Tattoos may be more common than ever, but don’t take tattooing lightly. Know the risks and understand basic safety precautions and aftercare steps.
You could be the proud owner of a new tattoo in a matter of hours — but don’t let the ease of getting tattoos stop you from making a thoughtful decision about permanent body art. If you first take steps to protect yourself from possible risks, what seems like a cool idea now is less likely to turn into a source of regret later.
How tattoos are done
A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on your skin with pigments inserted through pricks into the skin’s top layer. Typically, the tattoo artist uses a hand-held machine that acts much like a sewing machine, with one or more needles piercing the skin repeatedly. With every puncture, the needles insert tiny ink droplets. The process — which is done without anesthetics and may last up to several hours for a large tattoo — causes a small amount of bleeding and slight to potentially significant pain.
Know the risks
Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible. Specific risks include:
- Allergic reactions. Tattoo dyes — especially red dye — can cause allergic skin reactions, resulting in an itchy rash at the tattoo site. This may occur even years after you get the tattoo.
- Skin infections. Tattoos can lead to local bacterial infections, characterized by redness, swelling, pain and a pus-like drainage.
- Other skin problems. Sometimes bumps called granulomas form around tattoo ink — especially red ink. Tattooing can also lead to raised areas caused by an overgrowth of scar tissue (keloids).
- Bloodborne diseases. If the equipment used to create your tattoo is contaminated with infected blood, you can contract various bloodborne diseases, including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, tetanus and HIV — the virus that causes AIDS.
- MRI complications. Rarely, tattoos or permanent makeup may cause swelling or burning in the affected areas during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) exams. In some cases — such as when a person with permanent eyeliner has an MRI of the eye — tattoo pigments may interfere with the quality of the image.
Medication or other treatment may be needed if you develop an allergic reaction, infection or other skin problem. In some cases, the tattoo may need to be removed. Keep in mind that tattoo inks are classified as cosmetics, so they aren’t regulated or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Insist on safety precautions
To make sure your tattoo will be applied safely, answer these questions:
- Who does the tattooing? Go to a reputable tattooing studio that employs only properly trained employees. Keep in mind that regulation requirements and licensing standards vary from state to state. Check with your city, county or state health department for information on local licensing and regulations.
- Does the tattoo artist wear gloves? Make sure the tattoo artist washes his or her hands and wears a fresh pair of protective gloves for each procedure.
- Does the tattoo artist use proper equipment? Make sure the tattoo artist removes a needle and tubes from sealed packages before your procedure begins. Any pigments, trays and containers should be unused as well.
- Does the tattoo artist sterilize nondisposable equipment? Make sure the tattoo artist uses a heat sterilization machine (autoclave) to sterilize all nondisposable equipment after each customer. Instruments and supplies that can’t be sterilized with an autoclave — including drawer handles, tables and sinks — should be disinfected with a commercial disinfectant or bleach solution after each use.
Also ask yourself whether you truly want to invest in permanent body art. Choose the location of the tattoo carefully. Don’t get a tattoo if you’re under the influence of alcohol or drugs or worry that you might regret the tattoo later.
Take good care of your tattoo
How you care for your new tattoo depends on the type and extent of work done. Typically, however, you’ll need to:
Leave the bandage on
Recommendations vary as to how long you should leave the bandage on: anywhere between two hours to 24 hours (if a thick, absorbent, non-stick ABD wound dressing is used). Your tattoo artist will give you a timeframe. The important thing is to not expose your tattoo until that time has lapsed. That means avoiding the temptation to flash your new tattoo to your friends, even if just for a second. Be patient. The bandage is there to protect your tattoo from airborne bacteria, which can penetrate through your broken skin.
- Soak the bandage with warm water when removing it. This is optional, but recommended if the bandage is stuck to your tattoo and offers resistance.
Wash the tattoo. Most artists recommend lukewarm water and mild, unscented liquid antibacterial or antimicrobial soap. Use your hands (not a wash cloth) and gently remove all traces of blood so it doesn’t scab. Pat (don’t rub) dry with a clean towel or a paper towel.
- After the initial washing, don’t use antibacterial soaps anymore.
Some tattoo artists recommend letting the tattoo “air out” for about ten minutes before going to the next step
Apply ointment. Many tattoo artists advise that you use ointment for 2-3 days. Ointment lasts longer than lotion, reducing the number of times you need to apply it, thus lessening the amount of rubbing. Just remember that more is not better. Apply a thin layer; just enough to make the tattoo shine, or else you’ll suffocate the tattoo. Apply it twice a day. Switch over to lotion when your tattoo artist says so.
- Don’t use petroleum based products.
- Most tattoo artists will recommend using lotion that has no scent, color, sparkles, etc.
Continue washing and applying ointment or lotion as directed by your tattoo artist until the tattoo heals.
The tattoo might look cloudy for a few days as it heals. This is called “onion skin”. You’ll know you have “onion skin” when the tattoo looks clearer when wet. Your tattoo is likely to peel, with small flakes of colored skin falling off. Don’t pull off the flakes, or else you might pull the ink out; let them fall out on their own. This is likely to happen within the first 4-7 days. There might be a second flaking, this time clear, within two weeks. Full healing will take 4-6 weeks. Until the tattoo is fully healed, keep the following in mind:
Continue washing and applying ointment or lotion as directed by your tattoo artist until the tattoo heals.
- Avoid soaking the tattoo. Take short showers, don’t go swimming, don’t go in saunas, etc. Soaking can draw out ink.
- Keep the tattoo away from sunlight until it’s fully healed. Don’t apply sunblock; cover it up with loose clothing.
- Do not scratch or pick at the tattoo. You might pull off pigment and reopen your tattoo to infection. If it itches, spray it with rubbing alcohol or slap it with your (very clean) hand to sting it and take away the itch. Alternatively, you can massage in lotion.[3] Avoid friction, especially on hands and feet.
- Don’t shave the tattoo until it’s fully healed. If you shave around it, don’t let the shaving cream or hair irritate or infect the tattoo.
- Avoid salt water completely.
- Allow up to 2 weeks for healing. Don’t pick at any scabs, which increases the risk of infection and can damage the design and cause scarring.
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