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The Tattoo Care Continuum

Considerations for Getting a Tattoo

The most important things to know are that if you have any chronic health conditions/medications that impact blood consistency, immunity, or your skin, please contact your doctor and/or be informed about the risks. This is discussed in the consent form. Please see the below articles in the meantime and reach out if you have any questions! I’ll always keep health information shared with me private. 

How to Prepare for Your Appointment

Please see these guidelines and the additional resources below. Let me know if you have any questions!

  • Hydrate! Please refrain from excess (more than usual, minimize if possible) alcohol and caffeine within 48 hrs of the appointment.
  • Please do not wear any lotions/perfumes/cologne day of your appointment
  • Get a full night’s rest
  • Eat/fuel up to be nourished
  • Ensure the area isn’t sunburnt
  • Wear comfy clothes and ideally something 
  • Bring any fidget toys/entertainment (we have some too)
  • Have non-scented, gentle moisturizers and soap ready to go at home for aftercare
  • Do not show up under the influence of substances. As someone who believes in/practices harm reduction, please let me know if you’re regularly engaging in substances so we can have more nuanced conversation. I invite transparency so we can have a safer and more consensual experience.
  • Ask me questions! “what tattoo products do you use? what’s your sterilization process? how will this tattoo look for my skin type/shade/area?”
  • Arrive showered recently (not directly after your workout or intense gardening please!)  Please try and refrain from shaving the area to avoid any razor burn or cuts. I will shave during the session.
  • View the consent form and pre-fill your ID, or you can fill this out and bring your ID to the session
  • Please reschedule our session as soon as possible if you’re not able to properly pre-care or if an emergency comes up!

More Resources:

Tattoo Aftercare

General Guidelines below. If you have in-depth questions about how tattoos heal I am happy to nerd out about it to you (former biomedical background would feel so seen haha).

  • I’ll cover your tattoo after our session with a barrier if needed. Remove this 1-3 hours after application then follow the steps below.
  • Wash your hands before touching your tattoo, wear clean clothing, and have clean bedding
  • Gently wash the area with a gentle cleanser (such as Cetaphil or drug-store brand version) and dry with a clean paper towel. Witches hazel can help with inflammation.
  • After a day or two when it starts to peel, you can use a thin layer of gentle moisturizer such as Hustle Butter or Cetaphil on the area 2-3 times daily in combo with the cleansing 1-2 times daily
  • Do not soak the tattoo (bathe, swim) for at least 2 weeks
  • Do not expose to the sun for at least 2 weeks then use sunscreen on the area (for forever 🙂
  • Do not rebandage (this can disrupt the healing process)

In-Depth Guides: