Have you booked your appointment? Nice! Now you can start counting down the days. Here are a few simple tips to help you prepare for your tattoo.
Get enough sleep. When you’re tired, you’ll have a lower threshold for pain. That’s of course something we’d like to avoid.
Drink and eat well, so you’re less likely to feel faint and are less sensitive to the needle.
Don’t take blood thinners. Discuss your tattoo appointment with your GP if you have to take blood thinners for medical reasons.
Don’t take alcohol or drugs within 24 hours before your appointment. A hangover and/or lack of sleep makes you more sensitive to pain. Moreover, the substances in alcohol and drugs thin your blood, preventing the ink from properly penetrating your skin.
Get cling film for the aftercare of (large) tattoos.
Don’t make plans right after your appointment, so we can finish your tattoo in peace.
Wear comfy clothes and make sure I can easily reach the spot where you’d like to get your tattoo.
Are you pregnant? Then you should postpone your session until after you’ve given birth.
Before getting your tattoo, you need to fill out the medical questionnaire which you can find below. Discuss it with your doctor. The following conditions may affect your tattoo and your healing process:
Prostheses or other foreign materials in your body
What are the risks of getting a tattoo?
There are some risks associated with getting a tattoo, but together we can minimise those.
You could get a skin infection. This can happen when your tattoo artist doesn’t adhere to the hygiene rules, for instance by not disinfecting the material. But an infection can also be caused by poor aftercare. If dirt gets into the wound, it can get infected. The skin around your tattoo will look red, you might see pus or your tattoo might smell bad. In that case, use Fucidin salve and disinfectant spray, which you can get from your pharmacist. If you have any questions or doubts, you can always contact me, or consult with your GP. In the case of extreme redness, swelling or prolonged pain, you should see your GP.
There’s always a chance of an allergic reaction, although I myself have never seen it in any of my clients. Since 2022, all tattoo artists are required to work with REACH compliant ink, which further reduces the risk of an allergic reaction. Consult with a doctor if you suspect you might have it. An allergic reaction is characterised by extreme swelling, itching and pain.
Scarring: symptoms include scar tissue and slow healing. After four months, the scarring may fade. If necessary, you can arrange for a touch-up of your tattoo, but usually it recovers by itself if you give it some time. Apply aftercare cream for a month to keep the skin around the tattoo hydrated. After that, you can use other products such as organic oil, aloe vera gel or body lotion. Scarring is more common in people with diabetes or autoimmune diseases, as their skin tissue is often slower to recover.