What do before getting a tattoo

Which brings us to our last point, moisturize! As you know, moisturizing will help to keep your skin hydrated and healthy. Remember that you want to generally avoid products with alcohol as they will dry your skin out. This one might be obvious but we wanted to mention it just in case. You should be showering every day hopefully , but please remember to do so before your appointment. You want to keep your skin as clean as possible since tattooing creates small cuts and opens the skin up.

Do not show up after a hard gym session or after a game of basketball. Not only will your skin not be clean but your poor artist will have to sit through the smell of sweat and dirt as they get up and close to your skin.

Before we go any further, please do not moisturize your skin on the day of your tattoo. Now that we have gotten that out of the way, moisturizing your skin days and even weeks in advance is something you should be doing. We recommend trying out a few moisturizers until you find one that works with your skin. Leading up to your session we recommend that you moisturize your skin times a day for days before your tattoo.

During the winter months, your skin can get more dry than usual. Which means if your tattoo appointment is anywhere from December-February you should be extra attentive to how your skin looks and feels. Showing up to your appointment starving is not a good move. You are going to need your energy especially if you are about to sit through a longer session. A balanced and healthy meal will help your body as it deals with the needle and it will help you mentally. If you show up hungry your artist will ask you to take more breaks to make sure your body is handling the session appropriately.

We also recommend bringing snacks to your appointments. It can be especially helpful if you are someone who deals with low blood sugar. Having a piece of fruit, granola bar or cookies can really help with those hour sessions. You want to be as comfortable as possible during your tattoo and that means wearing a comfortable outfit. Lastly, it will allow your artist easy access to the area you are getting tattooed.

It is normal to be scared for your session, especially if it is your first tattoo. However, you will be turned away if you show up under the influence of alcohol or drugs. You should avoid using any soap with fragrances or alcohol, as these ingredients can cause irritation. After you wash, gently pat the area dry with a clean towel. Rubbing can pull at the skin and may cause ink fallout. As with the cleanser, you should avoid using anything with irritants like fragrance or alcohol. Most artists will give you a verbal rundown of how to take care of your new ink and send you home with a handout to reference later.

This is a normal part of the healing process, and it usually only lasts through the end of the first week. Skimping on care can delay the healing process and also affect how your tattoo looks in the long term. Practicing good hygiene is the only way to reduce your risk for infection. See your doctor right away if you begin experiencing:. In addition to keeping the tattoo clean, you want to keep it fresh and hydrated.

Exposing the tattoo to direct sunlight can cause the colors to fade, so invest in a quality sunscreen or SPF clothing. Dry skin can also cause a tattoo or the ink to look dull. Still have questions? It all depends on the tattoo size, the type and color of ink that was used, and how deep the artist went with their tools.

Removal is also expensive and often more painful than getting the tattoo itself. And despite what some internet hacks may claim, the only way to remove a tattoo is through a surgical procedure. If you do decide that you want to get a tattoo removed, set up an appointment with your healthcare provider or dermatologist. They can talk through the different procedures available and answer any questions you may have. In some cases, it may be easier — and more affordable — to get a new tattoo to hide the old tattoo.

An artist can walk you through your cover-up options and advise you on what comes next. You may be itching to get your new tattoo right away, but it takes time to get the details just right. The last thing you want is to cut corners on price or location and wind up with a shoddy tattoo — or an infection.

Patience will pay off in the long run, so be sure to explore all of your options until you find what works for you.

Keep adding to your canvas and embrace the confidence that it gives. When Tess Catlett was 13, she wanted nothing more than to dye her hair blue and get a Tinkerbell tattoo on her shoulder blade.

Now an editor at Healthline. Sound familiar? Share your would-be tattoo horror stories with her on Twitter. In which case, pay a visit to your doctor ASAP. A tattoo on the back of your thigh, for example, might make sitting for those first few days a little tricky, while an underboob tattoo might interfere with your wearing a bra for a week.

Try to plan ahead and accommodate for those things to prevent agitating the area even more. How badly do tattoos hurt? What does tattoo pain feel like? Will I cry?! Hey, I get it—those are very real, normal questions.

And the answers…vary, depending on the size of the tattoo and where on your body it is smaller tattoos on fleshier parts of your body will hurt the least. Roman says tattoos on your wrist or forearm tend to be pretty easy places to start with, but a pinch test yes, literally pinching yourself with your nails is a good indicator of which areas on your own body might be more sensitive than others. Although everyone experiences pain differently, you can expect for the tattoo pain to be worse on your ribs, feet, ankles, neck, backs of your knees, or insides of your elbows.

Really, anywhere that has a high level of nerve endings and not a lot of fat. So if you were planning on getting a tattoo in one—or all—of those areas, brace yourself. Even though caffeine may provide you with a necessary boost to sit through a tattooing session, it will also cause some issues. The effects of caffeine are temporary, but while it is in the body, it does cause some long-term effects as well, like blood thinning and drying of the skin. Caffeine can also make you jittery and restless, especially if you had too much of it or you combined coffee and energy drinks.

Consuming caffeine can also increase your blood sugar levels and inhibit tattoo healing during the first few days when the tattoo should stop bleeding and start drying out. This may sound silly, but everybody knows that shaving the hair where the tattoo will be placed is pretty essential. The tattoo artists cannot work properly if the area is too hairy; it can impair the visibility of the tattoo completely.

However, shaving, especially with a razor, can often come together with a razor cut or burn. Unfortunately, getting a razor cut or burn can interfere with the tattooing process significantly. Both act as an open, fresh wound, so the tattoo artist cannot tattoo over an open cut or irritated skin. Every tattoo artist will say that they want their clients to be clean and fresh when they come to get tattoos.

By taking a shower and cleaning yourself properly you will avoid smelling and making your tattoo artist uncomfortable. It can be pretty off-putting to smell bad while your tattoo artist is working. Another thing is that not showering can cause bacterial transfer during the tattooing process.

Dirty skin harbors millions of old skin cells and bacteria, which can all end up in your tattooed skin and cause a bacterial infection. This especially applies to cases where the tattoo is placed near armpits or genital area where the skin gets more humidity and sweat.

Not taking a shower is disrespectful to your tattoo artist and can cause you serious issues with your tattoo as well!

It is essential to wear loose and comfortable clothes both before and after a tattoo. When you wear comfortable clothes during the tattoo process, you will be able to sit or lay down properly.

Plus, you will be able to breathe properly and help your skin breathe as well. You also need to dress according to the area of your body that is going to be tattooed. Instead, you will wear a short dress or shorts.