What is Going on With my Piercing !?! Your Problem Solving List from Lucky 7 Tahoe

Irritated from rubbing against clothing.

* My 21 years as a piercing professional is not a substitution for a piercing friendly, medical doctors treatment! Please consult a doctor immediately when you have any doubt about your health and well being.  

I know I know - you are a smart cookie! You did your homework before getting something pierced.  You ask folks with beautiful body mods for piercer recommendations. Visited piercing shops. Did a bit of online research. Yet months after the healing period for your particular piercing is suppose to be concluded-you are still having issues. Perhaps you have had the piercing for years, yet all of a sudden the hole is becoming fussy. Bothering you for no good reason. 

Lets go through some of the causes of why you may be having issues with your body adornment:

Granuloma from jewelry irritation

Piercing too shallow
and jewelry too large and heavy
for site.

1. "Healing Times" are approximate. All piercing clients heal at different rates. If you are very fit and healthy your healing time may be much shorter than quoted. However, if you are smoking, drinking and living in life's fast lane-well that just slows down your over all immune systems performance. Recommit yourself to your piercing care program. Perhaps some Vitamin C added to your diet? Give it a go for at least a 2 additional weeks.   Most of the time you will see an improvement in days.                                                                                                   
2. Did you change the starter jewelry to something more "fun"? A good deal of the time clients will want to put in different jewelry the very day the new piercing is suppose to be "healed". Sometimes  the method of jewelry removal or insertion can create irritation or discomfort where there was none before. Jewelry with a nickle content can bother piercing of any age. If I even wear a belt buckle with nickle in it I break out in a rash! Reinsert the jewelry your were pierced with. If it was the newly inserted jewelry causing problems you will see an improvement within a day or two.                                                          
3. Did you prepare your piercing jewelry properly for removal and/or insertion? This is a crucial step for comfort with any piercing. Washing the piercing with mild soap and warm water is best. However, even cleaning the area with a moistened towelette will work. Clean the entire pierced surface with gentle motions. While there is still a dampness to the skin and jewelry, slowly remove the current jewelry. Take the new jewelry, clean according to directions. Then apply a tiny bit of essential oil to the end of the jewelry you will be inserting into your piercing. Use your other hand to hold the area taunt -this will  help guide the jewelry through that pretty tunnel. Wallah! Easy and pain free. Make sure to tighten any threaded end with clean and dry hands. Next time you bathe, rinse well.  Your bellybutton piercing will never "move" like your ear lobe piercings.                                                                      
4. Is your jewelry the proper gauge, length or circumference for YOUR piercing? Irritation can be caused by ill fitting jewelry. Just because your friend can wear a 1/4 inch hoop in her nostril does not mean it will work for you! It doesn't mean something is wrong with your build, or that your piercers placement was not correct. Very best thing to do when buying new jewelry for the first time is patronize a good piercing shop-and be properly fitted with quality jewelry. Once you know what gauges + length or circumference fits best for you, then you can be sure never to waste money buying ill fitting jewelry again.                                                                                                                            
5. Keep your hands away from the piercing! I cannot stress this enough. Many times clients have come into Lucky 7 complaining of having problems with their new adornment. While discussing the possible causes I will see these clients touch the piercing over and over again.  In my opinion, touching a piercing over and over again, especially without cleansing your hands first, will result in irritation at least, infection most likely.  I once read that humans touch their own face at least a few times every minute of the day.  Isn't that crazy!? So be sure you keep your hands away from the piercing site, except when caring for it according to your piercer's  instructions.                                                                
6. What is your piercing coming in contact with during the course of your day? Clean pillowcases and wireless phones are very important for facial and ear piercings. Clean sunglasses/eyeglasses and headbands are also important. Pillows in a hotel, or at your loved ones home may have fresh cases. BUT it is what may be living inside the pillows filling that can cause problems. If in doubt, bring your own pillow for overnight stays during healing. If that cannot be done lay your own t-shirts over the pillow. This keeps your bodies own"flora and fauna" close-and others away!    Same rules apply to bed sheets, comforters, sleeping bags, etc. Take a mental inventory of all the fabric surfaces you piercings may be coming in contact with. Make sure they are clean, or that your piercing is guarded from contact if in doubt.                                                                                 
7.  Irritation or Infection?   Very often piercing customers will contact us saying: "I think my piercing is infected." Most times, after we examine the pierced area, we  find the proper description would be irritated. The site may be pinkish, a bit of flaky skin surrounding the jewelry. A wee bit tender. Slight swelling.. A little dry crusty matter at the start or end of your day. All of these concerns our common in the first stages of healing - and are quite normal. Perhaps a change in your care procedure or product may help?  Most often the piercing just needs normal care and TIME to heal........However, if there is: PAIN -  YELLOW, GREENISH OR GRAYISH DISCHARGE OR PUS -REDNESS THAT IS SPREADING-HEAT AT THE SITE-SWOLLEN LYMPH NODES - FEVER-   do NOT take the jewelry out (as the hole with jewelry still inserted may help the area drain) and see a doctor at once!  Do not wait. If you procrastinate it could cause unspeakable damage to your over all health.   

