How to Look after your tattoo
At my studio, I use the finest tattoo equipment available on the market. Every care is taken to ensure that you get the service we believe you deserve so please return the courtesy by following the instructions below to guarantee your new tattoo will please you for as long as you own it.
The care that you give your tattoo determines how good or bad your result will be.
For the first three days, the main priority should be to treat the tattoo with a view to preventing a scab from forming. The easiest way to do this is to wash the tattooed area gently, thoroughly and often. Washing your tattoo will prevent the build up of dead cells in the tattooed area, reduce the amount of scab you get, speed up your healing process and give you a brighter result.
Where possible, try to remove the cover from your tattoo within 2 hours.
To minimise the chances of causing any adverse reaction, always use a mild, white, unscented soap.
Lather the soap in the palm of your hand, and gently wash the tattoo to remove all the ointment, blood and any excess fluid from the area. Do this until the skin feels normal to touch. Carefully blot the tattoo to dry it, do not rub at the area to dry it as this will irritate the skin. Allow 5 minutes for the skin to air-dry, and blot your tattoo gently again. (When it is time to start using an ointment, this will help to prevent any moisture being trapped between the tattoo and the ointment. Do not apply any ointment to the tattoo for the first 24 hours unless advised to do so by your tattoo artist.)
Wash your tattoo gently 4 or 5 times a day during the first 3 days. This will help your skin to adjust quickly.
After the initial 24 hours, a small amount of ointment may be used to moisturise the area of your tattoo after each wash.
Skin-types vary enormously from person to person and we always advise on individual after care.
Please follow the instructions that your tattoo artist give to you.
AFTER-CARE TIPS
Here are some tips for helping your Tattoo Healing Process to be as hassle-free as possible.
Start your preparations for being tattooed early, if you know that you are going to be tattooed, do yourself and your artist a favour by refraining and going out on the piss the night before. Drink plenty of water instead.
If you have high alcohol content in your bloodstream, you will bleed more freely and literally wash some of the ink out of your skin.
EAT CHOCOLATE!
Well, at least try to have something to eat before getting your tattoo. The most common question from first-time customers seem to be "Do many people faint?" People do, on occasion, faint when being tattooed and often think that the pain of being tattooed was the cause. This is generally untrue. When you get tattooed, your body reacts by producing increased amounts of natural chemicals. Sometimes, you may experience a feeling like an adrenaline rush, and your blood sugar becomes depleted. This is what causes most people to feel dizzy, or even to faint. If you eat before you get tattooed, you can help to prevent any adverse reaction.
DONT STRESS IT
If you are stressed out by the thought of being tattooed, don't work yourself up.
Ask questions about the procedure if you are worried, your artist will be more than happy to put your mind at rest. Most people tend to work themselves into a state because their friends have told them about their horrifyingly painful tattoo experience. Well, i'm sorry to burst another myth for you, but the truth is that people like to make things seem worse than they really are. The feeling of getting tattooed isn't excruciatingly painful in most places, just in a relatively small number of areas like knees and elbows and oh...the armpits.
Usually the feeling of being tattooed isnt much more intense than the feeling of sunburn.
(You may also want to consider that your friends aren't as tough as they like to think.)
BREATHE
Seriously folks, you have to breathe when you get tattooed. When you hold your breath and strain against the feeling of being tattooed, you exaggerate the sensation. You are literally making it worse for yourself and there is no need.
It's also worth considering that the more stressed you feel, the more difficult it will be to tattoo you.
Relaxed skin is much easier to tattoo and is less prone to trauma and swelling.
Its pretty easy to get yourself into a pattern of taking a breath when the machine is out of contact with your skin, and letting it out while the line is being tattooed. This will help enormously, as you will be able to find a pattern of breathing that allows you to sit in a comfortable position while you are having your tattoo done.