Preparing and caring for your tattoo

Preparing for your tattoo.

Please don’t drink heavily the night before your tattoo appointment. Even if it’s not enough to make you hung-over, it could still thin your blood the next day.
Get to bed on time and make sure to get plenty of sleep. Sure it might feel like Christmas Eve and be hard for you to get to sleep, but getting plenty of rest tends to make it easier to sit calmly the following day.
If you have an appointment, but are unsure about anything please call the studio well ahead of time to verify your appointment time. Make sure you know exactly when to be there and how much it will cost.
Make sure to print off any reference material you might need to help the artist create your artwork, the more the better.
Some people have medical conditions which require a doctor’s note beforehand. If you fear this may apply to you, please call the studio ahead of time to verify if your condition requires a physician’s authorization form. If necessary you may have come into the studio to obtain the form to have your doctor sign before getting tattooed.

Caring for your tattoo

Please consider that everyone heals differently and each tattoo should be given the appropriate attention to aftercare every time. It should not be assumed that all heals will be the same even if you have previously been tattooed! The following aftercare is a general guide for the average heal. However, when necessary, you may have additional steps which will be addressed during your session.

Clean your tattoo. Remove the bandage after three (3) hours, but no more than twelve (12). DO NOT remove the bandage until you can properly clean the tattoo with mild soap and warm water. Rinse it well with cold water, thoroughly cleaning off all of the slimy coating that may have formed over the tattooed area while underneath the bandage. Gently pat it dry with a clean paper towel, then allow it to air-dry for ten (10) minutes.

Apply healing ointment to the tattoo. Sparingly, but thoroughly, massage a very small amount into the skin to keep the tattoo slightly moist, but NOT smothered. Use just enough ointment to give the tattoo a slightly satin shine, and blot with a clean paper towel. Your skin will take in all the ointment it needs, so do not leave excessive ointment on the skin. For the next three (3) to seven (7) days, clean and apply ointment to your tattoo every six (6) hours, (about 3-4 times daily), blotting the small amount of excess fluid that may be secreted from the tattoo in between cleaning.Ensure that extra moisture doesn’t get trapped under the ointment by blotting and air-drying after every washing. Only apply ointment for as long as it takes for your tattoo to peel or become flakey, usually three (3) to seven (7) days. When the peeling begins, the tattooed skin will flake like a sunburn. AT ALL COSTS avoid picking at the cracked and flaking skin.

You are now in the peeling phase. DO NOT apply any more ointment. The area will become dry and itchy, sometimes very itchy. A good quality, fragrance-free lotion (Lubriderm for Sensitive Skin) can now be used three (3) to four (4) times daily INSTEAD of the ointment. Repeat each day until the skin returns to its normal texture.If you feel a heavier lotion is required to prevent over drying in between application (physically dry to the touch and not just skin that feels tight), you may either apply additional Avocado Oil to the driest areas or switch up to a heavier lotion like Lubriderm for Normal to Dry, or Dry Skin.If you get any pimples in the area tattooed during this phase, you need to decrease lotion application times or switch down to a lighter or different lotion.

Scabs are the body’s natural way of protecting wounds while they are healing. HOWEVER, it is very important to maintain the appropriate aftercare to PREVENT scabs from forming as they can prolong and complicate the healing process which can lead to uneven healing and even scarring.The first signs that may lead to scabbing often are moisture bubbles that appear during the first few days of a new tattoo, usually caused by negligent cleaning or the over application of ointment. At the first sings of these, clean the tattoo thoroughly and allow to completely dry. Do not waterlog (soak) the tattoo. Only apply ointment sparingly to the areas of the tattoo that do not have bubbles, allowing the bubbles to dry on their own.If scabs do form, once the tattoo is in the full peeling phase, sparingly apply lotion to the entire area making sure to thoroughly massage and not over apply or soak scabs with lotion. Any developed scabs should not be picked at or prematurely removed.