                           When in doubt get some help from a qualified professional. Your friend who has "a lot of piercings" does not qualify. Sometimes our friends make us more scared than need be by telling us horror stories of piercings gone bad. In no way is that providing a solution to your situation my darlings! Remember that no one knows your body better than you do! Listen to your gut. Be proactive in YOUR PIERCINGS healing.

Kathleen Langley

Owner/Piercer

Lucky 7 Tattoo and Piercing

Kings Beach-North Lake Tahoe, California      Email me at Lucky7TattooTahoe@gmail.com                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Being Your Own Hero..............

Everyone loves a hero.

As little girls we happily listened to bedtime stories of handsome young princes arriving on their white horse to rescue us from peril.

As adult consumers of goods and services, any professional who can problem solve issues in our over scheduled, jam packed lives is viewed as heaven sent.

With the art/industry of tattooing evolving a tremendous amount this last decade, heroes are needed to fix the mistakes of those wanna be tattooers who jumped on the bandwagon. They threw themselves into tattooing sans the proper art skills or serving an apprenticeship within an established shop.

The outcome we have all seen. Very mediocre looking tattoos everywhere you lay your eyes on exposed skin.

Biomech inspired cover up By Russell Fortier

A good deal of these tattoos could have turned out better.Just a little research, with a smidgen of self control, can keep bad choices from getting off the ground.

 If the tattoo consumer had just looked up the shop on YELP, City Search or Google Places or a dozen other online review guides - their inky mishap could be completely avoided.

They could have been their own HERO.

Rushing to a decision rarely works out well.

Learning patience will reward you in ways you cannot begin to imagine.

Feather Cover up By Corey Boobar

With tattoos, take your time to explore how others have conceptualized their similar design. Look past the first 10 pages in you GOOGLE IMAGES web search. Go back in time, before every tattoo had to have "meaning". Plenty of wonderfully cool tattoos have ZERO meaning to their owner. It is perfectly fine to get a tattoo that makes no sense to anyone but you - as long as you dig it, and you found an artist who wants to ink the pattern.

Koi Cover Up by Russell Fortier

When you approach your chosen shop/artist, be open to their knowledge. Those who are true tattoo artists will  guide you as to what works well in design. Be your own hero -be open to their feedback. If an artist tells you: "Its just not my thing to tattoo without a black outline." HEAR THEM. Be grateful for their honesty.

You can try another artist, or another shop. Never try to convince a tattoo artist  to do anything they have already declined to do. Hear them. Believe them. You have the ability to receive amazing tattoos.

Be mindful and patient. Be classy and smart. Be your own HERO.

