The Generation X Files

Every day on WordPress, there’s a daily writing prompt.

I don’t usually look at them because it can be a distraction and (if you’ve learned anything about me by now) we both know I can’t afford any more of those!

I couldn’t resist today though. 😉

Even though, strictly speaking, I already have the tattoos that I want.

Today I’d like to share a few of them with you and the story of why and where I chose to have them. I’ll be attaching photos if you’d prefer to skip down to those.

If you’ve read my post Losing My Religion, you’ll already know I have suffered from Psoriasis since I was 15.

In the follow up post, Everybody Hurts, I talked a little about my tattoos and why I decided to get them.

But, it wasn’t an easy decision to make…

One of the things you learn early on when you have psoriasis is not to damage your skin. That’s because of something called the Koebner phenomenon.

What that basically translates to, in real terms, is anything that breaks or traumatises the skin has the potential to turn into a psoriasis plaque. Cuts, scratches even sunburn can be enough.

It means you learn to be very careful. But, of course you can’t avoid everything. Especially if you live with cats! 😼😼😼

I also learned, over 35 years, there’s no apparent rhyme or reason to it. It’s hard to predict how my skin will react.

Part of what causes the plaques is my skin sheds roughly seven times faster. Because the skin cannot shed these cells as fast as they are being produced, the excess cells pile up on the surface.

But, that doesn’t happen every time. In fact sometimes, I’d get a scratch or cut that would heal. And really quickly too. Sometimes just a few days.

There are studies that suggest people with psoriasis often heal faster from small, superficial wounds (like biopsies or minor cuts) compared to those without the condition. 

It’s something I’m still getting used to now I’m in remission (thanks to the biologics). Of course, I’m delighted to be healing ‘normally’ but….it seems kinda slow!

Anyhoo…..as usual, I digress…

I got my first tattoo on my 18th birthday. I’d been planning it for a while. The artist suggested something small that I could cover in case it “went rogue” as a result of the psoriasis.

I wanted a winking, smiling pig and the tattoo artist had drawn a few designs in advance.

Why a pig you might ask? Well, because of one of my oldest nicknames.

One given to me in school by one of my best friends. Based on my love of two things…pigs and Continental Viennese Truffles from Thorntons!

At first it was simple – my (real) first name with the addition of “Truffles”.

Eventually it expanded to Trudy Truffles BonBon. I can’t remember why or when.

I chose the pig from the drawings that most lived up to that title. And was really happy with the result. It healed…slowly but well. I can’t find any pictures of how it used to look….let’s just say he didn’t age well…

It took almost another 18 years before I was brave enough to try another one. By now, the psoriasis was a lot worse and I had plaques from scalp to toe. But, I still wanted to risk it. I was sick of being dictated to by my skin.

I talked it through with my boyfriend and we started looking at designs. He found one that was perfect! We decided we both liked it so much we’d get matching tats done together.

We found a tattoo artist and brought him our design. He loved it! So much that we ended up getting them done there and then! And here they are:

The tattoo artist took a little while to convince doing mine “upside down”. Eventually, he saw my logic that if I was getting it done, I wanted to see it without having to turn my arm at an awkward angle!

I also chose to have the Stormtrooper helmet ultra-white in case the colour faded quickly with the rate my skin sheds.

Fifteen years after we got them they’re still going strong! (And so are we! The couple that gets tattoos together… 💪 💘 😉)️

Shortly afterwards, I decided to give the piggy a long overdue upgrade….and a girlfriend!

Basically, there was only a rough outline of the original piggy left. We decided to turn him into Party Pig.

I was a big fan of a show called Wildboyz at the time and especially Chris Pontius. In that show (and also in the more famous Jackass) he played a character called “Party Boy”.

He basically stripped off and danced about wearing what my piggy is now dressed in. It’s very silly but makes me laugh. So….”Party Pig” was born and given a fitting companion! 🐷🐷

Okay, this is getting long and I have a lot of tattoos so I’ll just do one more…

It’s a half sleeve on my left arm and it took the most work. Are you Wondering (sorry!) what it is….?

When I first had her completed I wasn’t 100% happy. A few years later, she had some ‘cosmetic surgery’ done by a different tattoo artist.

He was able to do some corrections but she’s still not perfect. But, that’s okay. None of us are. Even Amazonian Warrior Princesses!

Hopefully, you’ve found this interesting (even if you just skipped to the photos 😉).

What I would say is to make sure you find a great tattoo artist if you’re considering getting any done.

It’s essential to be 100% sure before you do it and make sure to do your own research.

Although tattoo removal is available, it’s painful and very expensive!

Thankfully, I feel like I made the right decision getting all of my tattoos. And because I had good artists, I’m happy and have

Citizen Jane x ✌️

What about you? Do you have/want any tattoos? Share them with me in the comments section below 👇