✨Preparing for Your Tattoo Appointment✨

 

Now that you’re on the books, you can start preparing for your tattoo appointment. Prepping certain things can help you tolerate pain better, helping your skin heal and your body recover faster. Some of the most important things to consider are pretty basic, but make a noticeable difference. 

 

• ✨Get plenty of rest!
• ✨Don’t come in after a night of partying. You will feel awful, and I will feel awful for you. Your skin will not heal properly, and I don’t like tattooing hungover skin. 
• ✨Drink plenty of water! Caffeine makes you want to live, but water actually keeps you alive. Staying hydrated keeps your heart pumping blood effectively, helps your muscles function and relax more easily, and keeps your lymphatic system flowing properly. All of these functions affect how your skin and immune systems react to stress and trauma, like getting tattooed. Lotion makes you feel smooth, but drinking plenty of water keeps your skin cells healthy from the inside-out. Healthy, hydrated skin cells have a higher regenerative turnover rate, retain more moisture and produce collagen, and don’t build up on the surface as much over time. 
• ✨Eat a healthy diet always, but especially at least 2 weeks before your tattoo appointment. Nutrient-dense, high-protein, heart-healthy foods are great for your skin and immune system. Iron-rich foods in the days leading up to your appointment can help anyone with low iron or anemia issues. Take a complex multivitamin if necessary for vitamin deficiencies. 
• ✨Exfoliating makes an incredible difference! Not only in how your skin heals, but also in how it reacts to the needle during the tattooing process. Dead skin cells that don’t fall off will build up and cause the skin to dry out, creating weak spots where bacteria can get under the surface and cause infections. Oil-producing glands overcompensate for the dryness, causing the buildup of dead skin cells to clump, which absorbs more oil and clogs your pores, feeding the never-ending cycles of ashy, itchy, dry, greasy skin that looks and feels dull. Gross, huh? Don’t worry, easy fix. Exfoliate that ass! Salicylic acid exfoliating cleansers and body washes, exfoliating cloths and loofahs, and Roman dry-brushing (look it up!) for at least a week before your appointment every time you bathe will make your skin look and feel smoother over time. Regularly exfoliating dead skin cells allows the skin mantle to regulate itself naturally. Exfoliated skin has better elasticity, moisture retention, and collagen production, and increased circulation. And without the layers of dead skin in the way, hair shaves off with fewer ingrowns, the stencils go on cleanly, and the needles don’t get clogged with cells that inhibit ink flow into the skin. Plus, skin can look younger and healthier over time! 
   

👀 Always be aware that any change in skin care can cause irritation and redness, rash, dryness, and breakouts. These are normal as the skin adapts to change, but if any product or routine is painful or causes bleeding, it is not normal and should be stopped immediately! Please seek medical attention immediately if you present with fever, rash that spreads or has oozing, or red skin that is hot to the touch. These could indicate an infection that needs medical intervention.