Arrive at the tattoo studio punctually, with your pre-discussed design in hand, well rested, with your skin clean, and a calm, positive attitude!
Any tattoo artist will tell you, make sure you have eaten a big meal beforehand. It is also advisable to have a sugary drink or lollipop to have during the session to keep your sugar levels up. If not, you can start to feel faint and all the ill effects that go with it.
It’s a good idea to take a friend with you for moral support and distraction. A friend can also keep an eye on you to watch for any signs of you looking unwell.
It’s also essential to think about what you wear – it could be embarrassing if you have to strip off in order to give the tattoo artist access to the body part you want tattooed.
If you are on any regular medication or have a specific medical condition, you ought to have told the tattoo artist in advance, and consulted your doctor too for the all-clear to have a tattoo, just in case it can have an effect on your health. Likewise, if you are ill on the day of your tattoo appointment, it is preferable to re-schedule. Tattooing can put a strain on your body, and you don’t want to spread your germs around the tattoo studio!
You will have to sit still for the duration of the tattoo session, so steer clear of caffeine and sugary foods before your tattoo; they make you restless and can thin the blood, making you bleed more.
You will be positioned on a chair, or lying on a bench, depending on where your tattoo is to be placed. (Tattoo studios often have adjustable chairs similar to a barber’s chair).
The tattoo artist will wash his/her hands with antibacterial soap, put on clean, fresh gloves, then shave (with a disposable razor fresh from a sterile packet), clean and disinfect the area on your body where the tattoo will be worked.
The tattoo artist will then apply a transfer of the tattoo design onto your skin, and allow you to inspect and approve it. (Any problems, don’t be afraid to speak up – this is your skin that is about to be permanently marked.)
Once you are happy with the positioning and design, the tattooist will set to work with the buzzing electrically powered tattoo machine, having attached a sterile, single-use needle, initially drawing the outline of the tattoo. The needle on the tattoo machine penetrates just a millimetre or two under the skin, injecting ink into the dermis (middle layer) of the skin. The small needle can be set to puncture the skin between 50 and 3,000 times a minute.
You need to stay absolutely still during the tattooing process. If you feel a sneeze coming on, give the artist fair warning!
The tattoo artist may pause occasionally to dab the tattooed area with a paper towel or sterile cloth to remove any blood. Bleeding should be minimal.
Once the outline is completed it will be cleaned with antiseptic before the tattoo artist begins shading the design and injecting colour. This will probably necessitate changing the needles on the tattoo machine for thicker ones.
Once the design is complete, or the session over, your new tattoo will be cleaned and treated again with antiseptic – possibly covered with a dressing – and the tattoo artist will give you aftercare advice.
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