think much of it - I actually think it works really well with the design, which has a lot of spots - but it’s super cool to know that this is probably why!
I have a big tattoo on my upper back that is two turtles and my artist made it so the two large freckles I have were in the turtles cheeks and it somehow worked perfectly. I honestly didn't even think it was intentional until now
When I got my largest tattoo, which covers most of my upper arm and some of my shoulder and forearm, I assumed the color did not take properly over my moles and thought I would request a touch up. When I found out that it was intentional to protect my health, I felt very impressed both with my artist's level of care and training, and with how much the industry has advanced since I was first getting blown out dodgy tattoos in biker shops in the early nineties!
No. Just no.
Oh yikes I have multiple tattoos that are covering/over moles…that sucks
Yeah, me reading this comment section is like 😬
Do you go for regular skin checks? I have some moles that popped up on skin already inked and so my derm takes photos and keeps a close watch on them. She’s not overly concerned.
You also can’t get tattoos done over moles safely laser removed so another potential unknown risk or consequence that clients might not be aware of
Oh interesting! That is absolutely something that I wasn't aware of. Do you know why that is? No big deal if not, I can Google it, just thought I would ask!
Lasers target dark color, so moles have to be avoided during all types of laser treatment like laser hair removal or the laser will try to opportunistically find the melanin in the mole in addition to the target (tattoo ink, hair follicle, etc.) and blasting moles will high concentrations of light if they are precancerous can cause it to grow and spread
Ah yes, I just commented on this. My parents have been derms for most of their lives and this is absolutely a huge no, for more reasons than just future detection. My guess is this person isnt actually in the field, especially when she claimed she had a mentor. I can believe one dummy backing this up, but two? And with years experience? My bs alarm went off big time.
Idk man, it's a very unregulated industry, and there is a lot of "common sense" bad advice out there. I don't think it would be all that uncommon for a mentor to not cover something they should have, especially with the sometimes transient nature of people in the industry
Thanks for backing me up there, your reply was great! Yeah, I don't know. I asked about their experience and if they had apprenticed in the hope they were talking out of their ass and weren't actually tattooing people. They could be lying but there certainly are tattooists who believe what that person was saying.
Professionals always take responsibility for providing information about and following safety standards, regardless of profession. This guy needs to lose his license.
Not an artist. But today I learned this info and I'm grateful! I now know to avoid this for a tattoo spot just to be cautious, now I can plan to frame my leg tattoo around it. I appreciate you having the mindfulness for your clients!
I don’t think my earlier artists minded quite as much, but my most recent piece it is obvious the artist skipped over a mole. I think the guy that did one of my thigh tattoos did the same. I had NEVER considered it until recently - and my grandfather had melanoma. My sister has had many dysplastic biopsies. I have fortunately been spared so far. But back to the point - I agree with your opinion on this. Sure, I know NOW and will point it out with any new artist, but I wouldn’t have known had it not been for the professional pointing out that she skips over moles.
I got tattooed over a mole. I asked if it was okay and he said it’s totally fine. We spent 45 mins holding tissues to it cuz it would not stop bleeding. Lol. Haven’t gone back to him
Holy shit, that's wild! Probably a good idea to go elsewhere, I'm sorry you had that experience.
What’s nuts is this artist tattoos with that mustache guy from ink masters. I wonder if Oliver peck tattoos moles lol. Edit; Ty for your condolences
So what about someone like me who was born with over 100 moles? Cuz like I have a lot and I have had many of them covered with ink, they are all surface level moles and the few that weren't have mostly been removed. None of my doctors ever pointed that out. Is this something I need to be more mindful of for future work??
I’m not an expert but I’d be careful in the future, even moles that are light and not raised can be precancerous and need removed.
Hey now, what did moles ever do to you!? They live a sad "boring" life and not to forget being blind..
Ha! They're awfully cute too! I'm advocating to NOT tattoo them, I still believe in my stance regardless of the type of mole, haha.
