[PRE-TATToo]

PRE - TATTOO CARE

Before your tattoo:

  1. Plan your tattoo appropriately! Make sure you have around 4 weeks after your tattoo to let the skin heal and regenerate! That means no dirt, sand, beaches, swimming, soaking in the bath or hot tub, tanning, extreme workouts, or direct friction against the area. For example: If you get a shoulder tattoo, make sure you don’t have any backpacking trips coming up! If you’re running a marathon next week, best not to get any leg tattoos before then! Common sense!

  2. Make sure the skin is thoroughly moisturized, and free of any abrasions, unhealed eczema, or deep cystic blemishes. We recommend exfoliating the area beforehand at least 1-2 times a week for a month prior to your appointment, and lotion with a deep moisturizing lotion or balm at least once per day for a month prior! This will help your skin be in prime condition for your tattoo!

  3. Purchase your aftercare products beforehand! There are many options out there, but regardless you WILL need them once your appointment has ended! You will be recommended an unscented antibacterial hand soap, such as Dial Gold, and an unscented aftercare product such as Tattoo Lovers Care, Hustle Butter, or— if you can’t get your hands on those, Lubriderm currently makes an unscented sensitive skin lotion in a bottle with a maroon label that I use in emergencies. These are only suggestions, please be sure to read the ingredients to ensure your soap is unscented antibacterial liquid form, and that your lotion is unscented and free of petroleum if at all possible! Petroleum suffocates the tattoo, causing ink loss and sometimes cellulitis, and scented products may cause burning, irritation, weeping, and blisters. If you are interested in using a product similar to TegaDerm, Saniderm, SecondSkin or other clear membranes, please make sure you allergy test beforehand if you have sensitive skin!

  4. Prepare your body physically and mentally, with food and sleep. Yes, its going to hurt, all tattoos hurt. But if you don’t get a proper night’s sleep and a large meal in before you start your session, its going to hurt a LOT MORE. You might even start to involuntarily twitch, shiver or shake violently, become lightheaded, irritable, intolerant to pain, and worst case scenario — fall unconscious. Which brings us to our final point.

  5. Bring everything you need with you. Snacks, chargers, drinks, pillows, blankets, jackets, your Nintendo Switch, your medications, ANYTHING you need to get through it, please bring. We are accommodating, we understand your situation, we wont judge you. As long as its not disruptive to the artist work flow, bring anything you need, including a hand to hold. (OH, And cash. We prefer to be paid in cash, but yes we will take your credit card or app pay. )

[AFTERCARE]

AFTER YOUR TATTOO

Of the many rituals passed along between tattooers, there are subtle differences in the process of healing a tattoo. However, most would agree there are 2 options that we mainly focus on these days,

The old fashioned, and the new school.

Did your artist wrap you in a loose temporary plastic cover with tape or sensiwrap, and offer specific washing and moisturizing guidelines for the next 2 to 4 weeks? If that sounds right, you’ll be healing out the good old fashioned way.

Did your artist put a shiny, sticky clear barrier on your skin, with instructions on removing and reapplying your new piece? Congrats, you’re using some new school technology to heal, and have specialized instructions that we will also cover!

THE OLD FASHIONED HEALING METHOD:

  • DAYS 1-3 DAILY ROUTINE :

    1. On the day you receive your new tattoo, remove your plastic within an hour of arriving home. Do not wear this plastic out and about for more than an hour or two. Long travel not recommended. It is 100% normal to see a buildup of black or colored plasma on your tattoo underneath the plastic. This is excess ink being purged, and does not affect your tattoo healing. Your tattoo may ooze for up to 2-3 days in a very active spot such as lower leg, without proper rest.

