WHAT TO DO BEFORE & AFTER YOUR LIP TATTOO SERVICE
Small Details Make a BIG Difference.
What Iโve found is that the right pre-care and aftercare can truly make a MASSIVE difference in the results. To help you with your tattoo procedure, Iโve outlined my lessons learned and provided a formula that will help to ensure that you get the best results possible.
The Prep:
*As a necessary precaution, we require ALL of our Lip clients who have EVER had a cold sore (even just one) to take antiviral medication for a total of 5 days (2 days prior to procedure, 1 day of, and 2 days post-procedure). Examples of antiviral medications: Zovirax, Famvir, or Valtrex. There are absolutely NO exceptions to this rule! This rule holds true each and every time you have a lip tattoo. You will need to contact your physician in order to obtain your prescription strength anti-viral medication. You must inform them of your decision to have permanent cosmetics applied to your lips and they will need to call your prescription in for you to pick up at your pharmacy.
6 weeks prior to the service:
Discontinue Retin-A, and Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA)
Two weeks prior to the service:
Do not tan or have a sunburned face
Do not have any type of facial
One week prior to the service:โ
Do not take Fish Oil or Vitamin E (they are natural blood thinners)
* Start drinking lots of water and using a lip balm or chapstick to get those lips hydrated and healthy
24 hours before your appointment:
In order to avoid excessive bleeding and poor color deposit:
Do not drink alcohol 48 hours before your tattoo
Do not consume coffee the morning of your service. (Yes, there is caffeine in decaf coffee and tea!)
Do not take an Aspirin or Ibuprofen for pain relief (these also thin the blood)
Now that you know what NOT to do, itโs time to share my secret recipe for getting amazing permanent makeup results!
It's all in the aftercare:
*Immediately following the procedure, lips may feel dry, chapped, tight, and tender to the touch.
Complete your antiviral medication to prevent an outbreak.
Apply ointment on lips several times a day. This should be done for at least 10 days post-treatment. Do not allow your lips to become dry. This may interfere with healed color. During the day if lips feel dry, apply a light layer of ointment. Make sure to dab/press onto skin, do not rub it in.
Itching is normal, DO NOT PICK!
No soaps, cleansing creams, or chemicals on lips. Wash your face carefully avoiding the lip area for 10 days.
Avoid moisture to the lips such as hot soups and hot coffee for 10 days. Drink everything through a straw until your lips completely peel.
DO NOT stretch the lips. Avoid biting into large sandwiches, etc. Cut food into tiny bites.
Do not bite into greasy, oily, salty, or spicy foods, rather cut them up and place them into your mouth.
While eating, do not constantly wipe your lips with a napkin or keep licking your lips as this will impede the healing process. DO NOT PICK dry healing tissue or you WILL remove the pigment color!
Avoid water on the new pigmented areas as much as possible, for the first 7 days. (when showering, washing face, etc. have ointment on the pigmented area to protect lips from water). Do not stand in front of the shower head when showering.
Avoid underwater swimming for a minimum of 4 weeks to avoid bacterial infection.
Before brushing your teeth, seal your lips with ointment first. Put cotton balls in gum areas so the toothbrush will not rub against the lips. No whitening toothpaste (during the healing process). Use a small amount of toothpaste. Take a straw with you to the bathroom to retrieve water to swish with. Do not bleach/whiten your teeth while your lips are healing (about 2 weeks).
You may apply an ice pack (which must be protected with a wet barrier film of paper toweling, towel, or cloth) for 10-minute intervals for the first 48 hours. Ice may be applied every hour or so if desired. Do not put ice directly on the area.
Do not expose the lips to direct sunlight or tanning beds for 4 weeks. This is new skin and will sunburn easily and direct sun prematurely may also cause scarring and alter pigment color.
You may wear lipstick, lipgloss, and chapstick after 10 days, make sure the tube of lip product is new.
No smoking while lips are healing (10 days minimum).
No kissing, rubbing, or friction on your newly tattooed lips until after 10 days or you may lose pigment.
Lips may be dry for 3 to 6 months depending on the body's reaction.
Expect moderate swelling, usually one to three days following the procedure.
Scabbing may make the lips feel thick.
Lips will fade up to 50% after the first 5 days.
While healing, the tattoo will look patchy. This is due to skin regeneration and healing.
Some New Clients may require multiple sessions ( at an additional cost) to achieve their desired density and shape.
Protect your investment
after youโve healed
Exposure to the sun and tanning beds will cause premature fading and discoloration of the pigment.
For further sun protection wear hats, and sunglasses, and stay in the shade.
Annual touch-ups are recommended to maintain your results.
Certain skin care products and services will cause premature fading of your tattoo and may also alter the pigment color. Please apply a barrier layer of Vaseline over your tattoo before use of any of the following: glycolic acid, salicylic acid, alpha hydroxy acid, hydroquinone, retinol/Retin-A, vitamin c, peels, microdermabrasion, Obagi,or anything that brightens or treats hyperpigmentation.
Frequent chlorine swimmers, please apply a barrier layer of Vaseline over your tattoo prior to swimming, to prevent premature fading.
The above Pre and Post-Care will affect how quickly or slowly you heal. Mature age, poor diet, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, age, general health, sleep/fatigue. The more fatigued you are the lower your immune system is and infection is more likely to occur. Please get plenty of rest and drink lots of water to hydrate prior to the procedure.
We have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for those who fail to follow our
Pre and Post Care Instructions. Failing to follow the above instructions will result in your artist denying your service and possible future services. There are no implied or written guarantees, especially if you do not follow instructions!
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