How do you prepare for a tattoo?
Hydrate yourself.
Before you go to get tattooed, make sure that you are well hydrated. 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.
Well hydrated skin will be in better condition for getting tattooed. This means that the surface of the skin will take the ink easier, making tattoo application easier than it would be on dehydrated skin.
Avoid thinning your blood.
In order to limit your bleeding, you should avoid products that thin your blood for 24 hours before getting a tattoo. This means that you should avoid alcohol before getting a tattoo.
Also, avoid taking aspirin for the 24 hours before a tattoo. Aspirin is a blood thinner, so being on aspirin will make your tattoo bleed more.
Eat before your appointment.
It is important that you have enough food before your appointment so that you don't get light headed while getting a tattoo. The pain of a tattoo is bad enough, you don't want to add to it with lightheadedness or passing out into the mix.
Having low blood sugar can increase the physical reaction to a tattoo, making you more likely to pass out from the pain.
Eating a solid meal before your appointment will give you the energy and stamina to withstand the pain of getting a tattoo. While it does not matter what you eat exactly, as long as it will give the sustenance you need to get through the appointment, eating a meal high in protein instead of sugar will sustain you longer.
If you are having an extremely long tattoo appointment, bring a quick snack with you. Your tattooist will be happy to take a quick break so that you can stay nourished.
Prepare your skin.
You do not need to do a lot to your skin before a tattoo. Just moisturize with your normal moisturizer for a week beforehand if you have dry skin to make sure that it is in good shape. Also, avoid getting a sunburn on the area you are getting tattooed. This means wearing sunscreen whenever you leave the house.
While the area you are getting tattooed will need to be shaved, most tattoo artists do not want you to do it ahead of time. Instead, they will do it right before the tattoo to assure that any irritation does not interfere with the tattoo process.
Get a good nights sleep.
The last thing you want is to come in and be completely exhausted for your tattoo session. It is incredibly important to be well-rested so that you can be alert and in-tune with your body. As you are getting tattooed you want to be able to read the signals your body is sending you and react appropriately. You don’t want to be falling asleep in the chair as your artist tries to put the care and detail into your tattoo.
We recommend getting into bed earlier than you normally do. This will give you extra time to rest and fall asleep, especially if you’re super nervous about your appointment.
