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HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOUR TATTOO
It is your responsibility to properly care for your tattoo. Your tattoo has been applied under strict sanitary conditions. Please keep it clean and follow the instructions below:
1) Remove bandage in two hours.
2) Wash tattoo with warm water and mild soap. Blot it dry. Wash tattoo daily 4-5 times.
3) After washing tattoo, apply a small amount of Bacitracin Ointment and rub it in like skin lotion to keep it from drying out. Do this for a minimum of three days (NO LONGER)! If you use too much ointment on your tattoo for too long a time, you could have an allergic reaction. If you have a reaction, discontinue use immediately.
4) Do not expose your new tattoo to direct sunlight. Do not enter a swimming pool or hot tub until your tattoo is completely healed (at least 3 weeks). Baths and showers are fine.
5) After four days, if dryness occurs, a mild skin lotion can be used moderately. A light scab will form in 7-10 days. DO NOT PICK IT OFF!
Thank you for shopping at Hangtown Tattoo & Body Piercing! Any questions or persistent conditions, please feel free to call us @ 530-642-9172. The better you treat your tattoo, the better the outcome.
DOES IT HURT?
Yes. Tattoos hurt. Stubbing your toe hurts, getting your eyebrows waxed hurts. Does a tattoo hurt that badly? No. Tattoos are more irritating than anything else. I have had people compare the feeling of a tattoo to a scrape or a scratch. Some have even said that it tickles. A tattoo does NOT feel like a shot. The needle is going up and down so fast that it does not feel like a needle. Tattoos only start to hurt if you get a very large tattoo. Anything that is small and only takes an hour or so is going to be something that you can bear. It is always a good idea to break a tattoo that is going to take a fair amount of time into a few parts. Often times you can get the outline and then go back when the outline is healed to get the color. You do not have to do this, but for any tattoo that is going to take more than three hours, it is a good idea.
If you are worried about the pain, you can take a few non-blood thinning pain relievers. Do not get drunk. Alcohol does nothing for pain and it makes you much more likely to make bad decisions and get sick. There is not a tattoo artist in the world who likes to clean up vomit. Do not drink. Likewise, other illegal substances do not do a whole lot for your pain either. Some of them actually make it worse by increasing your sensitivity, making the tattoo seem like it is taking much longer than it actually is, or making you more likely to get light-headed. Stay sober.
If you are a female, it is a good idea not to go during that time of the month. You are much more sensitive to pain during that time. Going when you are sick is not a good idea either. Your body is already dealing with whatever illness you have and making it deal with a tattoo can be too much for it. Eat an hour or so before the tattoo. Having low blood sugar makes it more likely to become light-headed. Any questions, comments or worries, please feel free to call us.
WILL MY TATTOO FADE?
Tattoos today are much more resilient and brighter than the ones your grandpa got overseas in WWII. Today, we use much better inks that are brighter and last longer. Fading is, for the most part, a thing of the past as long as you take care of your tattoo. All tattoos will look like they fade a little bit after they have healed. Right after the tattoo is done, it is still on top of your skin. When the tattoo heals it is under your skin, and therefore, looks a little lighter. Taking care of your tattoo will also make it heal brighter than it will if you do not take care of it properly.
The most important thing to keep your tattoo bright is to keep it out of the sun, not only while it is healing, but also for the REST OF YOUR LIFE. Constant sun exposure makes your tattoo fade. The sun fades everything, it fades the paint on your car, it makes your hair lighter, and I am sure that you have seen what it does to a newspaper that you leave in a car window. It fades tattoos too. While the tattoo is healing, be sure to keep it covered with some sort of clothing. After (and only after, not while) the tattoo has healed, you can start using a high SPF sun block (not a sunscreen). It will really help to keep the tattoo dark and will help to keep the lines from getting that sort of fat, fuzzy look.
Any questions, comments or worries, please feel free to call us. Most cleansers are sold at your neighborhood drugstore.
Hangtown Tattoo & Body Piercing
537 Main Street
Placerville, California 95667
530-642-9172 * 530-642-9083