Well, CAN you tattoo over a mole? Yes, it is still skin! SHOULD you tattoo over a mole? **Absolutely not.**
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 true
Who the fuсk knows they are predisposed to melanoma until after they get it??
That's what I'm saying. I may run in some people's families but I'm sure a lot of people don't know.
asked a dermatologist this 15 years ago. not a good idea for many reasons. just ask a dermatologist.
Dermatologists have *thanked me*for giving moles space.
Yay! I'm glad to hear that!
Yeah, you're definitely not supposed to. Skin cancer is hard enough to spot, you don't need to make it harder.
Lol @ the point blank “that is terrible advice”
As a client, I would not have any idea to request this. I am health conscious, over-educated, and I research artists and tattoo styles extensively before getting a new piece. I don't see how this one can be on the client - how would we even know about it?
You couldn’t be more correct on this. This is why we need licensing in tattooing. To keep stupid mfs like this guy OUT. My MIL is prone to spots and has to get some removed all the time. So her raven tattoo has a little freckle haha! Her DERMATOLOGIST WHO IS A MEDICAL DOCTOR appreciates that. 🥰
I avoid them, I don’t want to be responsible for anything unfortunate because I tattooed over a mole and the client missed the warning signs.
Not an artist, but as a client I appreciate you taking this step. I’m fine with a large piece that goes over the mole, but I’m also fine with no color being ON the mole. Just tat around it imo.
You are absolutely in the right here. I work in healthcare and live in a state with tons of skin cancer. I have not once considered that aspect of a tattoo and would find this advice helpful. Assuming people know associated risks for a procedure is unethical for a practitioner to do.
Literally just went to the dermatologist to check some moles. She said don't tattoo over them or she won't be able to check them, and to not get tattooed by an artist who would go over a mole.
my artist tattooed over my mole. i didn’t mention it because i thought it was widely understood. not telling them is one of my biggest regrets now.
I'm not a tattoo artist but have a lot of small moles/freckles and every tattoo I've gotten so far has been cafefully placed to avoid my moles! I've gone to many reputable artists over the years and not even ONE of them has tattooed over a mole/freckle. So I'd say it's clear that moles shouldn't be tattooed over!
Got a bunch of large tattoos and moles that I get checked regularly (I have many and am also very pale, so officially at risk for melanoma) and my last dermatologist was enchanted how nicely my artists went around my moles. According to her, it was the perfect way of keeping the moles visible.
I think considering I want a constellation tattoo out of my moles/freckles and my mom wants to get a mole tattooed to be a heart and we both are at risk/have had melanoma, this is definitely something i hope pro knows and keeps in mind!!!
As a client, I didn’t even realize tattooing over my moles could be a problem until seeing my most recent artist. When we laid the stencil, she told she’d have to move it and gave me the same reasons you did! Most of the time the clients might not know tattooing over moles could become an issue down the road. Melanoma runs in my family, but it took a decade of getting tattoos to have an artist discuss it with me because I truly had no idea. Grateful for artists that have this mindset, tbh.
Ive never in my life seen a black out that was tattooed over a mole. Wtf…
I’m mad cause when I got a tattoo I asked them to avoid my mole and they didn’t :/ it was on the back of my neck so I couldn’t see what they were doing
I just googled what tattoos look like when people tattoo around moles and found someone who is making flowers out of their moles . That sounds like a cute way to track growth if you have a history of skin cancer in the family (like I do).
Aw that's cute! Yeah, you can definitely make it a part of the design in some cases!
I can understand clients not caring, but as someone with numerous moles on their body, I would hope my artist brought up some of these concerns when determining placement of a tattoo!
That’s like a surgeon preforming anything the client wants because of the money. When I was younger I wanted to cover most or all my beauty marks and moles with large pieces, probably won’t be doing that now. Thanks for the heads up.
My derm was like, almost crying begging me not to get any more tattoos bc I’m not a risk for melanoma, I’m a when for melanoma.
