* How did you know you wouldn't regret it? Wouldn't have got one if I thought I'd regret it in 10, 20 or 50 years.

* Does anyone regret theirs? 13 years on and not for one second.

* Visible tattoos & job prospects - does anyone feel its prevented you from getting a job? Nope, it's on my shoulder. It occasionally gets revealed if we have a casual day at work in summer and the cut of the top I'm wearing is right. My tat isn't huge - about 5cm x 10cm.

* How do you find a reputable artist? Clean equipment etc. What to look for in a studio? I asked around my local area and visited the guy (home studio). It all looked pretty clean to me!

*How does weight gain & weight loss affect it? Not an issue where my tat is located.

* Where can I find inspiration for designs? I got mine off a CD cover - my tat is a nod to my Irish heritage. It's a celtic symbol that's reasonably intricate. The tattoo dude took a sketch off the cd cover and transferred the outline to my shoulder before doing the tat. Hmm, I may actually owe some poor artist copyright!!

* How do you think tattoos look on pale skin? No idea really - shouldn't look any different from any other skin type in my book. I'm not being politically correct, I just think it's a non issue (my opinion, of course ).

* Pain factor - how much did it hurt? For the most part, none. I only really felt those lines drawn directly on bone (ie, my shoulder blade). Based on this theory, I really should get a tattoo on my backside ...

* So its a pretty permanent thing, is there anything else I need to consider?
Get a tatt that resonates with you - when you find a design that's the right fit for you, then that's the time to get inked.

Tattoos are no longer a big deal - so many people have them, but if you're worried about job prospects etc, then to start with maybe put your tat somewhere that you can cover and uncover easily, if you know what I mean