    2. With clean hands, gently wash your tattoo under room temperature water. DO NOT SOAK, DO NOT SUBMERGE IN SITTING WATER NO MATTER WHAT. NO BATHTUBS NO SINKS, RUNNING WATER ONLY. Scrub with your fingertips gently, using your unscented liquid antibacterial soap to remove any blobs or strings of plasma or ink. This plasma may try to stick if you wait too long or let your tattoo dry while still dirty, but at this point you will want your tattoo to be free of any debris or excess plasma to avoid premature scabbing. Do not use any cloth, paper towel or rags when cleaning to avoid bacterial contamination, as well as paper/fabric debris sticking to your open skin. You may do this in the shower, but be extremely careful to avoid hot water and runoff from shampoo, condtioner, bodywash, face wash, or anything that’s not water basically.

    3. Once clean, rinse your tattoo of the soap and debris, and let it air dry for 5 to 10 minutes. Again, do not use any towels or paper products to avoid bacterial infections or debris entering the skin.

    4. Once dry, you may now apply a very thin layer of aftercare to the tattoo with clean hands. However, on the first day it is not really necessary yet, as the tattoo often will continue to ooze a bit of plasma while you move and sleep.

    5. If you are going to bed after your cleaning, you may wrap your tattoo in a fresh new layer of plastic in order to avoid sticking to your bedsheets during the night. Do not wrap too tightly and do not sleep on the tattooed area for the first few nights. If you lose your plastic in the night and wake up stuck to your bed, do NOT panic and do NOT rip the sheets off. Remove the sheets gently from the bed, while still stuck to you, and take them with you to the shower or faucet. Run room temp water over the stuck areas until the plasma softens and the sheet begins to release slowly. This will prevent you from re-opening a freshly healing area and risking losing more ink or causing a trauma scar.

    6. Repeat steps 1-4 every morning and evening for the first 3 days. Wash no more than what is recommended and use minimal if ANY lotion on these days. Discontinue plastic wrap usage for sleeping after night 2, and do not wrap at all during the daytime for any reason other than protection from dirt or bacteria.

  • DAYS 4-28:

    1. PAIN: By Day 4, the soreness or burning associated with touching your tattoo during cleaning should be starting to minimize, if not almost disappear entirely. Larger tattoos of course can take longer. Your tattoo should not be INCREASING in pain, redness, or sensitivity at this point. Please contact your artist ASAP if this is not the case or you have any new symptoms.

    2. WASHING AND MOISTURIZING: At this point, you should be washing your tattoo only when necessary (showers), and moisturizing as needed. No extra washes needed in the morning or night. Scabs should be forming soon on most tattoos, and if your tattoo is a small linework piece, you may not even truly scab at all. How will you know when its time to start using moisturizer or aftercare lotions? Easy! If it is itchy, tight, dry, scaly/flaky, or in general irritated by dryness, its time to moisturize. A very thin layer will do. Your tattoo should not be shiny or wet looking when your are done moisturizing. It will take a little while, up to an hour for it to sink in so do not be impatient/apply a thick layer. This could cause your tattoo scab to become mushy and fall off prematurely, resulting in ink loss. Another hazard of over-moisturizing is Cellulitis, which can happen to anyone’s opened skin for many reasons, including ingrown hairs, bug bites, etc. Just play it safe and use only what you need!

    3. COMMON THINGS TO AVOID DAYS 1-28:

      1. DIRT/BACTERIA: Beaches, pet debris, fabric chairs/couches/beds/carpets, garden/lawn dirt, gym/yoga mat bacteria, camping/hiking, activities that cause excessive sweating, soaking in baths, sinks, pools, beaches, lakes, saunas, and touching your tattoo with unwashed hands/letting others touch it. The risk here is Sepsis and other bacterial infections, which can result in hospitalization and death.

      2. IRRITATION: Overmoisturizing, tight clothes, direct sun/tanning, petroleum products, scented lotions, scented washes, shaving, exfoliating, picking at scabs, working out tattoo specific areas. The risk for these ranges from general discomfort and extended healing times, to Cellulitis, ink loss, blistering, oozing, infection, and scarring, as well as an increased risk for more serious consequences.

