Everyone is excited when it comes to getting a new tattoo. It could be your hundredth tattoo or the very first time you’ve stepped into a tattoo shop for an actual session. Regardless, here are some tips to help make the tattoo process easier for you and to have a great experience.
Get A Good Night’s Sleep
The last thing you want is to come in and be completely exhausted for your tattoo session. It is incredibly important to be well-rested so that you can be alert and in-tune with your body. As you are getting tattooed you want to be able to read the signals your body is sending you and react appropriately. We recommend getting into bed earlier than you normally do. This will give you extra time to rest and fall asleep, especially if you’re super nervous about your appointment.
Eat A Filling Meal Before The Session
While getting tattooed feels like you aren’t doing much, your body is actually expending a lot of energy during the process. Getting a tattoo is causing trauma to your body, so it’s super important to have enough energy to get through without having your blood sugar drop too low, which could cause it to feel more painful, induce lightheadedness, and possible fainting. Plus, the last thing you want while getting a permanent piece of artwork on your body is to be shaking the whole way through.
Stay Hydrated
Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water in the days leading up to your session. The more water you have in your system, the faster your body can heal and the more hydrated your skin will be. Hydrated skin takes ink a lot better than dehydrated skin which will make the entire process a lot smoother for your artist.
Avoid Drinking, Partying and Excessive Caffeine
It is important to avoid drinking alcohol and partying at least 24 hours before your tattoo session. Consuming alcohol and drugs can seriously impair your judgement and ability to sit still during the tattoo process. Alcohol as well as other substances such as caffeine, aspirin, ibuprofen and other blood thinning medications can thin out your blood and push out the ink during the process.
Prepare Your Skin
In the days before your appointment, use a good moisturizer to get your skin ready for its new ink. Just as you should hydrate your skin from the inside by drinking water, so should you hydrate your skin from the outside with moisturizer. Keeping your skin hydrated is one of the most critical measures to take because it makes it easier on you and the tattoo artist. Remember that you want to generally avoid products with alcohol as they will dry your skin out. Also protect the area as much as possible from cuts, burns, scrapes, or bruises. If you have a cut, sunburn or bruise where you'll eventually want your tattoo, allow it to heal for at least a week before getting inked.
AVOID NUMBING CREAM
The tattoo process can be painful and in recent years, numbing creams have become popular to ease the pain of the process. While the idea of using numbing creams seems to be a good idea, the effects of them tend to outweigh the main benefit. Many artists have found that numbing creams change the skin’s texture, making it spongy and harder to stretch as well as sometimes causing hive-like bumps. They have also found that most clients tend to feel even greater pain once the numbing agent has worn off; this being due to the nerves “coming back to life” and they become far more sensitive. It’s best to contact/follow your artist’s recommendations on any potential use of numbing agents before your session.
Wear Comfortable Clothing
This one is important; think about where you are getting tattooed. Getting a thigh piece? Don’t wear skinny jeans then. Soft, loose, practical clothing is usually best; it’s easy to move and won’t be rough on your skin afterwards.
Shower
This one might be obvious but we wanted to mention it just in case. Please remember to shower 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.
We hope these tips help so you can have a positive and comfortable experience at your next tattoo session!