TATTOOING PROCEDURE Pt.1

LINING

The first step is the basic outline of the tattoo. This can be performed by using one to five needles attached to the needle bar, depending on the required thickness of the linework.

Set the speed on your power supply to about 140 Hz.

With the gun off, immerse tube tip into the ink cap taking care not to hit the sides or bottom, as this will damage the needle tips. Remove from ink and turn on for a few seconds. Repeat this procedure three times. This is called priming the needle.

When doing the initial outlining, the needle should go to a depth of about 1/16th of an inch, or about 1.6mm.

When you are doing the tattoo, you will notice that your customers will have variations in skin "thickness" on different parts of their body. This can vary quite a bit from person to person. So you may have to adjust the levels according to the person's skin. You will also need to make adjustments when you are over an area of bone such as the ankle, where there is no fat layer to cushion the skin off the bone.

When working with the skin, be sure to hold it taut as to make a tight surface. This will help for clean penetration and straighter lines. Be sure to hold the needle at a 45 degree position in relation to the skin.

Carefully move the needle(s) until they are pushing into the skin at the proper depth and level. Move smoothly yet firm as you begin to make the lines. DO NOT hold the machine still with the needles contacting the skin. If you do, this will cause a blob of ink and will disrupt the evenness of the line. Once you have completed a line, take a moment to wipe away any blood or excess ink that may have splattered. You can use a lint free napkin for this. Once this is done, continue on making more lines. As you do this repeatedly, you will become used to the way the machine feels and moves and also the proper depth needed for quality tattoos.

Try to make long, one movement stroke lines if possible. This makes for an even line. You might find that going from one direction (left or right) is easier for you. Just adjust accordingly.

TATTOOING PROCEDURE Pt.2

SHADING AND COLOURING

Shading uses at least four needles or more grouped in a circle, flat,

or square (Magnum) arrangement.

Set the power supply at about 110 Hz, and the point gap at about 1/64th of an inch, or 0.5mm. This will make gradiations easier to achieve because of the slower "softer" needle penetration.

The technique for shading is much the same as with lining.

The machine can be likened to a paint brush in some ways. Strokes can achieve similar results on skin as with a paint brush on a canvas. Ink can be mixed with water to dull out the pigment making for gradiations in shade.

For solid colouring such as with Tribal, the machine should be sped up a bit.

you should work the needle in a forward circular motion building up the pigment saturation to the desired level. Take care not to over traumatize the skin as it can cause scarring and extend the healing time dramatically. Colour can also fall out with scabbing that is caused by over working the skin, leaving blank areas in the finished tattoo.

Wetting the tattoo slightly shows up areas that need more work. If these areas are left, the resulting tattoo will turn out blotchy and will need touch-up work at a later date.

AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS

If good aftercare is not taken, the tattoo may turn out looking marred or damaged. There may even be infection with scarring as a result. So diligent aftercare must be taken for a tattoo to look good for the long term.

If good attention and aftercare are taken, the tattoo will look great for a very long time, probably the lifetime of the customer. The following steps required for proper healing are simple, yet critically important. You should make sure every customer has a written copy of these aftercare instructions to take home.

STRAIGHT AWAY : Wash it off with Green Soap, and apply a layer of ointment. Wrap or cover the tattoo with Glad / Ceran wrap to protect the "wound" from contamination.

FOR THE FIRST 1 TO 12 HOURS : Keep the protective covering over your tattoo. This protective covering will prevent bacteria from coming in contact with your tattoo. Leave bandage on for at least 3 hours, but not more than 12.

AFTER 12 HOURS : Remove the bandage with clean hands and gently wash the tattoo with warm water and a mild soap. Do not use a washcloth. Gently pat the tattoo dry.

FOR THE FIRST 7 DAYS : Keep your tattoo clean with a mild soap and warm water. Do not soak your tattoo. When showering, wash thoroughly but gently. Avoid long exposures with water. Your new tattoo may become splotchy if over-cleaned. Do not use ointments or creams at this time. Absolutely NO hot-tub use or baths - shower only.

AFTER THE 7TH DAY : You may use small amounts of Lubriderm or another unscented lotion to moisturize your tattoo. Lotion may help minimize the itching. Do NOT scratch your tattoo. Too much lotion may prevent your tattoo from healing properly. Apply a small amount to the tattoo and gently work it into the skin. If the tattoo is shiny or oily, you may be using too much lotion.

Things to Remember!

· No skin to skin contact with people or pets.

· No scratching.