  • DAY 29 AND BEYOND (HEALED):

    You will know your tattoo is fully healed when it is soft and flattened to the skin, and no longer has any shiny spots. It will no longer feel unpleasant to put pressure on or stretch the skin. It will not be itchy or have any remaining flakes or scabs. If you have any complications, your healing time may take longer, and if you get a quite simple tattoo, your healing time may be slightly shorter. Regardless, 28 days is the full cycle of skin regeneration we have been recommended! If you have any questions about the final heal of your tattoo, we recommend to let it heal for another 28 days to allow it to fully settle, before requesting your touch up session! Please keep moisturizing and using high SPF sunscreen to avoid bleaching of your tattoo ink in the sun!

THE NEW SCHOOL HEALING METHOD:

  • DAY 1:

    1. On the day you receive your new tattoo, you will be fitted with a single sheet of waterproof Saniderm, SecondSkin, TegaDerm, or other comparable brand of aftercare membrane. CONGRATS! This means you actually don’t have to do anything for the first 12-24 hours! So lets go over some pointers and precautions:

    • BLACK GOO/PLASMA: Typically, your tattoo will ooze a bit of plasma underneath this clear skin/membrane, and you may have air pockets that collect this ooze. It is totally normal and will not stain your tattoo. It is a mixture of excess ink and plasma, and is actually extremely beneficial to have on the skin during the first healing day!

    • ITCH/BURN/IRRITATION/REDNESS: What is NOT normal, however, is any redness, bumps, swelling or irritation around the membrane edges or on the tattoo itself. This is typically a sensitivity to the adhesive in the membrane and we recommend you remove your piece asap if this occurs, no matter how long its been on.

    • REMOVAL: Freshly placed membranes are often difficult to remove when the skin is clean and no oils have loosened the adhesive yet. While we always recommend to follow the guidance of the individual products website, we have personally found a few methods to aid in removal of our own pieces. Starting at a corner and loosening the adhesive with coconut oil will often provide optimal results, by pulling the skin taut, applying some oil, and rolling up the corner as you go. You can also hop in a slightly warm shower and perform a similar maneuver.

    • WATER IN MEMBRANE/LEAKING MEMBRANE: Yes, the membrane is waterproof, but its not perfect. If you have any ripples or peeling in the corners, water can possibly get in, or plasma can get out. So what do you do if this happens? If its leaky plasma, and it doesn’t bug you, you can leave it on.. but its not doing you any favors other than protecting from the harsh outer world of cotton clothes and dog hairs. You may as well change over to your next piece. Additionally, if you go home and shower, and somehow water somehow makes its way inside, its time to change as well. Unlike leaking plasma, water underneath the membrane is a more serious and time sensitive matter, and you will want to remove your piece immediately and wash your tattoo to avoid healing complications. If its within an hour or two of your first piece, you can come back to the shop usually and we will give you an extra for the night. If its been a few hours, go ahead and apply your second day piece, and we’ll see how you’re doing in the morning.

  • DAYS 2-28:

    1. At this point, you should be on your second piece of aftercare membrane. Each brand has its own specific guidelines and recommendations to follow, however, we will give you a general rundown of how to apply a new piece. Make sure the skin is clean and dry, as detailed above in the “Old Fashioned” aftercare method.

    2. Separate the plastic/parchment or “side 1” to expose the sticky part of the membrane. There sticky side will be attached to a firm plastic, and there is often perforation on one or both sides. With your tattoo in a relaxed and natural position, place the membrane sticky side down over the center of the tattoo, starting in the center and rolling outward to avoid air bubbles. Its similar to applying a screen protector or car decal.

    3. The firm plastic or “side 2” is now ready to be removed. Start peeling away at the perforation line. If there is none, a lower corner. Pull the plastic away gently with one hand, while being sure that the thin membrane left behind is firmly pressed to the skin with the other hand. If you are applying to an arm or other unreachable tattoo, have a friend wash their hands and help you.

    4. You’re done, and set for the next few weeks! If you have any complications, feel free to reach out to your artist for additional guidance! Your tattoo should be fully healed within 28 days!