Medical Supplies

SAFE TATTOOING: A GUIDE FOR TATTOO ARTISTS

Tattoo safety is about protecting the health of your clients by maintaining a sterile work environment, but it's also about taking care of yourself, both legally and in regards to your own health, we've outlined some of the most critical things you need to pay attention to and use to protect yourself as much as your customers.

The word “safety” should have many meanings to you as a tattoo artist. You need to worry about your clients' safety, of course - you need to maintain a sterile work environment, wear gloves when prepping and tattooing, and much more. But what about protecting yourself? Tattooing safely also means taking precautions to avoid trouble, both legally and health-wise – precautions such as:

Obtain and maintain a tattoo license, if required in your state/country, etc.

Keep your store up to code and clearly display your business licenses etc.

Follow bloodborne pathogen standards, not only for your customers, but to protect yourself and your store employees

Refusing intoxicated customers

Alcohol is a blood thinner, so there may be excessive bleeding if you tattoo someone who has been drinking. Plus, tattooing someone who is obviously intoxicated could land you in legal trouble when they sober up and decide you did something terrible to them when they weren't in their right mind.

Check that customers are of legal age

TATTOO SAFETY CHECKLIST

The best way to protect yourself and your customers is to maintain a sterile work environment. You need to treat every tattoo you do the same way a doctor would treat a medical procedure, and that means stocking up on certain supplies to keep your workspace clean, your tools sterilized, and you and your clients happy and well. health. Here is a list of items you should always have on hand and use between and during every tattoo you get:

Gloves – Wear these when cleaning/preparing a tattoo, then throw them away, wash your hands with antibacterial soap and put on a new pair before you start working. Every time you need to touch something outside of your sterile field, take a break, etc., change your gloves.

Cleaners and Disinfectants – Wipe down your tattoo chair and the rest of your workspace with Isorapid or Surfa Safe disinfectant

Sharps Containers – Prevent accidental needle sticks and properly dispose of needles in sharps containers. There are a variety of Sharps recovery solutions available, so you can choose the right size container when you're traveling or working in your store. Sign up for the sharps removal program.

Topical Skin Cleansers – It is important to thoroughly clean each client's skin before you begin tattooing them. Green soap is one of the most popular pre-tattoo cleansers, but it's not your only option. However, you should avoid pure rubbing alcohol because while it can help the ink penetrate the skin more easily, it can also cause the ink to be carried further into the skin system than desired. to person.