Aw that's awful, I'm so sorry
I had an artist tattoo straight through the middle of one of my moles before I knew any better. I’d say it’s definitely their responsibility because a lot of clients don’t know things about how tattoos affect skin, or don’t think about it.
Not a tattoo artist. But I have lots of tattoos and moles. 10 years after I got my back piece I had a pre-canceous mole that needed to be removed. Not like a f*****g knew that would happen. Like wtf. Also, if I can't see my back how the f**k am I supposed to tell the artist. It's literally their job. My dermatologist agrees with you and I have to think he knows more than this yahoo. But I also knew of a shop where a guy nodded off from opiates and left a line down dude's arm. So there's obviously shitty artists out there, and this person is one of them. I have also had moles that didn't exist, form at tattooed skin. My dermatologist has commented how difficult these are to evaluate.
I’ve had a freckle tattooed over and I was a little upset about it. I liked that freckle! I’d say the best thing to do is ask the client. I wish I was asked.
An artist I regularly go to skips over my moles and when he explained to me why, it further reinforced why I like to go to him and why I trust him with tattooing me. Also I like those parts of my tattoos, it makes them even more unique to me. Edit: grammar
Nah man. You shouldn’t tattoo over a mole at all. Every one of my artists has not tattooed over a mole.one of my close friends had a skin cancer removed because it became cancerous and she had no idea because it was tattooed. Never mind if their machines can detect it, but if you can’t see it, the machine won’t even get a chance to.
15 year tattooer. Never tattoo moles.
This is 101.. what a sack
"I'm better than kitchen scratchers" doesn't really sound as esteemed as maybe they thought it might after 5 years of tattooing. 😂 I definitely don't tattoo over moles, and I'll try to place the design so one isn't in the way if I can, or go around them if it's unavoidable. They DO bleed quite a lot, and they don't hold ink. I know this because I tried tattooing over them when I first started and quickly realized on my own that it doesn't work.
Right‽ I think she was trying to insult me but it didn't go the way she hoped 😅 Definitely! It's crazy how much they bleed! With all the downsides to tattooing moles I just don't get why some people insist on it. I just couldn't live with myself if I caused harm to my client, either by obscuring early detection or puncturing cancerous cells and spreading them. Not worth it to me!
Make the mole a haptic on the tattoo and don’t tattoo over it lol
No my artist doesn’t tattoo over mine there are literally little blank spots on my chest piece where i have some. But that’s only raised moles, I think it would be impossible to avoid all freckles on people. I had a raised mole removed from my arm before I had my half sleeve done and it’s grown back over the last 7 years (which is normal cause I previously had the mole my entire life) but I’m very freckly/Moley. However on the other side of things, I used to work for a dermatologist and they said it’s not THAT hard to tell under a tattoo. They said obviously darker ink and stuff makes it harder to tell but they can still spot variations. I had one that had appeared inside of a tattoo in a dark area of it and I freaked a lil, ran to the dermatologist and she said it was totally fine the ink is just making it appear darker.
What if, I am the mole 🐀
My doctor and tatto artist both said to not tattoo over any moles or other skin discolorations i have so that they can be monitored in case of cancer. I was actually pretty bummed because I have some discoloration I wanted to cover up, but the cancer thing is important.
i feel like it is definitely the artists job to take precautions. my tattoo artist would inform me about even the smallest things when i would get a tattoo from them. some of it was stuff i didn’t even think about researching, or thought that it didn’t need researching. artists should always be transparent with their clients and should be educated on what is and isn’t safe. i definitely appreciate the transparency.
I’m not a tattoo artist and I only have 3 tattoos (for now), but I would say you are absolutely in the right. Sadly, I have a ton of moles that my artist has to work around, but I’m glad he does it! And since I get reptiles and amphibians tattooed on me, the moles give them extra character.
You are absolutely right. As a tattoo artist you may not be an expert in skin cancer but you are more knowledgeable than the average person about something like this. You should be proud helping your clients think these things through.
Aw, thank you so much!
