Tattoo Care

Ø      Always make sure you wash your hands (with liquid antibacterial soap and water) before touching your new tattoo!
Ø      Remove bandage after 2 hours.  If bandage sticks, moisten with warm water to loosen.  Wash thoroughly with liquid antibacterial soap and the palm of your hand.  Do not use a washcloth, body sponge, or loofah on a fresh tattoo.  Let air dry for 15 minutes before applying ointment.
Ø      Apply a small amount of ointment to tattoo 3 to 5 times a day and rub in like lotion.  Always apply ointment after washing.  Do not leave any ointment on the surface of your skin, blot off excess with tissue.
Ø      After 5 days, switch to lotion like Lubriderm, Keri, or Vaseline Intensive Care.  Avoid fragranced and specialty lotions (like skin firming, bronzing, or age defying).
Ø      Always wash after sweating or getting dirty. 

What to Avoid…
Ø      If you are on antibiotics, do not get tattooed!!  If you have to take antibiotics during the first month of getting a tattoo, it could possibly cause your tattoo to fade and you might require a touch up.
Ø      Do not go swimming or soak in a hot tub for at least 2 weeks.
Ø      Do not expose to sunlight at all for the first month.  After that, always apply SPF 30 or higher sunscreen before going outdoors.  A good sunscreen to use is the Water Babies stick…it is easy to apply and is waterproof.
Ø      Do not pick at the tattoo when it peels.
Ø      Do not scratch a healing tattoo.  If it itches, you can smack it to take the itch away.
Ø      Do not use cosmetics, perfumes, or body sprays on or near the tattoo.
Ø      Avoid applying deodorant around the tattoo.
Ø      Try to wear loose, clean clothes over the tattoo.
Ø      Do not shave over the tattoo for at least a month.
Ø      Do not re-bandage your tattoo.  It needs air to heal. 

What to Expect…
Ø      Your tattoo might produce small amounts of blood and plasma for 24 to 48 hours especially on tattoos that have a lot of color or tribal.  Make sure to clean this off 3 or 4 times a day and apply ointment after washing.
Ø      Wear old, but clean clothing over tattoo when going to bed to avoid leaking plasma on sheets.  This will also prevent your tattoo from becoming stuck to the sheets.  If your tattoo sticks to your clothes, dampen with warm water to loosen.  DO NOT yank it off!
Ø      Your tattoo might peel in 4 to 5 days.  It will flake like a mild sunburn and there will be pigment in the skin that peels off.  
Ø      You might have some soreness and swelling for anywhere from 3 to 5 days.
Ø      When your tattoo is healed, you might notice a spot here or there that needs to be touched-up.  If so, let the tattoo heal completely, for at least a month, before scheduling a touch-up.
Ø      Tattoos on the hands and feet might peel twice.  After the first time it peels, you will have a whitish film over the tattoo.  This will peel off in a few days.  Remember, we do not guarantee tattoos on hands and feet, so take care of them to lessen the chances of requiring a touch-up!
Ø      After it is healed, dry skin will cause the tattoo to look dull. To brighten the colors up, use lotion daily.

How to Stretch Earlobes

Earlobe stretching is the process that enlarges the earlobe with pieces of jewelry ranging from rings to plugs. The larger the stretch, the less likely your earlobes are to return to their normal size. If you decide to stretch your earlobes, make sure you can live with the result for the rest of your life.

1. Choose the jewelry you want to use to stretch your earlobes. You can use some that's
made with different gauges of wire or you can use plugs or tapers.  The gauge of
the wire in your jewelry measures the thickness of the piece.
Plugs just fill the holes in your earlobes, and tapers start small at the tip and gradually
become thicker along their length.

1. 2. Clean your hands and earlobes well. Rub each earlobe with your fingers to warm it and make it easier to stretch. Place some lubricant on your earlobe to make insertion easier.
2. 3. Insert the new wire into your earlobe piercing. Start with a gauge that's close in size to your original piercing. Go slowly so you don't cause too much pain or tear your skin. Repeat the process for your other earlobe.
3. 4. Wash your earlobes well and often to keep them clean as they heal. Ensure that you also clean the jewelry and remove any crusty buildup to prevent infection. Wait at least 1 month to 6 weeks before you stretch your earlobes again.
   
   
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   Side note; I started doing mine back at the beginning of June at 12g, they are now at 2g which is about 7mm

PIERCING Care Sheet

ALWAYS make sure you wash your hands with antibacterial soap before touching your piercing.


Your new piercing should be cleaned once or twice a day unless activities require more (exercising, sweating, etc.).


You may notice a dry, crusty build up on your piercing which is common. To remove build up, rinse thoroughly with warm water. DO NOT PICK it off as this can tear new tissue and delay healing.


After rinsing off build up, lather antibacterial soap around piercing. Slide jewelry back and forth a few times when washing to distribute soap through the piercing and then again when rinsing to remove all soap residue. Warm saltwater compresses can be used between washings to help clean and soothe, especially if new piercing is sensitive or sore. DO NOT USE contact solution. It may say "saline" on it, but it is much more than just saline solution. It contains chemicals which should not be introduced into the body. Unless it is hospital grade, pure saline, it is intended for external use only, and should not be used on open wounds.


DO NOT turn jewelry unless washing. Too much turning can irritate and/or cause unnecessary swelling.


DO NOT USE: alcohol, or hydrogen peroxide, which can over dry, nor should you use petroleum jelly based ointments or creams (Neosporin, Vaseline, etc.) which can clog piercing and block air passage which is essential to healing.


Avoid tight clothing (belts, stockings, tight jeans, etc.) as they can rub and pull, irritating the piercing.