There are many things to take into account before getting a tattoo, whether it's your first time or whether you're a veteran. This is a decision that should be given a great deal of thought and should not be taken lightly. It's remarkable how some people give more thought to choosing the bedroom wallpaper.

Once you've decided to get a tattoo, be it a discreet lower back design or one of the many Tribal Arm Tattoos you need to make two major decisions: WHO is going to do it and WHAT design are you going to have?

It's vital to choose a tattooist that you can trust and that you have researched. Please don't just use the first one you see, even if they happen to be the only studio in your town. It's worth travelling to make sure that you have the right choice.

Short list a few studios and check them all out. How long have they been trading? Do they have testimonials and photos of clients? What sort of equipment and procedures do they use for sterilising? Do they use fresh needles for each client? Do they wear latex gloves (seriously, these things are vital)?

"Tattooing poses health risks because the process exposes blood and body fluids. Because of this a person who gets tattooed risks getting a disease or infection that is carried through blood. These blood-borne diseases include hepatitis B and C, tetanus, and HIV." (Bonnie B. Graves, Tattooing and Body Piercing, p. 40)

Please don't misunderstand me, it's not my intention is to be a scaremonger. But it's crucial that the guy who makes 3000 holes in your skin every minute is to be trusted!

Let's assume that you've chosen your tattooist, now you need that killer design.

Perhaps you already have an idea of what you want. Maybe you haven't got a clue. Either way, unless you're using one of the tattooist's designs, you're going to want to find a design to take to your tattoo artist.

If, like most people, you decide to do some research online, you may be tempted to get something based on a site that offers free tattoo designs. Like most 'free' things, they have many drawbacks.

Most of these sites are there to promote at least one product, so to get visitors to their site they offer free designs. Most of these designs have been lifted from other 'free' sites, so the chance of getting duplicate designs is very high and you can end up wasting huge amounts of time trawling through countless free sites only to come across the same designs over and over again.

This frankly is nuts, especially when you can join one of the many design sites where for a few dollars, you can take your pick of literally thousands of professionally produced designs.

Think about it. Do you want to spend hours and hours searching for a design that's recognised by everyone else who has looked through the same sites, or do you want a design that is unique and will make you proud every time you whip your shirt off?

Choosing which design site to use can also be a very time consuming process and as with most things in life, you'll come across some that are excellent and some that are not so good. It may seem pretty obvious, but if you're searching for Tribal Arm Tattoos it makes sense to use a site that specialises in tribal tattoos!

If you're considering a tattoo, research wisely, it will pay you dividends for years to come.