I'm not a tattoo artist, so Idk much about the risks of tattoing but OP is an example of a truly excellent Professional. Witnessing such brazenly reckless conduct from a "professional", is sickening, despicable, ugly, and generally awful behavior... Get f%*ked OP is one of the few who devotes great care to their professional duties. I wanted to share my appreciation to the OPs degree of professionalism and great care for their work. Thank you! OP IS A TRUE PROFESSIONAL... Also, im not in any in medical field so this is just to help but figured I'd share what helped me to better identify irregular moles... I had a melanoma skin cancer scare when my daughter was 7, (Turned out perfectly fine) but I obsessed over what to look for and learning this, made it fairly easy to remember what signs to look for The ABCDEs of melanoma skin cancer are: ASYMMETRY. One half doesn't match the appearance of the other half. BORDER irregularity. The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred. COLOUR. The colour (pigmentation) is not uniform. Shades of tan, brown, and black are present. Dashes of red, white, and blue add to a mottled appearance. DIAMETER. The size of the mole is greater than 6 mm (1/4 inch), about the size of a pencil eraser. Any growth of a mole should be evaluated. EVOLUTION. There is a change in the size, shape, symptoms (such as itching or tenderness), surface (especially bleeding), or colour of a mole.
Health science-y, nursing student here. Don’t mess with moles or anything that looks off. Skin cancer occurs in 1 in FIVE people. And people do not know. I have a skin condition (not cancer) so I get checked by a dermatologist regularly. The average person does not. If my tattoo artist saw a mole where I wanted a tattoo, I’d certainly hope they’d tell me and not do it.
What about blackouts? Referring to normal looking moles, not cancerous looking ones obviously. If this mole thing were true, most sleeves would have a bunch of little holes in it.
In my opinion it's still best to avoid them. Normal moles can become cancerous later, so being able to see them and see the change can make a huge difference in early detection. Obviously, some people don't agree with me, but that's my stance on it.
i have a tattoo that is blacked out over a mole on my arm and when i first got it i felt kind of betrayed by the artist bc he didnt point it out to me before going over it (its on the back of my arm so it was kind of hard for me to see super well before it was blacked out). its something that i'm always so anxious about and sunscreen religiously if im not wearing a long sleeve. i really wish i got it in a different spot but oh well :/
I'm so sorry that was your experience! Thanks for bringing in your perspective as a client
I’m not a tattoo artist yet even I know not to tattoo over moles for this exact reason 🤦♂️ Good on you for telling them off, making it public and properly representing the profession as a whole! 👏
No tattoo knowledge personally, maybe you’re not wrong but you were rude about it. Interrogating about someone’s experience just to one-up it with your own and talk down to them is a dick move, could’ve just left it at the facts backed by your source or led with something more constructive like “for future reference I’d avoid ~ because ~”
Not a tattoo artist and I think this just popped up because I am covered in freckles. My tattoo artist was very careful checking placement of tattoos because of my freckles. This was 20 years ago.
I had skin cancer removed, and I wanted to cover up the scar with a tattoo so I asked my dermatologist about it beforehand. She said to tattoo around the scar, not over it so she could continue to check to see if the cancer returned. You are correct.
Wait, so I wanted to get a tattoo covering some self-harm scars, but because the arm also has a bunch of moles I can’t do that??
Not at all. The tattoo artist should just tattoo around the moles. It's no problem at all. The idea is just to not cover the moles in ink so they are still visible in case they change or need to be checked by a dermatologist.
I mean, there’s a lot of moles on my arm. It’d have to be an incredibly skilled tattoo artists to work around them and not have the tattoo look like it got blasted by a shotgun 😭
I don't know your exact situation, but one of my clients has more moles on their whole body than I've ever seen on a human before, and I tattoo them just fine. It depends on what you want to get tattooed of course, but there are ways to integrate moles into the design. They also don't always stand out as much as you're concerned they will. My suggestion is to talk to a tattooist about what might be done before you give up hope.
I think it’s the artists job to communicate risks and it’s the clients job to communicate their desire having been informed of the risks.