Rose Cover Up By Russell Fortier

Never Burn Your Bridges - Think Before You Speak

We are cooking a bit up here at  The Jewel of the Sierras! With the heat comes the flat landers and visitors from all over the world. Some of the tourists are spending money this year. Its a nice change of pace from the last few summers - when the recession kicked off for us all in 2008. In the previous 9 months we here at L7T2 Tahoe have had the pleasure of serving clients, customers and friends who have not had the capital to visit the area, let alone buy extra cool services for the last 4 years. We are enjoying seeing all the old Lucky 7 clients once again!

"Americana Aviator Skull with Wings" by Jason A. Langley 

For the last two years, we have also been unable to find the right tattoo artist to join our family affair here. Had a few tattooers come and go for varies reasons - as I have told you about in previous blog entries. Let me tell you, having to turn away clients because we are already over booked kills me a bit each and every time. Alas, what do we have as a business if we do not have integrity? We can't just hire some mediocre, stuck up wanna be rock star to take up the slack. As a team we have chosen to just carry on as is. Having Corey and Russell do as much tattooing as they can - without letting them burn out.

This summer season the Gods decided to offer their help to us in a way I was not expecting. My ex husband Jason Langley has come to our rescue! Ex husband number 3 has gone out of his way to travel up interstate 80, from his home, young son and career working in Auburn CA's finest tattoo shop - to aid us during the busiest times of this season. Taking on numerous walk in customers, as well as lightening the load on my husband Russell and my other ex husband  Corey.

Working with Jason has been going even better than I had expected. As divorces go - ours was especially painful, for reasons I won't bore you with here. After my terrible first divorce at age 28 I learned to use old wisdom: NEVER BURN YOUR BRIDGES AND THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK. These simple rules has enabled me to work with Corey, and now Jason. Because my husbands and I did not lash out at each other at the end of our romantic relationships, saying or doing horrible things - we can be friends and work together. When you think about  "special someones" who have been, or currently are in your life - they were  always your friend with traits you totally dug about them. So why not try to evolve the friendship once the romance is over? If you keep the damage to a minimum, I know it is possible.

"Horse Head Microphone with Japanese Waves and Cherry Blossoms"
by Russell Fortier at Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing
North Lake Tahoe / Kings Beach, CA

Our shop is doing great things because all of us show one another respect. The common goal of being successful in our chosen professions drives the business.

Which brings me to the next topic I want to let you all in on: The T.V. pilot we mentioned a few years back. Finally I have some positive news for us all!

After many false starts and stops, Lucky 7 has filmed a mini pilot for the production arm of one of the top networks! It came to be after the producer who signed us knocked on many doors around the television business. So many of these companies loved the idea of a show, but held back because our business is tattooing. With television already offering so many reality shows based on tattooing, it was hard to find a company who was willing to take the large financial gamble on producing a pilot.

Right as the entire Lucky 7 crew  took a collective *sigh* of sadness that nothing was going to happen for us, !BOOM! came this offer.

So in June a small production crew flew up to our little neck of the woods, spending 3 days hanging out with the extended Lucky 7 family. They made us laugh, cry and tell out crazy tales. When the crew departed they said encouraging words. So far so good.

The footage the studio shot will be used to "sell" the show to the network, or passed on if we don't "cut the mustard." We should have a definite "yes mam" or "no go" in about 8 to 10 weeks. Being a praying woman myself, I ask all of you to say a little something positive to your Higher Powers for a positive outcome. In my heart I know a show based in North Lake Tahoe / Truckee would be great not only for Lucky 7, but also for the Tahoe area itself.

"Black Dream Catcher with Simple Script"
by Russell Fortier @ Lucky 7 Tattoo and Piercing
Kings Beach / North Lake Tahoe, Ca.

 Here's hoping I get to tell you some great news about the show in my next blog entry. Hope you all are enjoying your Summer, and planning a visit for new ink or metal with us soon as you're not busy with summer sun and fun.



BEST!

Kathleen @ Lucky 7 Tahoe

Random Splatter of Inky Advice from a Pagan Piercer

Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing- North Lake Tahoe

Yes, yes-I know what you are thinking. Why would the PIERCER from Lucky 7 Tahoe be giving advice on how to get a great tattoo?

