Pre Care and After Care Instructions

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To prepare your skin for your appointment, it is recommended that you moisturize daily the week prior. Avoid scented creams; instead, use unscented or organic creams or oils. Coconut oil or shea butter is recommended. You can also use arnica oil before your appointment. Apply the arnica oil three times daily for three days before your appointment. It has anti-inflammatory and regenerative properties.  

Make sure you have enough sleep the day before your appointment. Eat a nourishing meal before your session, and make sure to drink lots of water; it will help moisturize your skin from the inside. Bring snacks, water, and sweets if you can. 

Please wear comfortable clothes; it is preferred that you wear dark colors, and especially avoid your favorite outfits. Ink can splash despite my best efforts, and it can transfer to your clothes. Be aware of the area on your body where you are getting a tattoo, and wear a comfortable outfit that allows you to move freely and access the area we are tattooing.  

Ensure you're hydrated in the days leading up to your marking. Drink lots of water and hydrating fluids. Bring water and/or electrolytes with you to your session.

Remember:

• Ensure you've eaten enough in the days before your marking, however you define that. Nourish your body and maintain your blood sugars.
• Clean and moisturize your skin the day before your marking. You can exfoliate the area the day before as well.
• If possible, don't consume alcohol or recreational substances in the days before your session. Do not arrive at your session after consuming substances; your session time will not go forward, and you will be billed for the booking
• Get enough rest, whatever that amount means to you.
• Make sure to eat before your session. Bring snacks with you as well as a couple of high sugar things–fruit, a chocolate, or a candy you like
• Stay out of the sun in the days leading up to your session to avoid sunburn.Moisturize your skin with a light, unscented product the day before and in the morning of your session.
• If you are unwell or ill, don't receive a tattoo and inform me. You will not be billed for the session time if you cancel or reschedule

1. Remove the dressing the next day.

2. Thoroughly wash with soap and warm water to remove plasma, ensuring no residue remains. This prevents thick scabs and healing delays. Pay special attention to cleaning skin dips over scars where ink may sit and be hard to remove.

3. Only re-wrap with a provided tattoo armour bandage or clean cling film/cling wrap dressing with no cream or balm underneath for the first two nights. Leave unwrapped during the day.  

4. Wash three times a day with gentle soap or hot water for three days, and leave the tattoo uncovered during the day to prevent bacterial build-up and infection.

5. You can use any unscented lotion after three days, but only when your skin feels dry and itchy. Applying little and often helps prevent excess moisture and irritation.

Do Not:

1. Go swimming, sauna, sunbathing, excessive soaking.

2. Engage in contact sports during the healing process.

3. Expose the tattooed area to excessive friction or sweating.

Troubleshooting:

1. Spots on the skin around the tattoo: This is generally caused by heat rash from the bandage or cling film or by shaving the area before the tattoo. It could also be blocked pores. We recommend removing the dressing, cleaning thoroughly with soap and hot water, and allowing the tattoo to dry. Do not continue wrapping the tattoo with cling film.

2. Weeping: This can be common in areas with a lot of movement and which can be prone to sitting a little more moist, such as the elbow or knee ditch. Keep washing the tattoo to remove the weeping and help it dry out. Use soap and hot water whenever possible to clean the tattoo, encouraging the entire area to dry out. Leave to dry for as many days as possible, and use a tiny bit of lotion or healing balm only when essential to loosen the scab enough for movement. Do not apply cream too early or too thickly, as it will encourage the tattoo to weep even more.

3. Excessive Scabbing: This is usually caused by excess blood, ink, and plasma not being appropriately removed during the first few days when the tattoo is sore. Some areas of the body are more prone to this, too; unfortunately, it is sometimes just unavoidable. Do not pick these scabs, as it will result in a loss of colour and can cause scarring. Keep the tattoo clean by washing daily, but not soaking. Allow the scabs to fall off on their own.

If you experience any other symptoms or you have tried the above and it isn't working, please don't hesitate to contact us. Complications are infrequent, but do need to be dealt with properly if they arise.

Conclusion:

Proper aftercare is essential for ensuring your tattoo heals correctly. By following these guidelines and addressing common issues with care, you can ensure your tattoo remains vibrant and beautiful for years to come. One thing to keep in mind is to keep your home and workspace clean while your tattoo heals, and to be careful when handling pets. With this in mind, make sure to change your sheets before you go to sleep on the first night, and be prepared for blood or plasma to leak onto your bedding for the first few nights.  

Remember the permanent and best outcome of your tattoo relies on how you care for it and yourself. Do your best, closely follow the above recommendations, and don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or email with any questions or concerns.

• You may remove bandaging after 3 hours and rinse your skin with clean water. Gently remove any dried blood, ink, fluid. Do not re-bandage.
• Gently wash your marking 4 times per day for the next 3 days.
• After the 3rd day, apply a small amount of a good quality unscented moisturizer or salve a few times a day to promote healing and prevent the tattoo from drying out and scabbing. 
• Remember, certain products work well for some people, but not for others. Be aware of your own skin conditions and bodily preferences - always do a test spot with product on a small area of your unmarked skin and observe how your skin reacts. If there is no reaction, do a test spot on a small area of your marking and observe before applying it to the entire mark.
• Stop using product when you notice increased redness, stinging, or discomfort of any kind! If your tattoo weeps or appears runny - this is not normal! These are examples of signs to a reaction to the product. Wash your hands and your marking immediately with mild  soap and water and contact your care provider(s) and tattoo artist.
• Using moisturizing product on your tattoo is to prevent the mark from drying out. Do not use in excess. Excessive use could cause the olour to fade.
• Under ideal care and circumstances, your marking should heal in 14 days
• Sun and UV exposure (including the use of tanning beds) will fade and negatively affect your tattoo within 1 minute in the first 3 weeks of healing. When the UV rating is high it will penetrate a thin clothing layer. Sun exposure will fade your mark at any time after healing - always use SPF30 (healed tattoos only).
• Do not soak your healing mark in a hot tub, pool, bathtub, lake, sauna, or other body of water for at least 2 weeks. It is recommended to get your tattoo briefly wet in the shower while cleaning.
• Your new marking may be itchy. Do not pick any scabs or scratch your healing tattoo - this will cause scarring.
• Do not allow clothing or bedding to rub, irritate, or stick to your healing tattoo. This will cause inflammation, it may cause scarring and scabbing, and it will interfere with healing.
• Drink lots of water, stay nourished and rested while healing.

The permanent and best outcome of your tattoo relies on how you care for it and yourself. Do your best, closely follow the above recommendations, and don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or email with any questions or concerns.