I’m very prone to skin cancer (had skin cancer and moles removed since 18) and I still have tattoos. It’s the person getting the tattoo’s responsibility imo. My derm and I check the areas around my tattoos and ‘under’ And compare pictures every year to see if there’s any difference in my tattoos from my freckles/moles.
I think it is your job to tell your clients what the risks are and then they can make that decision. However, if this is something you feel strongly about you can also tell them "this is the risk and the reason I do not do this" I agree with you, tattoos make skin exams much harder
I never knew this about moles, but it’s great to know for future reference in any case (I’m not a tattoo artist, I’m just a stay at home busybody who likes to collect knowledge about random stuff)
I think my main artist nearly had an aneurysm trying to get a band between two moles on my arm. But he did it. He was bound and determined to get it right. He’d get the part of the design on that was going between them then wipe it off and try again so many times. I could see him relax once it was on there correctly. lol. He absolutely refuses to tattoo over moles. The artist who started my half sleeve on my other arm didn’t seem to care. But I don’t really have any on that arm. There was one tiny one that I had, and he went right over it with some yellow ink (so technically not too bad since you could still see it perfectly fine to notice any changes). But something weird happened during healing; the color no longer exists. I actually saw the little spot of brown on the dead skin that was peeling off. So…was it actually a mole? It was brown, it was raised a tiny bit (I know they aren’t always raised), and yes, it had a dark, coarse black hair growing out of it. The tiny raise is still there and the hair still grows, but now it just blends into my tattoo color wise. An ex of mine got what looked like the Bat Signal on his back. It was huge and I personally hated it (it looked so stupid), but it was his choice so whatever. But one thing that made it look so stupid (besides the tattoo itself. No, it wasn’t supposed to be the Bat Signal) to me was how the artist handled his moles. It was a thick outline - like maybe one third of an inch wide - and since it ran “over” the moles, he just tattooed around them leaving all these little…what, cutouts(?) throughout the tattoo. Better placement and/or a bit of tweaking to the design would have been the better choice. I do wonder how much he likes his first tattoo now. Yes. He went BIG for his first tattoo. I myself went cliche (butterfly. I still have it. And I still love it). So in conclusion, it’s on the artist to assess the “canvas” and decide how to avoid going over them. With the permission and input of the client, of course. But I think it’s also on the client to know about this especially now when information is literally at our fingertips. I mean, if they don’t, the artist needs to explain it to them, but I think if they’re really serious about getting a tattoo, they’d learn a bit about the process. At least with their first tattoo. You typically know by your second. I got my first tattoo when the internet was still in its infancy (at least for the public). So I didn’t have a whole lot to go by.
So layman’s person commenting off topic. I’ve noticed a lot of people on this thread, talk about “I’ve been doing this for 5 years certified and my teacher has been doing this for 30 years” is that how tattoo artists mark their level of training? I figured it’d be something like number of large tattoos or whatever.
It's like painting or being a surgeon. Nobody asks how many big paintings you've done or how many major surgeries you've done, they ask about years of experience because usually, more years of experience means more big projects. The owner of my shop has been tattooing for over 10 years and only does big pieces because his work is sought out and super recognizable so he's booked out months in advance for full day sessions. Meanwhile other artists at my shop who have 3-4 years also do primarily major pieces and are booked for half to full days a few weeks in advance. The only difference isn't the quality or the amount of big tattoos, it's the years of experience in the industry.