Well darlings, it is so very simple. Not only am I covered with varying qualities of ink from 3 decades. Not only have 3 of my 4 husbands been tattooers- 21 years of my life have been spent working with tattoo customers in various shops in California and Nevada! As an employee, then an owner and operator. From a customer's tenuous first baby steps of just entertaining the idea of getting inked - to the actual creation of what that person has rolling around in their cranium.

So it is my pleasure to freely offer the Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe countdown of:  "7 Steps of Insider Advice  To Getting a Great Tattoo"

7. "Don't ask 1 person who their tattoo artist is-ask several."
       Even shitty tattooers can pull off an amazing piece once in a while. The chick you work with might have been that lucky one who got a really great set of wings on her foot from some guy who works out of his kitchen. But when that kitchen scratcher tries to pull off a  mountain sunset-YIKES!-you end up with a pile of doo doo. Ask anyone you see with ink that looks great. Remember, it does not have to be a design you would get yourself. If you see clean line work with a well thought out pattern, plus shading or color work that catches your eye-all are signs to check this artist out further. Perhaps on Yelp or Google Places? which leads us too....

Color Turtle By Russell Fortier @
Lucky 7 Tattoo

6.  "Do Your Own Research."                                                                  
        A great deal of our species are lazy. As a rule we want to do as little work as possible with a great reward after that little bit of work. However, this is not the way to go when buying a house or getting a tattoo. A few search queries now can save you heaps of cash and trouble later. You wouldn't want to buy a beautiful house in a neighborhood riddled with crack shacks, right?

It is not the tattooer's responsibility to make sure your German grandmother used the correct spelling and grammar when writing out your dead cousins favorite bible verse for your planned rib cage tattoo. The way you say it or write it is how they are going to produce it. Take the time to triple check every single thing you desire. Over the last 20 years we have had young fathers misspell their new infants names. Bible thumpers' blow the scripture that helped them get sober - in addition to countless other mishaps we have to fix when research isn't done before getting inked.

5.  "Match the Artist You Hire to the Portfolio You Liked."
       Sadly, some shops commit fraud by purposely bunching all their tattooers work together online. Not labeling who did which tattoos. When you go into these shops, browsing among the various portfolios, they will not let you know that the artist portfolio you loved is NOT the artist who is going to be the one tattooing you. They will say something like "anyone in here can do that tattoo, its easy." The goal of these types of shops is to just get your money, slapping your tattoo on you with a bare minimum of care or concern for your input. Moving you out the door quickly to get their hustle on with the next person who walks through their door.

This is simple to address! If you find someone you might like to work with, ask to speak to them. If they are unavailable at that time, ask to schedule a consultation. Do not let rude or discourteous staff persuade you to get inked by anyone other than the artist you have chosen. If they are rude, walk away completely. You are the master of your own temple!

Black & Grey Trees with Birds
By Russell Fortier @ Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe

4  "Draw or Sketch Your Ideas."

    It DOES NOT MATTER if you have child like skills! By putting your ideas onto paper it helps you get the tattoo you imagine. Clarity of your own ideas will help your selected artist create a cool, one of a kind tattoo. In addition, you teach yourself a bit about what may work and what may not. Trying to cram all your family members names inside a grape vine the size of a spaghetti noodle doesn't read well on paper- you will gain that knowledge by first trying it on your own! Your tattooer will think you are a super smart client for having made the effort on your own! Everyone wins with this action - your tattoo design will be more reflective of what you envision, your tattoo has an easier time developing your design, AND you can truthfully say the tattoo is what you had in mind when you dreamed of getting it!



