The Tattoo Thread

I am now in contact with the proprietors of SA's first tattoo magazine.
The magazine is launching on the 30th of November, at a convention to be held in Soweto
 
I have my first session booked for my chest, Friday morning.

Any prep tips? The obvious has been made clear to me; no alcohol, minimise caffeine, avoid damaging the skin (sun burn, scratches, etc), hydrate, no working out (avoid sore muscles, stretched skin), rest and eat well before.

Whats a good idea for pre-tattoo meal? Things to bring along to eat/drink?
 
thestaggy said:
I have my first session booked for my chest, Friday morning.

Any prep tips? The obvious has been made clear to me; no alcohol, minimise caffeine, avoid damaging the skin (sun burn, scratches, etc), hydrate, no working out (avoid sore muscles, stretched skin), rest and eat well before.

Whats a good idea for pre-tattoo meal? Things to bring along to eat/drink?
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1. Moisturize your skin. This is one of the things I've had to adopt after starting down this path. So that means, putting lotion on that area daily. I carry a bottle of lotion with me in my backpack now.
2. No alcohol the night before
3. Avoid the sun, now and for the rest of your life. If you can't, SPF 50+ sunscreen will now be your lifelong friend.
4. Hydration, yes, water as in lots of it
5. Pre-tattoo meal- I normally eat a huge Wimpy meal (dagwood + 1 burger) with a mega coffee. That seems to work for me. It has to be substantial because you're going to burn energy during the process.
6. Enough sleep the night before. The second time I went I was very excited and the nights before I had trouble sleeping.., it meant I was a little tired when I went for the session and the result was that I was exhausted more than usual after it all.
 
Take snacks with. Biltong, sweets, nuts, water cold drink. If you start getting light headed pop some sugary sweets. Also take some for the artist to munch on. They may not want but its polite to offer.
 
thestaggy said:
I have my first session booked for my chest, Friday morning.

Any prep tips? The obvious has been made clear to me; no alcohol, minimise caffeine, avoid damaging the skin (sun burn, scratches, etc), hydrate, no working out (avoid sore muscles, stretched skin), rest and eat well before.

Whats a good idea for pre-tattoo meal? Things to bring along to eat/drink?
Click to expand...

Exfoliate aswell, my tattoo artist told me how much she hates when people come in with dry ass flakey skin, it affects how well the ink penetrates your skin.
 
Matt91 said:
Exfoliate aswell, my tattoo artist told me how much she hates when people come in with dry ass flakey skin, it affects how well the ink penetrates your skin.
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This yes. I forgot. I started that after I read about a dude online who does it and he explained why.
 
I got my chest piece started on Friday. Showering has been awkward, I've been avoiding letting the water hit it directly. Is it okay to get a relatively fresh tattoo wet in the shower or should I still keep on avoiding direct water for a bit?
 
thestaggy said:
I got my chest piece started on Friday. Showering has been awkward, I've been avoiding letting the water hit it directly. Is it okay to get a relatively fresh tattoo wet in the shower or should I still keep on avoiding direct water for a bit?
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You need to wash the tattoo of course.
No direct showerhead on it (your artist should have told you this)
The best way is the way I do it. I use a spray bottle from Plastics 4 Africa (or similar)
I put lukewarm water in there and use it, in the shower, I don't let the showerhead go directly on my ink until its healed.
 
ArtyLoop said:
You need to wash the tattoo of course.
No direct showerhead on it (your artist should have told you this)
The best way is the way I do it. I use a spray bottle from Plastics 4 Africa (or similar)
I put lukewarm water in there and use it, in the shower, I don't let the showerhead go directly on my ink until its healed.
Click to expand...

He told me no direct water and not to submerge it if I bathed. And ofc no swimming. I just didn't ask for how long I had to avoid direct water.

I've been finger washing it with lukewarm water after I get out of the shower. Gently dabbing it and then either dabbing it dry or letting it air dry.
 
thestaggy said:
He told me no direct water and not to submerge it if I bathed. And ofc no swimming. I just didn't ask for how long I had to avoid direct water.

I've been finger washing it with lukewarm water after I get out of the shower. Gently dabbing it and then either dabbing it dry or letting it air dry.
Click to expand...
All good then. Yes, no bathing or swimming.
The time period is 2 weeks. Now that I am experienced, I usually wait until the peeling has stopped, then I know the ink is sealed in.
 
thestaggy said:
He told me no direct water and not to submerge it if I bathed. And ofc no swimming. I just didn't ask for how long I had to avoid direct water.

I've been finger washing it with lukewarm water after I get out of the shower. Gently dabbing it and then either dabbing it dry or letting it air dry.
Click to expand...
About a week if you can, no swimming for about 3-4. You basically need the tiny holes to close/heal so they dont get infected. When the scab gets wet its tends to be a germ magnet same way wet tires attract dirt.
 
Thanks for the advice, guys.

It doesn't feel that tender anymore but I'm in the itchy phase now. Bonus last night was a mosquito biting me on my chest as well. Not on the tattoo, but open spaces. Never been this itchy in my life.
 
thestaggy said:
Thanks for the advice, guys.

It doesn't feel that tender anymore but I'm in the itchy phase now. Bonus last night was a mosquito biting me on my chest as well. Not on the tattoo, but open spaces. Never been this itchy in my life.
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My pleasure, whatever you do, don't scratch.
 
thestaggy said:
Thanks for the advice, guys.

It doesn't feel that tender anymore but I'm in the itchy phase now. Bonus last night was a mosquito biting me on my chest as well. Not on the tattoo, but open spaces. Never been this itchy in my life.
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Next time try wet healing. You completely bypass the itchy phase or its way way shorter and less intense. Just clear it with your Tattoo artist first. Sometimes they may advise against it for various reasons.
 
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