Before your tattoo session:
It’s important to be well prepared before your tattoo session, here’s a few suggestions to help ensure your tattoo session is as comfortable as possible.
- Rest – ensure you have a couple of good night’s sleep before the day of your tattoo, especially the night before your tattoo session. It’s recommended 9-10 hours sleep to make sure your body is fully rested and at its maximum efficiency for your body to handle the pain.
- Eat – on the day of your tattoo session, having a good meal two hours before your session is ideal to prepare your body for shock.
- Cleanse – personal hygiene is essential, particularly the area of your body to be tattooed. If you have long hair it is advised that it is washed, dried and tied up. Also, please refrain from wearing any perfume/aftershave or shaving on or near the location intended to be tattooed. Your tattooist will shave the area during the preparation.
- Clothing – wear clean, comfortable and loose clothing that are easily accessible, particularly in the area you want tattooed. Only wear clothes you don’t mind getting ink on.
- Staying Energised – during your tattoo session take regular breaks, consume healthy food like sandwiches, salads and good sugars like fresh fruit. Drink plenty of water and natural fruit juices (non-caffeinated) to help avoid body fatigue. However, limit your caffeine intake or anything that will make your body senses heightened or jittery.
- Entertainment – to avoid boredom and distract from discomfort please bring music, a film, a book/magazine etc. If using mobiles/ipads, please bring earphones and a charger.
Tattooing is NOT recommended if:
- you feel unwell or exhausted,
- you are under the influence of alcohol, drugs or intoxicated from the night before,
- your skin is burnt from the sun or sunbed/solarium,
- there is fresh scar tissue in the area you want to be tattooed (min 6 months for flat colour or 3 years for detailed work),
- you have a birthmark that is raised from the skin,
- you are pregnant, breastfeeding or are on your period,
- you have taken any medication that thins the blood for 24 hours leading up to your appointment. These include Aspirin (Bayer), Ibuprofen (Advil), Clopidogrel (Plavix), Dipyridamole (Persantine), Prasugrel (Effient), Ticagrelor (Brilinta), Vorapaxar (Zontivity) and, Apixaban (Eliquis), Dabigatran (Pradaxa), Edoxaban (Savaysa), Fondaparinux (Arixtra), Heparin (Fragmin, Innohep, and Lovenox), Rivaroxaban (Xarelto) or Warfarin (Coumadin, Jantoven).
Seeking medical advice:
If you suffer from one or more of the below diseases or have any other medical condition it can have a significant meaning for the tattooing and (tattoo) healing process. Medical advice should be sought if in doubt as to whether the tattoo procedure is suitable if you suffer with:
- heart conditions (e.g. prosthetic heart valve/heart valve disease/angina/blood pressure problems)
- epilepsy, seizures, fainting, or narcolepsy
- haemophilia or other blood clotting disorders (leading to extensive bleeding)
- hepatitis or HIV infection
- diabetes or lupus
- psoriasis, eczema or any other problems with skin healing
- ‘lumpy’ raised scars (keloid scars)
- allergies or adverse reactions to plasters, creams, latex, pigments, dyes, or other sensitivities
- skin diseases, lesions or skin sensitivities to soaps, disinfectants etc,
- fainting or panic attacks
- any other health condition