   3  "Give Your Artist Plenty of Time to Do the Job"
           Each and every person under the age of 90 is living a busy life crammed full of responsibilities. Its just the way it is in the day and age. However, there are some things that should not be rushed. Your custom tattoo is certainly not one of them. Not only is it a bit rude to demand the tattoo be finished by a certain time, it almost guarantees the artist will not even attempt to do their very best. No one likes to rush when trying to create anything. Do not be a "toe tapper". Be open to the artist taking a few breaks. Stepping out for a smoke or to get a drink. This helps the artist perform better-thereby producing a better end product for your investment. So when booking your appointment, keep this point in mind.

Cute Cowgirl by
Russell Fortier  @
Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe

2    "Leave the Posse at Home"
          Some folks always feel more comfortable when having friends or loved ones near. However, when you are going through the designing and execution of your custom design-too many different tastes can create an impossible situation for your chosen artist.
Imagine yourself in the tattoo artist's position. Having more than the client directing the tattoo will become distracting, annoying, as well as difficult to produce. Also, my mother's taste is a complete 180 from myself. How about yours? I don't allow my mother to buy me socks-let alone "help" plan something I will have for this entire lifetime.
While making sure your spouse digs what you will be wearing on your body for the next 50 years is respectful and comforting-it is not helpful to the creation process in itself. You are a smart cookie yourself! Work on the design WITH your artist-don't hobble his artistic flow with random input from your mom. Trust your artist, and your own gut.

Cowboy Boots with Hat by  Russell Fortier
@ Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe

OK, Ready for the most unexpected advice-my most number ONE important advice most shops don't have the guts to tell you.....???
     1 " If It Does Not Feel Right- Walk Away"
           Many times I have said this mantra, its the best advice for ANY of life's little dramas. WALK AWAY if the situation is not working for you OR the artist. May it be the tattoo design itself, or that you do not care for the energy of the artist or the tattoo shop itself.
If you do not care for the design-explain to the artist what you want to see, give them a chance to come up with something you dig. BUT, if they have tried more than 3 times to sketch the tattoo, thank the artist and pay them for their drawing time. If the shop or artist isn't treating you professionally and friendly after your initial meeting, walk away. If you discover the shops tattoo area cleanliness to be lacking, walk away.  This is your body-do NOT settle.
Your chosen tattooer may work in a shop where they cannot decline a customer-even if they cannot produce the type of tattoo the client wants. This is due to greedy owners who only care about taking home maximum dollars. You must be on guard for this. The tattooer cannot tell you this is the shop policy. Sometimes the tattooer will say whatever they think you want to hear-just to get your butt in their chair. Do not be their dupe. WALK AWAY.

xxxxxxxxx
Less than 40 miles from my beautiful little tattoo and piercing shop is an overpopulation of 40 tattoo shops! Most of them opened in the last 10 years. Just in Reno, Nevada alone there is over 30. A few are very good-but most are awful. Even with all that competition, with the terrible shops trying to undercut prices and marginal quality- the good shops stay open and thrive. My shop is located in a town of less than 5000 full time residents.
 The key to us "good" shops  being busy and producing great tattoos is caring. Simple really-but so true. We care about what we put our name on. Be it skill, manners, service. We care. And that my darlings is what you need to do for you when getting tattoos. CARE.                                                                                            

"Smile Now - Cry Later" - An Inside Joke of Lucky 7

Black & Grey "Smile Now / Cry Later" by Russell Fortier @ Lucky 7 Tattoo
Kings Beach-North Lake Tahoe, California. Copyright 2012

Golly gee friends, the year is over!                                                
As 2012 is coming to a close, my family here at Lucky 7 Tahoe is refurbishing the tattoo studio, painting, installing new floor covering as well as adding new displays for our ever growing inventory of jewelry. Happy to say we have a new young and talented tattooer by the name of Cole Knox who has joined our family. Last but not least, I am needing to put some strange rumors to rest. So let us chat for just a moment, shall we?!

Living in Tahoe is all sorts of wonderful for all sorts of reasons I need not bother to list. Yet there are also a few reasons living in a small town can be upsetting. When it comes to speculative gossip, small towns can be terrible. Over the years, Lucky 7 has had some crazy untruths come out of god knows where. One of my least favorites would be from 2004;

Imagine - mid winter, snowy and cold. Every staff member at L7 comes down with the FLU. Fever, chills, dizzy-the real thing. With everyone on the crew so sick, Corey and I decided to close the shop for ONE day. Always concerned with proper business etiquette, we rescheduled our clients by phone. Then I put a message on the answering machine explaining why we did not pick up. Lastly I hung a large poster on the front door explaining that we were all very sick, but would be open the next day as always.

"Smile Now..by Russell Fortier @
Lucky 7 Tattoo Tahoe
Copyright 2012

After getting a full 18 hours of sleep, in addition to taking some doctor supplied samples of Tamaflu,  I opened the shop as usual the very next day. Let me tell you-that one day of being closed for illness haunted our business for the next 2 years."Why?" you may ask? Because many people drove by that day, observing that Lucky 7 was closed. Rather than asking us what had happened or reading the poster on the door-some people just ASSUMED we must be having problems and closing down the business! Locals would call and ask if we were still in operation. People came in MONTHS later asking if we were going to be moving.

I proceeded to ask each one of these people why they thought something was wrong? Each and every one said they "saw" or they "heard" it. After a few more questions it all came from closing down for ONE DAY! That was an eye opener I had hoped to never experience again......flash forward to this week and the title of this entry......

BEFORE
Local scratcher  / NOT OUR WORK!

"Smile Now-Cry Later" is the name of a once popular tattoo flash design. The origin of these happy/sad faces comes from the "Masks of Comedy and Tragedy". Sometimes you may see this classic logo in programs from plays. Take a look at the pictures  and I am sure it will ring a bell.


         

AFTER
"Smile Now / Cry Later" rework by Corey Boobar @ Lucky 7 Tattoo
Tahoe, California All Rights Reserved

An inside joke at L7 is calling our gift certificates smile now/cry later. Reason is - we would sell thousands of dollars worth of gift certificates at Christmas. Then on December 26th they start coming in like a flood! For weeks we would have the gift certificate customers out numbering our cash clients 2 to 1. So now you get our joke in naming the darn things "smile now / cry later?!?

Neither Corey or I had ever worked in a tattoo shop that offered gift certificates. We figured if folks wanted to buy tattoo time for others, we should issue them. It went very well for 8 or 9 years. The last couple of years the gift certificates had become problematic. Tattoo virgins expected too much ink for not enough money. Meaning the virgin would receive a Lucky 7 certificate for say, $100 from a well meaning loved one. Then arrive at Lucky 7 wanting a tattoo that would take at least 2 hours. We would patiently explain that the custom tattoo design would cost more than the gift amount-  and people became hostile, rude and downright unreasonable. After having more and more of this type of exchange with virgin tattoo customers we made the decision to honor all the gift certificates issued-but to stop issuing any new ones as of November 1st 2012.

CDC style "Smile Now / Cry Later" By Russell Fortier @
Lucky 7 Tattoo N. Lake Tahoe, California Copyright 2012

 As the winter holidays approached we had numerous customers call or stop by to purchase certificates. We explained we were no longer offering them, but gave these folks a few options instead, like prepaid Visa cards, lay away, etc. Seemed like everyone understood why we no longer wanted to offer the certificates....Sadly though, somebody must not have believed us-and has started a UNTRUE RUMOR that " Lucky 7 must be closing down."

This rumor found its way back to the ears of the Lucky 7 staff this week. Lies can hurt a business and its bottom line very quickly. That is why I need to tell all of you that read this blog: Lucky 7  just had our best year since the recession happened in 2008. November of 2012 was the best November Lucky 7 has ever had in 12 years,  we just signed a new long term lease for our building. I have been refurbishing and redecorating to keep the shop a stand out favorite in the tattoo and piercing industry.All is very well for us-thank the gods! Good things have been happening  all year - and will continue in the future.

