Tattoo Care - Before
Make sure you get enough sleep before your appointment so that you will be well rested. Furthermore it is also important that you eat and drink enough.
I advise you to drink enough water the days before so that your skin is well hydrated. For microrealistic projects, it is an advantage if you do a light peeling on the concerned skin area 2-3 days before the appointment.
Wear comfortable clothes that can get dirty.
You are welcome to bring music or other entertainment that you can enjoy without moving (a book, a podcast or a tablet with a movie for long sessions).
Please do not take any antibiotics or cortisone 3 days before your appointment. You must also refrain from taking blood-thinning medication (e.g. aspirin) on the day of your appointment. If you are currently taking medication, please find out whether it is blood-thinning.
I cannot tattoo you under the following conditions:
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If you have been vaccinated in the last 48 hours before the appointment
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If you are pregnant or still breastfeeding
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Body parts that are affected by neurodermatitis or sunburn
Can I drink or take pain medication before my tattoo?
No. Alcohol and aspirin thin your blood, making you bleed more than normal. This will make your appointment more difficult and cause your tattoo to take longer. Excessive bleeding can also make your tattoo heal improperly - causing it to look faded and unattractive. If you take any prescription medication, especially any type of blood thinner, please check with your doctor to make sure it is safe to receive a tattoo on your medication and let us know before your appointment. It is important that you are in a clear state of mind and feeling well during the tattoo - I will not tattoo you otherwise.
Can I drink or take pain medication after my tattoo?
Refrain from drinking immediately after your tattoo appointment. After any bleeding has stopped, generally a few hours later, you can resume regular merriment or take ibuprofen to help with swelling or pain.
Tattoo Care - After
The tattoo is finished, now comes an equally important part: the healing phase. This is just as important as a well-done tattoo.
You will leave the foil on your skin for 3 days. During these 3 days you should not take long, hot showers. After carefully removing the Second Skin foil after 3 days, you should initially only wash it with ph-neutral and skin-friendly soap. Make sure that the water is at your body temperature and not too hot. Dry only with a fresh towel (if you live in a household with several people, please use your own) or dab with household paper. Do not rub.
Then you will apply a very small amount of Bepanthen Plus to the tattoo, just enough to lightly moisturize. Do not slather a big, thick coat of cream over it; just enough for it to stay moist and flexible.
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Always wash your hands before touching the tattoo.
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Every day from then on, you will wash the tattoo in the morning and at night, and apply lotion 3 times a day, or whenever the tattoo feels dry or tight.
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After a few days, the tattoo will form a thin scab over it and it could feel itchy, and in about a week the scab will begin to flake off in the shower. Do resist and DO NOT pick or scratch at the scab, just keep it clean and moist and the scabs will all fall off by themselves in about two weeks. Picking any of the scabs off will cause faded color and damage to the skin.
The further healing process
During healing do NOT:
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A tattoo is a wound, so please make sure that no bacteria or dirt can get into it.
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The tattoo needs oxygen to heal. Ideally, wear airy clothing and avoid friction (do not wrap the tattoo in foil or similar).
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Go into the water with the tattoo. This means baths, pools and oceans. Sauna is also not an option. Regular, short showers are fine.
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Expose it to strong sunlight (e.g. during outdoor activities or at the beach. Walking to the car is fine) or going to Solarium
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You should not exercise within the first 2 weeks.
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Shaving over the tattoo (ouch!) and using perfumed creams on the area
When all the scabs fall off and the skin feels smooth again to the touch, it is all healed and (finally) you can shave over it again, and swim and everything else. Sometimes after the scab falls off there is a secondary shiny, raised or waxy coat over the tattoo. This is just another healing layer of skin. Continue to moisturize it and it will smooth out by itself over time. If you have any questions about your tattoo while its healing you are always welcome to contact me for any further questions.
If something doesn't look perfect
Sometimes with excessive scabbing, or other unpredictable reactions during healing, your skin can reject some ink, leaving a "light spot" that is closer to your skin color in the tattoo (or a line might get thinner or lighter in one spot). This is common as its unlikely your body will accept every spot of pigment uniformly, so just contact me via email after your tattoo is finished healing with a photo to see if a small touch up is in order. Unless you were negligent during the care of your tattoo, touch-ups are very minor and quick, and guaranteed by myself if you contact me about it within 6 months of getting the tattoo. Because older tattoos that have settled in fully and aged require more work to make uniform, I suggest coming in as soon as possible when it's healed, as touch ups are performed for a fee after 6 months.
While I deal with the healing of tattoos often, i'm not a doctor, and can only give guidelines on tattoo care, not medical advice.