The process of getting a tattoo begins with choosing your tattoo artist. Take your time finding a tattoo artist you like. Look at samples of their work. Pay special attention to the line work. Lines that look wobbly or uneven are a sign of a less experienced artist. Getting a tattoo is one time that you really need to be willing to pay for quality and experience. Remember that your tattoo is a piece of art that will be on your body for the rest of your life. This isn't a time to bargain shop.
Once you have chosen your artist, it's time to talk to him about what you want your tattoo to look like. You may have an exact design that you want done, or you may have some ideas that you want the artist to incorporate into a custom design. When your tattoo design is just the way you want it, your artist use a machine that will copy the design onto a piece of thermal paper.
Now it's time to sit in the tattoo chair. The area that is being tattooed will be shaved with a new disposable razor so that any tiny hairs won't get in the way. The thermal paper with your tattoo design will be applied to the area and the design will be transferred directly onto your skin. Your tattoo artist will apply ointment over the design so that it won't rub off and so that the tattoo needle will glide more easily over your skin.
Your artist will do the line work first, following the design exactly. For most people, the first couple of minutes are the most uncomfortable, but then you get used to the sensation and start to relax. Once the line work is done, your artist will finish your tattoo by doing the color and shading.
When your tattoo is finished, your artist will clean the area and let you take a few minutes to admire your new body art. The artist will then apply ointment and a bandage to your tattoo. Be sure to keep the bandage on for the amount of time that your artist instructs.
Your artist will give you aftercare instructions and explain them step by step. It's important to follow these instructions carefully in order to protect your tattoo from infection. If your tattoo becomes infected not only is it a health issue for you, but it can actually mess up the tattoo. If your artist recommends specific aftercare products, it's a good idea to purchase them. Your artist has a lot of experience with all aspects of the tattoo process and knows which products work best for aftercare.
You may have heard that it's important for every tattoo shop to have an autoclave sterilizer, but what is it and why is it so important?
An autoclave is essentially a pressure cooker primarily used in the medical field for sterilizing medical instruments. An autoclave must maintain a temperature of at least 246 degrees for 30 minutes in order to fully sterilize the equipment.
There are two major types of autoclave sterilizers - steam and chemical. Most dentists use chemi-claves, but steam is really the only kind acceptable in the tattoo field. There are different styles of steam autoclaves, all acceptable to use in the sterilization of the equipment. It is a good idea to ask to see the autoclave. Is it clean? More importantly, was the shop personnel more than happy to show it to you, or did they act like they had something to hide?
Also, keep in mind that the presence of an autoclave does not mean effective sterilization. Autoclaves need to be regularly tested to ensure that they are working properly. Ask to see the results of their latest spore test. These results should be no more than two months old.
Some non-professional artists will try to convince you that a pressure cooker designed for canning food is acceptable for sterilizing used tattoo equipment. This is not true. Kitchen pressure cookers do not reach the temperature or pressure required to effectively kill all blood borne pathogens. Do not trust anyone using a kitchen unit. Medical sterilizers are much larger and are designed specifically for killing bacteria and other pathogens.
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