Things to consider before, during, and after getting a tattoo for the first time

Passing under the needle of a tattooist is not a decision to be taken lightly! It seems that it’s for life. Getting a tattoo for the first time can be difficult and confusing so we have some things to consider before getting a tattoo for the first time that will help you a lot.

There are some things to know and some very important tips before getting a tattoo for the first time!

What to do before getting a tattoo for the first time

1- Choose your tattoo artist

The little street tattooist who makes a lousy tribal and dolphins to the girls of high school? Forget about! It takes time to choose a tattoo artist, it will still be responsible for the face of your skin for your life! Take time to talk to him, describe your project, see what he can offer you and if you are confident. You also have quite the right to request to see the tattoo room, to check the hygiene and working conditions to reassure you. Do you not know where to go? Instagram, Pinterest, blogs, google … full of sites will help you find talented tattooists.

Choose it for its style and professionalism and not for the price it offers!

2- Put the money!

Speaking of tariffs … When someone sees my tattoo and says ” oh it is beautiful, how much did you pay? “And here I say the price … And strangely everyone has the same reaction” WHAT? But it’s overpriced! And yes you’re right, I paid a lot, maybe a lot more than a “normal” tattoo artist.

But I do not care and instead, I prefer to pay more than normal. My tattoo I would have it for life so I do not care to save and invest so much in something that will never leave my body. Besides that, I do not spend my whole salary on clothes, cigarettes, bar or in concert … So I can do this pleasure sometimes and see my beautiful investment every morning in the mirror.

In the price of a tattoo, many forget that there is not only ink and equipment to pay. There is also the reputation of the tattoo artist and how much of it is requested! My two tattoo artists are renowned and in great demand, I waited more than 6 months (for some it takes more than a year!) So I do not mind paying expensively for a tattoo artist that I admire and I have been waiting for months.

I consider my tattoo as the work of an artist I admire and I find it normal to pay this tattoo as expensive …

In short all this to say that you should not want a tattoo at 20 euros. It will be bad quality work by a tattooist who just wants to make money and chain tattoos without any value of his work.

3- Do not get tattooed too young

You are 16 years old and have a huge desire to make you a tattoo artist? Big mistake! This is only my opinion of course but at a fairly young age, you have tastes and desires that will not be the same as adulthood!

When we look at what we wore as clothing in our adolescence I doubt that we would assume that today. It’s the same for the tattoo except that it stays for life!

Waiting for a more mature age, and having time for your idea to materialize is a must in my opinion. If in 2 years, you always want this tattoo and this drawing then it is that it is a good choice. But if you get tattooed on your sign of the infinite and in a few years you hate it, it comes out through your eyes so do not complain about not having thought before!

4- Do not copy!

You saw a beautiful tattoo on Pinterest and you would like the same? NO WAY! The person you saw paid a tattoo artist to create this unique motif, she even imagined herself. To take again the same idea even slightly modified it is simply PLAGIAT! Have a little imagination rather than stupidly copy because you are getting a tattoo for the first time so have something unique.

Read How much to tip a tattoo artist

What to do During Tattoo:

5- We do not drink and we do not smoke (illicit substances)

You may think you are de-stressing but it is a very bad idea. Cannabis, for example, thins the blood and it could make it difficult to tattoo if you bleed a lot. (yes we bleed when we get stung by a needle during the tattoo that makes sense!)

We also forget the anti-inflammatory and aspirin that also play against you at the critical moment. Remember to sleep well the night before to be less sensitive due to fatigue and eat well before going to not be weak.

6- Yes it hurts!

Know that after a few minutes, the body gets used to the pain and it becomes bearable. And if not worse it is only a few minutes/hours for a beautiful tattoo for life. Some people fall asleep during … I’m still trying to do it!

