Recommendations and tips before getting a tattoo
Aftercare once the tattoo is done is vital for a great result, but there’s something we often forget: it’s just as important to prepare your skin and body beforehand. What you do before sitting down in the chair directly affects whether your skin will hold the ink properly or not.
From my experience in the studio, I’ve come across extremely dry skin or skin that bled so much that it wouldn’t allow the ink to stay in place. In those cases, the skin “pushes out” the ink, and all we end up doing is creating an unnecessary wound with the needle.
My philosophy is to damage the skin as little as possible and make it go through only what’s strictly necessary for the design to look perfect. If your skin isn’t properly prepared, you might go home with an area that’s overly sensitive and irritated, and long-term healing may not be ideal. In extreme cases, we might even have to postpone the appointment. If you want to show off a flawless tattoo, follow these recommendations and tips before getting tattooed:
If you’re drinking, don’t get tattooed
And don’t drive either, you know what I mean. If you’ve been drinking alcohol, the best plan is to stay home and rest, not come in for a tattoo, for several important technical reasons:
- Vasodilatory effect: Alcohol directly affects blood clotting, making your blood thinner. If you get a wound (and a tattoo is, after all, a controlled wound), you’ll bleed much faster and more heavily than if you hadn’t been drinking.
- Added difficulty for the artist: A wound that bleeds excessively “washes away” the ink as it’s being applied, making it harder to see clearly and properly implant the pigment, especially in fine line work, where precision is everything.
There’s no issue with having a beer at lunch or a glass of wine the night before. The real problem comes from a night out partying or heavy drinking right before your session. Ideally, you should avoid alcohol for 24 hours before (and 24 hours after) your appointment to prevent unnecessary bleeding and ensure optimal healing.
Hydration: lotion here, lotion there
Just like brushing your teeth five minutes before walking into the dentist’s office won’t magically fix everything, applying body lotion on the day of your session won’t transform your skin overnight.
The key is consistency beforehand. Ideally, you should start moisturizing the chosen area every day about a week before your appointment, either after your shower or before going to bed.
Tattooing over dry skin is awful:
- It creates much more trauma to the skin.
- The area becomes irritated very easily.
- The skin is tighter and harder, making it much more difficult to move the needle with the smoothness that fine line work requires.
With well-hydrated skin, not only will it look softer and more refreshed, but you’ll also be making your trusted tattoo artist’s job easier—and the final result will be much more delicate and clean. Promise.
Rest and sleep: your best ally against pain
You have no idea how important it is to come in well-rested; proper sleep completely changes the mood of the session. If it’s your first tattoo and nerves are getting the best of you, here are a few tips for the night before:
- Have a light dinner: Don’t go to bed overly full and in the middle of heavy digestion, you won’t rest properly.
- A little extra help: A calming herbal tea before bed can make a big difference in soothing those pre-session nerves.
- Avoid staying up late: No binge-watching shows or scrolling on your phone until the early hours. Your mind needs to be clear.
I’ve seen it time and time again: people who come in without sleeping or feeling exhausted tend to have a much lower pain threshold. On the other hand, those who arrive well-rested often say they barely feel the needle. So now you know: get some sleep!
No rushing before or after your tattoo: enjoy the process
Ideally, you should come to your appointment with no commitments hanging over you. No asking, “How long will this take? I have a lunch reservation in an hour and a half.”
Putting pressure and time constraints on the person tattooing you is never a good idea. Remember, this is something you’ll wear on your skin for life, you want it done calmly and properly. A well-executed tattoo requires patience and professionalism, and there are parts of the process that clients don’t always see:
- Adjusting the design size down to the millimeter.
- Assessing the area of the body and its anatomy.
- Testing the stencil as many times as needed until we’re 100% sure.
- Clearly explaining aftercare instructions and guidelines.
- Taking final photos of the finished piece.
On top of that, the actual tattooing time depends entirely on how your skin reacts and the area you’ve chosen. Please don’t schedule anything important immediately after your appointment. I take all the time necessary to ensure the best possible result, and ideally, you should give the process that same respect.
Now that you know everything you need to do before your session, are you ready to take the next step and book your appointment at my studio in Valencia? Send me a message!
