Sleep well: Make sure you sleep well the night before your appointment, a well rested mind is key to increase your energy and pain tolerance. Don't drink or smoke: Try your best not to drink alcohol or smoke weed in the 48 hrs prior to the tattoo, as well as 48 hours after.
If it made you more anxious or aware of your different physical sensations, it might be a bad idea to smoke before getting a tattoo. Instead of taking the edge off, it may make you focus more on the pain and increase your anxiety. This in turn could cause you to become more jittery.
While it might be tempting to smoke a joint after getting a tattoo, it's best to wait at least a few days to ensure proper healing.
Drink a lot of water during the week; avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before getting tattooed. Please do not shave the area; we will do it for you at your appointment. Avoid aspirin or blood thinning medication at least 24 hours before your tattoo; ibuprofen, acetaminophen, & other NSAID pain relievers are OK.
It is recommended to get a tattoo sober and smoking after it, as it can help with pain and distract yourself from picking at your healing area.
One of the most difficult things for an artist to properly depict is smoke. Smoke is a fluid thing while tattoos are stable therefore it takes a very skilled artist to make smoke appear like it does in real life.
Shower. 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.
You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
You should not drink alcohol for at least 24 hours before the tattoo appointment, because alcohol dilutes your blood. This also applies to all other substances that dilute your blood, such as drugs or medication (e.g. aspirin).
We would suggest you to avoid going out in the sunlight in the first 24 - 72 hours. This is the time when your tattoo needs to rest and not come into contact with continuous heat or water.
Smoking can make your tattoo fade slower than normal. This is because after smoking, your body works hard to remove the pollutants that enter your body from a cigarette, so your body has less time to fade the tattoo. Smoking also reduces the amount of circulation at the surface of your skin.
Avoid sleeping directly on your new tattoo, at least the first 4 days. The goal is to try your best not to put any pressure on your tattoo and to keep it from touching anything, at least as much as possible. A healing tattoo needs lots of fresh air and oxygen, so try not to smother it while sleeping.
You need to be aware of keeping your tattoo clean and dry while it is fresh, so a night out might not be the best option. It's generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours after your new tattoo before you start drinking alcohol again.
With that said, don't take painkillers before getting a tattoo either. Painkillers like Advil and Ibuprofen also thin the blood, which will lead to similar issues that alcohol has. Acetaminophen may potentially be fine to take, but should be discussed with the artist beforehand.
Tattoo artists recommend you eat one to two hours before your appointment and a meal full of protein and vegetables is a good choice. Beyond the nutritional benefits, it's unlikely that a healthy meal will overstuff you to the point of nausea — a bonus if you're especially squeamish around needles.
We advise that you don't drink coffee before getting a tattoo. Sure, drinking coffee, or any drink that contains caffeine, may calm your nerves, but this is a temporary effect and should be avoided. For one, caffeine is known to thin the blood, which can increase bleeding and reduce healing.
Try your best to get to bed at a reasonable time the night before your tattoo appointment, and get your recommended eight hours of sleep. Being well-rested will even keep you from feeling jittery the next day, making your tattoo artist's job a lot easier!
Drink lots of water for the 24 hours before your tattoo and avoid dehydrating yourself. How much water you need to drink to be well hydrated will depend on your specific body. While some experts recommend eight glasses a day, your body may need more than that amount.
Tattoo Ink
Green is the hardest color to remove followed by light blue. Neon colors are also incredibly difficult to remove, and typically require multiple treatments with the Ruby laser. As a general rule, the greater the contrast between the color of the tattoo pigment and your skin, the better the result.
Smoking or vaping with nicotine constricts the blood vessels and reduces the circulation in the tattooed skin. The results in the need for more treatments for complete removal.