Therefore, I respectfully ask each of you to help us at Lucky 7, to squash this silly rumor with the truth. Don't go out of your way. Just speak up if this rumor comes up in conversation. That is all it will take to keep this nonsense in check. Crazy how someones assumptions can cause all this fuss!

That being said, I thank all of you for your help. From all of us at Lucky 7, we wish you and yours a fantastic New Year full of happiness, wealth of all kinds - we hope to see you at the shop in 2013.

Blessed Be,

Kathleen

Change of Seasons, Seasons of Change

"Spartan", our half English Mastiff/half Timber Wolf, enjoying
our North Tahoe Indian Summer

Summer is always a season of hustle & bustle, topped 

with a heaping helping of change here at Lucky 7.

Some change can be fantastic. Like the return of clients who we haven't seen in years - due to the economy rocking their worlds. Change feels good in the fact that L7 is seeing a return to the fantastic number of customers we had before the dreaded "Great Recession" took a hold of our small resort town.

 Exasperating the tough economic years for L7  is/was the over abundance of mostly crappy, upstart tattoo shops opening constantly. They try to lure people in with impossibly low prices. Beside artistic skills, where do these people cut corners- perhaps in their health and safety expenses? Yikes!

 In addition, we had our former apprentice nut up - break his contract and quit during the July 4th weekend. That holiday is the busiest week of the year. This left us woefully short handed the entire season. We were disappointed and somewhat bitter for putting our collective "all" into his tattoo training and giving endless emotional support, then, when we are counting on him to be a team player, we ended up with just another "Generation Me" youngster who didn't honor his end of a traditional tattoo apprenticeship.  

Change has arrived in what piercings are the big sellers during the warmest of seasons. For the past two decades belly button adornment was my bread and butter. Even with the limitations the client has to endure. Such as no hot tubs, restricted swimming, etc. This year, especially this past summer, multipule helix piercing ruled the day. Coming in a close second would be the staying power of micro dermal anchors.

3 Dermal Anchors arching with the contour of clients curvy-ness
By Kindra Henry @ Lucky 7 Tattoo & Piercing

Double Deuce wrist dermals by
Kindra Henry @ Lucky 7 North Lake Tahoe

I believe Dermal Anchors have a long future rather than being a flash in the pan. The versatility of these neat little buggers is a cool addition to an experienced body piercer's arsenal. If carefully placed to avoid friction on jewelry site - there is no limit as to placement. The problems we have encountered usually are from poor care, incomplete care instruction, poor placement, cheap jewelry or having the procedure performed with piercing needles. Also, seems like little kids LOVE to pull on them. So new mothers may want to wait.

3 Point Ear Project
By Kathleen @ Lucky 7 Tattoo- Tahoe

Super cool to see something new come around, light up peoples mind with the possibilities of dermal anchors. I have to say, dermals have been challenging, even fun to learn. Keeping your skills up to date, learning and trying new things keeps us rellavent no matter what we choose as our profession.

Ear projects, such as the very popular Triple Helix piercing have become hugely popular this year  especially this past summer. As piercers, we can thank photo sharing sites such as INSTAGRAM and PINTREST. These pictures places have shown a enourmous amount of people these super cool looks. Not too very long ago, having numerous ear piercings was considered somewhat taboo.  Even as a sign of being loose or a misfit.

 A few smart Jewelry companies have released  pieces that fit the ear cartilage well, with multiple options in size and colors for the ends. As with dermal anchors, healing can be a challenge that most clients have not experienced before. This is simply due to the clients having a more common piercings previously that require care for 2 or 3 months. With ear cartilage being a somewhat slower healing area, then adding multiple piercing sites at one time-it slows the whole healing process down to a trickle. Clients can become tired of the care routine, and be motivated to abandon the piercings - erroniously beleiving the piercings are "infected" and are never going to heal. Its important as their piercer to give as all information regarding the long healing process before the paperwork is signed. Being available for follow up advice during the healing period is also critical. 