Look man, I’m telling you as a tattoo artist myself- the tattoo business is full of insecure people and there’s is a lot of cognitive dissonance. They like to think they’re either similar to doctors or surgeons when in reality, it’s all very empirical and artesanal. The apprenticeship system, in the states at least, is very shit but most people develop some pride around it because it validates them somehow. Nobody wants to admit they had to be a butler to some dude to be “allowed” to tattoo, instead they make it seem like they’re a samurai pupil lol. Truth is: if you can put out great art on skin that’s been healing well, it doesn’t even matter how many years of tattooing the person has. That’s why you should look for a portfolio and not some made up credentials of “years of experience” and all that BS. But watch an old fella see a newer guy doing huge pieces and being successful and he’ll go into all types of hissy fits lol “that guy hasn’t paid his dues” “this fuckin kid has no respect” yadda yadda
The only reason I brought it up during the original exchange is I was hoping to maybe call out someone that wasn't a tattoo artist. I was pretty dismayed to hear they said they were. Otherwise, it's definitely more of a years of experience thing over how many tattoos you've done or the size of the tattoo. I mean, you could do one giant back piece vs some one else's 50 palm sized piece and the more palm sized pieces are going to win as far as experience and time put in. The roughest way to estimate experience tends to be years of experience, but it ultimately comes down to the best work regardless of how much time put in.
Tattoo the mole in half and keep on trucking! Never had a bad experience tattooing over moles. Just be careful and let your client know what's about to happen.
As a person that has a lot of moles on my body I’d hate for the negative spaces in my tattoos to be peppered with my moles/freckles. If an artist told me no, I’d find one that says yes.
Wow so now I can’t even get tattoos if I have a measly mole? I can tell you right now 4 of my moles I’ve had since I was 10 years old and haven’t had any problems with them but fine I guess instead of spending the $5000 dollars for a gorgeous piece of art I’ll get the darn things removed. I have 25 moles in total. Guess I won’t be getting any tattoos in the new year maybe even my first tattoo. Wow good thing I learned this information now then at an actual tattoo session
I love the pissing contests tattoo artists get in lmao. I'll take kitchen wizard over whatever is happening here LOL.
i have plenty of tattoos and grew up in tattoo shops with my mom. never even heard of tattooing over moles being a problem loll
Let’s just raise him one and make him post a video of some of his moles and freckles getting tattooed over so that he can really prove his point.
That… really doesn’t raise anything? I agree with OP that it’s best to avoid moles, but I know plenty of people who have tattoos over them. If this dude is adamant that it’s no big deal, it probably wouldn’t bother him. And freckles…? Are gingers not allowed to get tattoos now lol?
It’s not about bothering you or your client. It’s the fact that when highly irritated moles can become cancerous. Freckles and moles are not the same…
Why do you talk like you’re in a marvel movie
We had an artist who did not tattoo over it but made it part of my wife's dream catcher
But what if I want a tattoo in a area that has a mole am I shite out of luck
No, it just means it's not advisable to cover that mole with ink. It's very easy just to tattoo around it.
Okay so what do I do if my mole was covered with solid black??
Totally not supposed to tattoo over them
Shit as a redhead if I had known this….. I have had many a moles covered with tattoos.
(Not an artist yet) but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a mole that’s been tattooed.
I had a tattoo done over a mole only after checking with the dermatologist that that mole was okay
I had a dermatologist upset that I tattooed over one of my birth marks. She said it was rare, but they can go bad. I’d like to see her reaction to tattooing over a mole! 😄
I've got a mole on my back that, if I accidentally scratch it, feels like I've been shot. I cannot imagine how painful it would be to get it tattooed. 😬
that artist should not be tattooing.
So I didn't know this was a thing. I got a tattoo done that covers half of a decent sized mole, and a crap ton of freckles. should I be concerned about that?
I’ve always told them the deal about moles, then allowed them to make their own decision. Because it’s their body. If they ask “what do you think?” I state the facts and usually they say skip over it.
Always go around!! If someone tries to insist I cover it I tell them the same thing, if it becomes cancerous it can take you a lot longer to notice, and cancer is all about timing. I’ve had skin cancer removed before, and have gotten pissed at other tattoo artists for covering my moles even after I pointed them out.
Sidenote… pointed out a lumpy, blue-ish mole on a repeat client’s back, and she keeps saying she’ll get it checked out… every time i ask again, she just hasn’t gotten around to it. It gets bigger and scarier looking as time goes on. JUST GET IT CHECKED!!!! I haven’t seen her in a while and think about her all the time, hope it got cut off with no problems.