· No picking.

· No peeling.

· No swimming.

· No sauna.

· No Jacuzzi.

· No tub.

· No sun.

· No tanning salon.

· No contact sports.

· No shaving.

You may notice a few changes in your tattoo during the healing period, but don't be concerned as these soon fade. Remember not to overdo anything to avoid damaging your new body art. Apply required amount of ointment only and adhere to the directions. If your skin begins to peel in the next four or five days, don't be alarmed; it's only dead skin, and this is a common occurrence. Even after tattoo is healed, use sunscreen to avoid fading from exposure to sun.

LEGAL REQUIREMENTS

When it comes to the actual legal requirements, you need to check with your local and state laws. Laws vary from state to state, and also country to country. An easy way to find out this information is to contact your local health department or law library to get the right information so you can legally become a tattoo artist in your city.

You must make sure that when you do set up your place of business be it at home or a separate office, it needs to provide a clean and safe environment for you and your customers. You will also need to follow the proper health procedures including sterilization of equipment and supplies. DO NOT offer tattoo services to minors or people you suspect are underage. Make sure you have them show legit proof.

Lastly, be sure you provide to all your customers or clients all the health information on the health considerations of the tattoo procedure. This includes what to expect before, during and after the tattoo procedure takes place. This will include how to maintain and care for a new tattoo.

TATTOO DESIGNS

As a tattooist, you will be asked countless times, for a look at your designs and flash. Not everyone has an exact idea of what they want, and some will have no idea at all. It is highly recommended that you get a large collection of designs together that you can show people.

Without a doubt, the best and easiest way to do this is to pay a small subscription fee to a good tattoo design site. This way all the footwork, such as getting the outline ready, is taken care of. You just have to print the design out.

The cost is a very small price to pay for the reward you gain by having thousands of high quality categorized images at your fingertips.

Of course you can also Google up the images one by one as you need them but this is labour intensive and time consuming.

PAIN AND FEAR

This question has been posed time and time again, and I never seem to read a satisfying answer - How much does getting a tattoo hurt?

Professional tattooists and long-time collectors sometimes tend to forget what it was like to be on the other side of the chair for the first time. Although there is no way for me to tell each individual what it will feel like for them, I will do my best to offer some encouragement.

It's true that everyone has a different threshold of pain. What one person considers not painful at all could be devastating to another. Some people describe the feeling as a "hot scratch". Some have said it was "annoying". Most say it was not nearly as bad as they feared. But there is a little more than pain alone to consider when getting a tattoo.

You may have heard horror stories about people passing out or crying from the intense pain.

First of all, people pass out because their blood sugar drops from not eating or they just allow themselves to get too worked up and their own fear knocks them out. Pain is usually not the culprit when someone faints during a tattoo. As far as crying goes, there are some that find the pain too much to bear. These people are few and far between - don't assume you're going to be one of them. So don't give in to the horror stories - people love to share labor and birth horror stories, but that doesn't stop girls from having babies!

Fear of Needles or Blood

If you have a fear of needles or blood, getting a tattoo isn't going to be easy. However, I would like to point out that tattoo needles do not enter the skin very far as many fear. Another thing you can do is get your tattoo somewhere on your body where you will not be able to watch the work going on. This helps some to overcome the apprehension, by not actually seeing the needle. The needles move in an up-and-down motion, carefully pushing the ink just below the surface of the skin. The damage to your skin is so minimal that many people don't bleed at all - or very little. Excessive bleeding usually only results when the patron has been drinking alcohol or taking some kind of blood thinner (like aspirin).

Putting Things into Perspective

Certain things hurt more than others. I can endure a deep cut much better than I can deal with a toothache. I think the end result and the reason you are experiencing the pain can affect how much it hurts. Getting a tattoo is one that I consider worth the discomfort because of the outcome. I know that I'm going to have this beautiful piece of artwork on me that I can be proud of when it's all said and done.

You're Not Alone

Another thing to consider is the fact that nearly everyone is nervous when they go to get a tattoo. I don't care how many you already have, there is always a feeling of apprehension when you sit in the chair. This is your body's natural defense - endorphins. Your own endorphins will kick in and help to ease any pain or discomfort you are about to deal with.

The first 60 seconds is usually the worst, and then when you realize it's just not that bad, you calm down and the rest is smooth sailing.