Lucky 7 Tattoo artist Russell Fortier enjoying catch and release fly fishing
in North Lake Tahoe "Shoulder Season."

Fall is a slow time for all businesses in North Lake Tahoe. Too cool for the beach and water sports, yet no snow for winter sports. We locals have given this time of year its own handle. "SHOULDER SEASON."

One change I want to make for Lucky 7 is to no longer have Fall be slower in Shoulder Season. To have it match Winter and Spring in client visits. I know that in a resort economy -and  having my shop located on the boarder of the two "slowest states" to recover from the recession, this is a tall order. But I want that change.

I am not going to let the nations economic issues I previously mentioned hold me back from achieving my vision of change. A Positive Mental Attitude, Focus and Drive mixed with a solid plan of action is what my "change" needs to succeed.  Wee bit of luck never hurts either.  Change is good! That's what I tell myself anyways......plus sitting around being mad at change never helps anyone deal with it. Being in CHARGE of change, or being the CAUSE of change feels much better than having it dumped in your lap, as far as I can tell.

A big change on the face, a "MEDUSA" piercing
by Kathleen @ Lucky 7 Tahoe

What are you changing this Fall?

AB 300: The Safe Body Art Act

Last week I went to a meeting in Auburn to meet with representatives from the Placer County Health Department and other tattoo shops. The purpose? To discuss the new law that went into effect in July: AB 300 known as The Safe Body Art Act. The law is relatively simple, every body art practitioner and facility must register yearly with their county’s health department, and must uphold a set of standards set forth by the law to protect themselves and their clients from risk of infection and exposure to infectious diseases. What does that mean for most tattoo shops and Lucky 7? For the most part, just a little extra paperwork for registration. In actuality, the real purpose of this law is not to go after legitimate tattoo shops, it is to come down on what are called “Scratchers”.

Scratchers are those “artists” who do not work out of a shop, but rather out of their own kitchens, garages, vehicles, and other venues that are not sanctioned for body art. They do not comply to acquiring a business license for body art practices and so their safety practices are not regulated. They bring in clients with lowball prices or offers of barter. In this economy, there will always be consumers looking to get the best deal, but the reason that these scratchers are able to offer such a bargain is because they cut corners with sterilization techniques and/or their tattoo skills are sub-par. Any reputable tattoo artist will be working in a shop, and if they are not, there is a reason behind that. What I ask consumers to do is question why these tattooists are not in a shop, and what is it that they are neglecting in order to make a profit for their tattoos. Most every tattoo shop has a shop minimum. We base that rate on how much it costs us in supplies and sterilization and then still giving the artist money for his time. Regardless of if you get one tiny dot, or a tattoo the size of a quarter, you are still going to pay the shop minimum because you get your own sterile set up with disposable barrier equipment that is only used on you. You get your own sterile bandage. You get your own sterile one time use needle which is disposed of in an approved sharps container and disposed of as biohazard medical waste. We provide you with proper aftercare to ensure that when you leave the shop you can properly take care of your tattoo. These costs accumulate, and we are not willing to risk our customers well-being and health  by overlooking these precautions to save a buck. When a scratcher offers you a tattoo for $40, he is doing the labor for free and dipping into his own pocket to pay the remaining cost of materials, or he is making a profit by neglecting very important exposure control and infectious prevention precautions. Not only is this hazardous, but now with the new law, it is also illegal to practice body art in this environment.

The upside to this law is now these back alley practitioners are subject to large fines and misdemeanor charges, and we welcome our registration fees and inspections now that the health department and local law enforcement have the authority to come down on these scratchers and regulate the industry to ensure that the health and welfare of our consumers and employees is the highest priority. We are talking about people’s bodies and permanent modifications to those bodies. Would you seek medical assistance from an unlicensed practitioner at their house to save some money? Would you queston why they are practicing out of their house instead of a sanctioned medical facility?
We will have to see how this new law plays out, and with that I remind you, Good tattoos aren’t cheap, and cheap tattoos aren’t good.