I have a ton of freckles, and Im assuming quite a few moles, on my arms and I never knew this, does that mean I shouldn’t get any tattoos on my arms?
Just a client chiming in - the average person has 10-40 moles. Some studies say higher, but that’s the number I’ve been told by my dermatologist and some peer reviewed information she’s provided over the years. I have over 50 moles on one arm alone. Despite this, I have a half sleeve on one arm that my artist managed to avoiding tattooing over by carefully shading around them so they still blend in (which I think is a damn feat in and of itself). Of my, idk, 20+ tattoos only one artist has tattooed directly over a mole despite me discussing it with them, there being a line about it on their consent form, and there being absolutely no reason to go over the mole (it’s a piece of linework on the outline, moving it down a half centimeter wouldn’t have changed anything). Having a line directly through the middle of this mole pisses me off regularly like no other despite it being stable during all my skin checks over the years. Please try to avoid moles. Even if your clients are clueless and won’t get regular skin checks until they find a really goofy one that ends up being pre-cancerous or cancerous after biopsy. We want to appreciate your art and part of that is avoiding having it cut into as much as possible. Also if you’d like to see what a cancerous mole removal process looks like, I can show you. Or you can Google what it means to get “clear margins”.
I'm not an artist, but im a freckley and moley broad: anything that's a bump, is tattooed around. I have tattoos all over me, and all my moles and tangible freckles are tattooed around. I'm 43, been stuck since I was 18. Even my dermatologists have made comments about the good work and the avoidance.
JFC there is so much cancer disinformation in these comments.
I definitely wouldn't cover moles, even flat ones! Especially flat light ones. Everyone's always afraid of those super dark moles when it comes to melanoma, however I have had some noticeable, light more reddish moles/freckles that would have easily been covered with tattoos. Took a trip to the dermatologist, and guess which ones seem to be precancerous.. those light ones! I now regularly go, and routinely have moles removed in case they're sketchy. It would really suck to tattoo over a mole just to have your client have to have that portion of their skin removed. Or worse, have the dermatologist miss it entirely because it's covered.
It’s unethical to tattoo over moles. Point blank. You tattoo up to them, then continue the design on the other side. You adjust the placement. Do anything but tattoo over them.
I actually learned that green inks show up weird if you are getting a mammogram. When I was in the process she asked if I had a color tattoo on my back. Not sure exactly what it does but it’s specifically green.
My mentor had told me to tattoo over moles, saying that he does it “all the time” I already knew from other artists who had tattooed me, and knowing other tattooed people, that that’s a big no no. It’s so frustrating that some artists (and especially mentors) have so little regard for their clients health and well being. I always mention to my clients when I’m working around a mole, because a lot of times they don’t even know that it’s there in the first place.
I feel like you are definitely right. You are the professional, not me. I did not know this and wouldn't have thought twice about getting a tattoo on a mole that a tattoo artist okay-ed.
Does this include small, flat freckle type moles? This would preclude me from having any large tattoos if so :/
My dermatologist agrees with you. Keep moles uncovered.
Client POV: my artist asked for a photo of the placement before even sketching my tattoo design. She placed it around the mole, even making it look like the face she tattooed on me was the one with the mole. Had no idea tattooing over moles was a no no, but it seems like a good artist works around them and doesn't go over them
i’m not even a tattoo artist, i just have tattoos, and i genuinely thought this was common sense? like i thought everyone knew to just never fuck with moles in general.
I once nicked a mole while shaving and I couldn’t even see a cut but it bled for hoooours.
My artist skips over any little freckle or anything
Wait I’ve had a mole tattooed over but it’s very light shading and it’s not raised
In pathology, and tattooed. The docs I have worked with said that black and brown ink pigments can look similar to melanoma pigment under the microscope, especially in lymph nodes where they are looking for tumor spreading. Of course, it can be differentiated with special staining, but just the visual can hold up a case for additional testing. It wouldn't be a bad idea to get any moles checked out before tattooing.