EMLA TOPICAL ANAESTHETIC CREAM

EMLA is the first topical anaesthetic able to numb intact skin prior to needle insertion procedures and superficial surgical procedures. EMLA is the only topical anaesthetic with proven efficacy of all three indications intact skin, genital mucous membranes and leg ulcers. The unique pharmaceutical formulation makes EMLA a more effective topical anaesthetic of intact skin than single-component lidocaine formulations.

EMLA Cream (lidocaine 2.5 mg/g and prilocaine 2.5 mg/g) is an emulsion in which the oil phase is a eutectic mixture of the local anaesthetics lidocaine and prilocaine in a ratio of 1:1 by weight. This eutectic mixture has a melting point below room temperature and therefore the local anaesthetics exist as an oil rather then as crystals. Being an oil, no lipophilic solvent is required which ensures the rapid release of local anaesthetics from the emulsion and the highest concentration possible in the aqueous phase. These characteristics allow the drug to penetrate the dermal layers of the skin more effectively than single-component creams.

When applied on intact skin or leg ulcers, EMLA cream should be covered with an occlusive dressing, which facilitates the percutaneous absorption. EMLA cream is packaged in 5 gram and 30 gram tubes. The EMLA patch contains a single unit-dose of 1 g EMLA in a ready-to-use adhesive which provides anaesthesia of a circular skin area of about 10 cm2.

INFECTION AND CROSS-CONTAMINATION

Cross-contamination is something that should not be overlooked and should be taken very serious by everyone involved in the tattoo and piercing industry.

For those who don't already know, cross-contamination is the spread of micro-organisms from one surface to another or from something that is contaminated to something that is not. One of the biggest mistakes that I see when I visit a tattoo shop or when I'm at a convention is cross-contamination....now don't get me wrong, most tattoo shops do follow strict methods to prevent cross-contamination..but there are a few that need to clean up there act. All the sterilization in the world is not going to make a difference to your client or to you if things are getting cross-contaminated. Cross-contamination is a very serious and a very deadly situation. When I tattoo I treat the situation with what I call UNIVERSAL PRECAUTIONS. Universal precautions is a system that prevents the spread of infections from person to person. Simply put, it means that I treat all blood and other body fluids as potentially infectious. Treat every client as if they have every known disease to mankind. With this in mind you tend to take every precaution and you are much more aware of cross-contamination. Some of the ways that cross-contamination can occur is as follows:

* if strict attention to hand washing is not observed

* if clean instruments are placed on unclean surfaces

* if contaminated and clean instruments come into contact with one another

* if one or more tattooist use the same equipment or materials

Here are the most common observations that I have noticed:

1. answering the telephone with soiled gloves

2. adjusting overhead light with soiled gloves

3. adjusting power supply with soiled gloves

4. touching ink bottles or ink tray with soiled gloves

5. adjusting or handling furniture or equipment with soiled gloves

6. stuffing garbage into the garbage can without changing gloves

Simple things you can do to prevent cross-contamination. Preparation of the work area is the key. It is very important that you completely prepare your work area so as to avoid having to leave the work area in the middle of a tattoo to get something that may be needed. Interrupting your procedure increases the risk of cross-contaminating surfaces.

* place a container labeled "dirty instruments" in the work area for the collection of non-disposable instruments for sterilization.

* cover any work surfaces with disposable coverings.

* make sure all the items needed are in easy to reach places.

* ensure that the work area is clean and tidy and free from items and objects unrelated to the tattooing process. Before putting on your gloves, you should be sure to cover surfaces that may become contaminated, in the event that an item has to be handled or adjusted while tattooing.

* If you use an ultra sonic cleaner before your sterilization, make sure that it has a top on it to prevent any microorganisms from becoming air borne and contaminating your shop.

1. place the required amount of single use, disposable ink cups into your stainless steel ink cup trays and dispense inks into cups

2. cover light fittings and power pack controls with cling film

3. cover spray bottles with single use plastic bags, so only the nozzles are exposed.

4. place water to be used for rinsing between colors in disposable cups and dispose of water and cups after each customer.

5. tissues or wipes to be used during tattoo procedures should be stored where they cannot become contaminated

6. clip cord should be covered with cling wrap.

7. tattoo machine should be covered with a single use plastic bag.

8. rubber bands on the tattoo machine should be changed after every tattoo.

9. a new disposable single use razor should be used on each customer then disposed of.

10. stencils should never be reused.

11. Acetate stencils should never be used since they cannot be effectively

sterilized.

12. remove ointment from container with a sterile tongue depressor. Never use your bare finger or gloves.

