Tattoos, HRT and hair removal.

[Promethea]

I know this may be an unusual question, but I'm sure someone must have considered or experienced it. I haven't been able to find an answer to it, though.

This comes in part from my limited understanding of how tattoos and tattoo removal works.

I got my first tattoo a couple of years ago and got hooked. I already have a few other tattoos in mind that I will be getting.

There's one that I'm feeling I should not wait much longer for, but I'm not sure how it's going to change once I start HRT and if it would be a better idea to wait. I understand HRT makes skin thinner.

Those of you with tats and who are already on hormones, have you noticed changes on your tattoos when you started HRT?

The other doubt I have is because of where I'd get it. It would be on my forearm and wrist, maybe extending on to the hand. The thing is I have hairy arms. Not "why are you wearing a sweater to the pool?" type of hairy, but enough to have some noticeable  hairs on my hands that now I'm more comfortable shaving. This is pre-HRT, and I'm hoping hormones will be enough to reduce those hairs to something I'm comfortable with, but since it's speculation I'm reluctant of getting a tattoo in an area I may need to have shot at with lasers.

Is it the same "type" of lasers? If you had permanent hair removal over a tattoo, was the tattoo affected?

[FTMax]

Laser can't be done on tattooed areas. The pigment will absorb the laser. Electrolysis is fine with tattooed skin though, and many people who get them on hairier areas of the body (calves/lower leg), get electrolysis on those areas to really make them "pop". I think it's recommended that you wait about 3 months post-tattoo to do electrolysis on the area, but I'd confirm with a professional.

My tattoos have not changed at all. I had 3 prior to starting HRT that look exactly the same. The one I've gotten after starting HRT looks about the same as the rest. I'm all black and white though, so color may be a different story.

[Promethea]

Cool! I don't think it will be too big, so not a big deal if I end up needing electro.

On the HRT issue, I'm looking for replies from other MtFs, since the changes in our skin are different (I don't know if they're really opposite).

[Aeirs]

I have a Tatoo on my chest I'm curious to see how that turns out as my breast con in

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[KristinaM]

I have a full color back tattoo that's rather large.  I'm not very hairy fortunately, and my laser treatments don't even go near my back since there's no need.  The tattoo does not appear to have changed at all, but with only 3 months of relatively low-dose hormones under my belt, I may not be the best person to answer your question.  I'm just glad that I got the tattoo somewhere on my body that won't significantly change with fat redistribution and growth, etc...

I have a couple other tattoos planned, but I will wait a couple years before doing them probably, after HRT has done most of what it will do to me.

My tattoo artist actually said that hormone therapy wouldn't/shouldn't be a problem at all.  She's had another transgender client who's been coming to her throughout her transition.  You could always ask your tattoo artist in case they've got some real-world experience for you to mull over.

[Promethea]

Fat redistribution is also why I'm waiting on some other tattoos I want. The forearm shouldn't be a problem for that, I'm not Popeye

It's unlikely that my tattoo artists (there are two I'm considering) have any experience. Most trans women here can't afford decent tattoos... This is not the friendly place the media portrays.

But if your artist has another trans client who actually returned, that's a good sign. I'm probably being overly cautious. Now I hope the job interview I had on Friday yields results, I invested the money I had for the tattoo on some classes I wanted to take.