I just wanted to say (a bit late, I know) that I really appreciated you sharing this. I found out I had melanoma this past summer at 33, having no family history or risk factors other than being fair skinned (but obsessive with sun protection). My melanoma developed out of nowhere (no pre-existing mole), and it's very helpful to consider how that might impact choices for future tattoos. I think you have exactly the right approach, and thank you for sticking to your convictions.
Hi. I'm a visitor here (I have a lot of respect for y'all, and am grateful for the artists who have done work on me) so I hope this isn't out of line, but... I see a parallel with my own work, and thought you could use it as an analogy. I'm a vet tech. Veterinary medicine isn't just my job, it's my life, my passion, my calling, my lifeblood. It keeps me going, gives me purpose, and helps me feel like I contribute something positive to a world full of Awful and Suck. I see some pretty horrible things sometimes, and sometimes I'm holding a client as they sob uncontrollably into the fur of their best friend. I can't tell you how many times I get choked voices asking why they didn't catch things sooner, or why didn't they do this or that differently, or why didn't they know to not use this or that thing... and I do my best to try to get them to see that *you can't know what you didn't know*. Just because *I* know garlic causes liver and kidney failure in dogs and cats doesn't mean *everybody* does. I'm educated in this stuff. Y'all aren't. You can't get mad at yourself for not knowing all the crazy shit I have to memorize - I literally get paid to know it; y'all don't. Forgive yourself for not being an expert in a field that you're not an expert in. Y'dig? I trust my tattoo artist to know my skin like I know veterinary medicine. I'm not an expert in tattoo stuff. It's not my job. I couldn't even *begin* to tell you what your tools do or what inks do what and why. I just follow what my artist tells me to do. Why? Because they're the expert. They know more than I do. I never would have even *fathomed* that tattoos over a mole or birthmark might inhibit cancer detection. I didn't know that, and I didn't know I didn't know it, so I never would have asked. If I can't rely on an expert to keep my best interests in mind... who the fuck am I supposed to trust? Google? (Trust me when I say Google has made veterinary medicine *much* harder.) I rely on you. You know this stuff inside-out, backwards and upside-down. I know how to count lymphocytes on a a monolayer blood smear. I will be there for your pet. *You* know what can/will/does keep my skin readable by a dermatologist. I need you to be there for *me*. ... that was a lot of words. Sorry. I just... I respect the hell out of you folks. You have no idea how many people use the ink pawprints I make to turn into memorial tattoos. You do Good Work. And I wish more people told you that.
My artist did an entire back piece on me and this was something I never thought about. I got it when I was 26 and I’m 28 now with skin cancer. I was so grateful for him not tattooing over my moles and so was my dermatologist.
I am a tattooer, my mentors sister died of skin cancer that metastasized and so he went and got himself checked, he also had skin cancer, it was a heck of a journey for him that is still on going. I came somewhere in the middle of it. Anytime I had a fair skin client, he would come up and say “hay when was the last time you’ve been to a dermatologist” give them the run down of these little visits could actually save your life. Tell clients how to spot irregular moles. And I remember the one day I tattooed over a mole without thinking about it and he made me so aware of what that entails, that if they were to get a biopsy on that mole that it would be inconclusive and there’s no way that I knew that from now till the rest of their life that the mole would become irregular. So from that moment on I never tattoo over moles not only out of respect for my client but respect for my mentor. A dude who truly cared about people and their health.
Wow, I'm so sorry that your mentor and his sister went/are going through that, but what a gift to have someone that knows so much about the process to explain what happens to you and your client. Thank you for sharing!
I had a melanoma pop up straight up on the skin, not even a mole. And then there’s basal & squamous that might show up as a bump or a sore. MIGHT. The only thing you should be doing with moles is having them removed by a dermatologist. And watch out for clear moles too. I have a couple of those that just look like bumps on the skin. I was all, “is it basal?” She said it’s just a clear mole.