13. area of skin to be tattooed should be cleaned and disinfected

using one of the following:

a. 70% isopropyl alcohol

b. alcoholic (isopropyl and ethyl) formulations of 0.5-4% chlorhexidine

c. aqueous or alcoholic povidine-iodine (1% available iodine)

The time between skin disinfection and skin penetration should be at least 2 minutes...but preferable 5 minutes. Multiple-use deodorants should never be used prior to the placement of a stencil. Remember cross-contaminating is not only deadly to your client but also you and your family and the whole tattoo industry. So do the right thing and KEEP IT CLEAN!

ALLERGIES

When tattooing someone, it is always a good idea to keep in mind any allergies that the customer may have. The last thing you want is someone having a reaction to something half way though a work.

One thing I always ask every customer is whether they have any allergies, specifically to latex (if you are using latex gloves.)

It is also advisable to keep the pigments in mind. Below is a list of common ingredients used in most carrier fluids and chemical composition of standard pigments.

COMMON CARRIER FLUIDS:

Glycerin

Witch Hazel

Ethanol (Ethyl Alcohol)

Purified Water

Listerine

Propylene Glycol

COMPOSITION OF TATTOO PIGMENTS:

BLACK

Iron Oxide (Fe3O4)

Iron Oxide (FeO)

Carbon

Logwood

Natural black pigment is made from magnetite crystals, powdered jet, wustite, bone black, and amorphous carbon from combustion (soot). Black pigment is commonly made into India ink. Logwood is a heartwood extract from Haematoxylon campechisnum, found in Central America and the West Indies.

BROWN

Ochre

Ochre is composed of iron (ferric) oxides mixed with clay. Raw ochre is yellowish. When dehydrated through heating, ochre changes to a reddish color.

RED

Cinnabar (HgS)

Cadmium Red (CdSe)

Iron Oxide (Fe2O3)

Napthol-AS pigment

Iron oxide is also known as common rust. Cinnabar and cadmium pigments are highly toxic. Napthol reds are synthesized from Naptha. Fewer reactions have been reported with naphthol red than the other pigments, but all reds carry risks of allergic or other reactions.

ORANGE

disazodiarylide and/or

disazopyrazolone

cadmium seleno-sulfide

The organics are formed from the condensation of 2 monoazo pigment molecules. They are large molecules with good thermal stability and colorfastness.

FLESH

Ochres (iron oxides mixed with clay)

YELLOW

Cadmium Yellow (CdS, CdZnS)

Ochres

Curcuma Yellow

Chrome Yellow (PbCrO4, often mixed with PbS)

Disazodiarylide

Curcuma is derived from plants of the ginger family; aka tumeric or curcurmin. Reactions are commonly associated with yellow pigments, in part because more pigment is needed to achieve a bright color.

GREEN

Chromium Oxide (Cr2O3), called

Casalis Green or Anadomis Green

Malachite [Cu2(CO3)(OH)2]

Ferrocyanides and Ferricyanides

Lead chromate

Monoazo pigment

Cu/Al phthalocyanine

Cu phthalocyanine

The greens often include admixtures, such as potassium ferrocyanide (yellow or red) and ferric ferrocyanide (Prussian Blue)

BLUE

Azure Blue

Cobalt Blue

Cu-phthalocyanine

Blue pigments from minerals include copper (II) carbonate (azurite), sodium aluminum silicate (lapis lazuli), calcium copper silicate (Egyptian Blue), other cobalt aluminum oxides and chromium oxides. The safest blues and greens are copper salts, such as copper pthalocyanine. Copper pthalocyanine pigments have FDA approval for use in infant furniture and toys and contact lenses. The copper-based pigments are considerably safer or more stable than cobalt or ultramarine pigments.

VIOLET

Manganese Violet (manganese

ammonium pyrophosphate)

Various aluminum salts

Quinacridone

Dioxazine/carbazole

Some of the purples, especially the bright magentas, are photoreactive and lose their color after prolonged exposure to light. Dioxazine and carbazole result in the most stable purple pigments.

WHITE

Lead White (Lead Carbonate)

Titanium dioxide (TiO2)

Barium Sulfate (BaSO4)

Zinc Oxide

Some white pigments are derived from anatase or rutile. White pigment may be used alone or to dilute the intensity of other pigments. Titanium oxides are one of

the least reactive white pigments.

TATTOO REMOVAL

undefinedRemoval of tattoos by laser surgery is the most commonly practiced removal technique. This procedure breaks the tattoo ink down into tiny particles that become engulfed and then are ingested by special scavenger cells of the skin.