The sentence of our moms so true:

you must suffer to be beautiful

Personally, for the first on the upper arm, I did not suffer too much, it was the first so I had anticipated so much that at once it seemed less horrible than I had imagined. In my head, I thought I would scarify the skin with sharp needles …

For the second, the inside of the elbow … a horror! Fortunately, I was lying because my legs have remained tense for 1 hour (hello muscle after haha). But I lived one of my dreams of being tattooed by a tattoo artist that I admire so I endured the pain with a smile so you must know some tips before getting a tattoo for the first time.

The pain depends a lot on the area of the body, the fineness of the skin, the number of nerves present in this part of the body, and your ability to endure … A tattooist told me one day that women are less “cozy” That men, at least it crashes more easily. BIM!

To relax you can talk with the tattoo artist, it’s always more fun to discuss with the one who takes care of your skin (or torture). You can also read a book depending on where you are or listen to music. Or even play a game on your phone … For my part I was decrypting the typographic posters that were hanging on the wall above me while talking, it’s still more fun.

What to do After getting a tattoo for the first time:

7- Surgras soap gel in the shower

For my part, I always went to the soaps surgras for sensitive skin of Klorane, I changed scents but this range has always satisfied me! By cons forget the sponge, or shower flower (aggression!) But wash carefully and gently your tattoo with the palm of the hand while lightness. No scrub, other soaps, or hair removal … Let him have time to settle on your skin quietly.

8- The post-tattoo care: your best friend

Your tattoo artist will prescribe a care to apply generously, for my part it was the bepanthen but it is apparently not the best solution because the cream is very fat would not let enough breathe tattoo. There are therefore products exclusively for tattoos such as “EasyTattoo” or “Tattoo Ointment” (gel cream with essential oils) After washing your tattoo gently, dry the tattoo by dabbing lightly with a soft towel, apply the care and do to penetrate it smoothly. It must be done once in the morning, once in the evening and as many times in the day as your skin requires. It’s simple, it must never be dry. But it’s a must for your tattoo heals in good conditions. So you’ll have to get used to having clothes full of creams for a while! Yum!

9- No pool, no bath, no sea

And no, we totally forget the immersion under water because it may heal the tattoo badly. A shower and that’s it! So forget your holidays at the sea

10- Do not scratch yourself!

Ouh la la we do not expect that! The itch on your tattoo will be light, intense or unsustainable depending on your tattoo and the reaction of your skin. For my part, it was between intense and unsustainable. To want to scratch me at night! But no it is absolutely necessary to resist and not to scratch. Let crusts form for good healing or your ink may not be able to withstand scraping!

Read more about aftercare tattoo

What to do after healing your tattoo

11- The sun can be a danger for your tattoo

For life, your skin must be protected from the sun. A good cream index 50 and hop! When I know that I am going to take a little too much sun while going shopping or at the beach, I put on cream tattoos and I am quiet. If you do not pay attention to UV, your tattoo will deform as you go, drool, or take a disgusting relief … If your tattoo is colorful, the colors will not resist and become bland quickly … You choose! For my part, I take a cream spray 50 UvBio index that does not stick and is Vegan and Cruelty-free.

12- You become addicted to tattooing

If you know the famous phrase:

When we start getting tattooed, we can not stop

It’s totally true! This must be true but I have NEVER met people stopping at the first tattoo. Usually, when you have a single tattoo you still have an idea in your head. Personally, I see according to my ideas and my desires and also my bank account! Haha yes, it’s not easy to take out 700 balls from his pocket for 2 hours of epidermal torture!

This is why we must think about each tattoo and that even if after we know the pain and we are less afraid it must still take a long moment of reflection (several months is not bad as delay, in years is even better)

13- Take care of it all your life (because yes it stays for life it seems)

Skin scrub, moisturizer, sunscreen … Does this look like a normal skin routine? Obviously, it’s the same for your tattoo, you have to take care of the skin that welcomes it. So regular soft scrubs to remove dead skin, a moisturizer daily and if you take the sun (even through the clouds!) A good sun cream 50 indexes will not be too much!

Wait until you have finished your healing period indicated by your tattoo artist before returning to this normal routine.

14- Eat broccoli

uh no … nothing forces you to eat broccoli to take care of your tattoo … But I found it fun a little vegetable here!

Questions answers: Many of you ask questions about getting a tattoo for the first time

(Do not hesitate to ask me in comments)

I answer you here:

After six days of tattooing can I take a shower?

Of course, even the same evening! Beyond the question of hygiene for the rest of your body, you can and should wash your tattoo the same evening by lightly passing a neutral pH soap and rinse carefully without rubbing the tattoo.

Can I ask to go to the bathroom during the tattoo?

Yes, of course, the tattoo artist will not prevent you to stop especially if you want if it’s for the urge. You are not in a torture chair it is even common that during long tattoo sessions the tattoo artist asks himself to take a break for a small coffee or a cigarette. It’s also tiring for him. »

Cannabis smoking before getting tattooed or after?

Attention is illegal in France but I would still answer that in any case it is not recommended to consume any illicit substances before and after a tattoo. Cannabis would tend to thin the blood and therefore disable the tattoo artist when your skin will bleed more. Bad plan!

How to save tattoo?

We have 3 solutions to “catch up” a failed tattoo:

1. If the defect is not very visible it may be possible to iron it to slightly modify the tattoo and hide the error.
2. If the tattoo is not too big a “cover”, a new tattoo covering the old, perhaps conceivable. It is always a cover often more imposing, more colorful, filled … think so well before.
3. The erasure of the laser tattoo. It seems that it costs a lot, requires several long sessions, it’s painful and the tattoo does not really disappear and leaves a nasty scar …

Clearly, think carefully before getting tattooed and choose a pro and talented tattoo artist.

How to link several drawings on the same tattoo?

If your request is precise I advise you to go propose your project and your ideas to tattoo artists whose graphic style you like. The tattoo artist is there too to create your drawing according to your tastes and to bring you his skills; he is an artist first and foremost. And again if the drawing he offers you do not like you can say it in all honesty and the tattoo artist will change it is his job and your right to want something that you like 100% for life on your skin.

How do you bring out your tattoo after getting stung?

Take care! Treat properly until healing is complete. Put sunscreen as soon as you expose it to the sun. Do not force tanning on this area. Regular moisturizing all your life …

Can we drink after being tattooed?

I imagine that alcohol can slow healing, maybe … but while being reasonable I think yes you can drink after your tattoo session. After I advise you especially to eat to get you back after! ”

How many days do you have to wait before making love after a tattoo?

Oh, I not asked this question indeed! I guess it depends on where your tattoo is and how much pain you can still feel after getting a tattoo for the first time. You may not be in the mood after that! haha “My wife wants to pay for my tattoo” This is a very nice touch! After I always tend to think that human relations can be ephemeral I would not like a tattoo (the drawing where the fact that the person offered it to me) reminds me of this person who would be out of my life. As having the name of his ex-tattooed on his skin I find it gloomy  “Intense fatigue after tattooing” Indeed, it is trying to get tattooed. It’s normal, rest. I always advise to eat well before to be in shape and better cash after. Take a big sweet muffin after that you will re-booster and big sleep at night!

Can we play sports with a new tattoo?

Yes, of course, if you do not mind, there are no cons-indications.

Stop smoking before tattooing?

Stopping smoking is always a good idea after or before getting a tattoo for the first time, or even without a tattoo 😉

Care pre-tattoo?

To my knowledge no particular care is asked, just your skin must be “healthy”, no sore, irritation, pimples … You can also quite epilate a few days before the area in question (not the day before or the same day because post-hair removal irritations are not necessarily a good idea before a tattoo). If there is too much hair, the tattooist should put a little razor at the tattoo.

That’s it. Now you must remember these things to consider before getting a tattoo for the first time. Good luck with your tattoo.

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