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Tattooing Skills & Techniques | Outlining
August 25, 2022
Lamar Street usually writes about the other side of the needle, but tattooing skills & techniques, especially in outlining, are essential!
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August 25, 2022
Tattooing Skills & Techniques | Outlining
Lamar Street Tattoo Club usually writes about the other side of the needle, but tattooing skills and techniques, especially in outlining, are essential. This is why we’ve put together everything you possibly need to know about it! We also go over safety and some of the most common questions you, clients, or new and aspiring tattoo artists may be wondering.
Tattoo Outlining
Outlining the basic shape of a tattoo is the first step after creating a stencil and transferring it. There are many different-sized needles and various colors you can use for your initial outlining.
Often, you will start with a thin line and add layers with each pass until the line is the thickness needed. It is important to consider the design features, overall image, size, location, ink color, thickness, and technique you’ll use before you begin your outline. After all, it’s only permanent.
How to Outline a Tattoo
Step 1: Prep the Skin
Before you really begin, you must prep the skin for the tattoo. Shave the area and add a sterile lubricant or antiseptic spray; then, and only then, should you add the stencil if you will be using one.
Step 2: Prep the Machine
Now that the skin and stencil are ready, you can get started….after you make sure you have the ink prepped and the machine ready. Turn the machine off, and lightly place or dip the tip into the ink cap. Remember, you’ll have to refill, with more dips, often. Test your machine on a paper towel to test the ink and fix any band issues if it spills or spurts.
Step 3: Hold The Machine Correctly
If you want the correct lines, then you need the correct form. Hold the gun at a slight angle, like a pencil, and keep the machine forward or sideways; this helps the needle stay at the bottom of the tube with the ink and will make for a more solid line.
Step 4: Begin the First Line
It’s often best to start at the bottom of the tattoo or wherever will have the most gravity pulling. This is because gravity makes things go down…like blood, sweat, and, yes, ink. If these areas run down onto other parts of your stencil, it can smudge and slow or distort the process.
Press the needle and pull your hand along the line to make your first line. Move the tattoo gun with your fingers, keeping your hand posted in place as you first begin. This will help you apply even and consistent pressure, making your lines even and consistent too.
Tight skin tattoos better, so be sure to pull the area tight as you work. When the needle hits the skin, the sound will be quieter, this is called ‘chocking down,’ so if you don’t hear the change, the machine is probably too fast and should be slowed.
Step 5: Repeat Step 4
Tattooing is basically a bunch of tiny dots very close together, making a line. The faster you go, the further apart those dots become, causing gaps or inconsistencies and needing more passes. Go slow. Take your time. Do it right.
As you finish each line, pull the needle up and away, take pressure off the footswitch, and turn the machine off. You can now wipe away any excess ink or blood with a paper towel so you can see the lines better, continue this process until all the outlining is complete.
Step 6: Finishing Your Outline
After you finish, clean it up and ensure there aren’t any areas that need to be touched up. Fixing any outline mistakes is easier now before color or additional details are added, so go over everything closely and carefully.
Remember To Put Safety First, Second, & Third
Safety both before, during, and after the tattoo process is just as important, if not more, than your outlining skills. An amazing tattoo doesn’t matter if it gets infected. A great image doesn’t matter if it isn’t cared for properly after the fact. And no tattoo is worth getting a bloodborne pathogen.
Make sure you and your shop take the correct precautions to protect your clients and yourself.
- Follow OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogen Standards
- Make sure your customers are of legal age unless you enjoy legal drama
- Alcohol thins the blood, don’t tattoo the intoxicated as it could cause excessive bleeding
- Ask clients to sign a consent form and explain the process to them
- Properly dispose of all needles and keep your space clean
- Keep your shop stocked with everything you need for safety and to maintain a sterile work environment
- Disposable gloves
- Skin Cleansers
- Antibacterial soap
- Antiseptic Wipes
- Disinfectants
- Sharps Box
Call or Visit to Get Your Appointment Booked at Lamar Street Tattoo Club
Send us a submission form if you want to work with the best tattoo artists and the most renowned tattoo shop in Dallas (with the best aftercare to keep your tattoo looking fresh for longer). Contact us, and we’ll get back to you with a consultation, appointment time, and tattoo artist recommendations if you don’t know who you want.
Walk-ins Always Welcome, Appointments Preferred.
Booking Your Next Tattoo | Frequently Asked Questions
July 21, 2022
Interested in booking your next tattoo? Here are the most frequently asked questions we get about our booking, deposit, and paying process.
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July 21, 2022
Booking Your Next Tattoo | Frequently Asked Questions
Every Dallas tattoo shop may have slightly different policies for booking tattoo appointments, rescheduling, canceling, deposits, no-shows, and more – but of course, ours are the best, like our tattoo artists, tattoo shop, and tattoos in general. Here are the most frequently asked questions we get about our booking, deposit, and paying process.
1. General Tattoo Appointment Deposit Information
All new tattoo appointments require a $100 deposit (unless prior arrangements have been made with your artist). Your deposit will be applied to the total cost of your tattoo or the final session if your tattoo requires multiple sessions (multi-session piece).
*Deposits cannot be transferred for use by another person.
2. Rescheduling Your Tattoo Appointment
- If you need to reschedule an appointment, we require at least 48 hours notice, or you will forfeit your deposit.
- If an attempt to reschedule falls within the 48-hour period, you will be required to furnish a new deposit to make a new appointment.
- If you provide at least 48 hours notice to reschedule, your tattooer will transfer your deposit to your new appointment time.
- The rescheduled tattoo appointment date must be chosen within the next 7 days and must fall within the next 90 days.
- Only two reschedules are permitted for your appointment. Once the second rescheduling has occurred, that date/time is firm and cannot be moved/rescheduled again without forfeiting your deposit – so make sure you schedule them seriously.
*Of course, in rare cases, like severe inclement weather, call to let your tattooer know you can’t make your appointment. If you notify your tattooer before your appointment, they’ll transfer your deposit to a new appointment date.
3. Cancellation/No-Call/No-Show Policies
Fool Us Once: You forfeit your deposit if you do not show up for your appointment (no-call/no-show). If you no-call/no-show, you will be required to pay two deposits to reschedule a new appointment.
Fool Us Twice: If you no-call/no-show twice, you will be required to pay for your tattoo up front, in person, in cash to schedule another appointment. After all, we were there – just you weren’t. And now we don’t trust you as much.
4. Additional Information
- Gift Certificates – If you use a gift certificate for a deposit and do not provide proper notice to reschedule (see above), or do not show up for your appointment, the value of your gift certificate will be reduced by $100. If the value of the gift certificate is below $200, additional funds will be necessary to make a new appointment, as you’ll need another $100 deposit off the card. Gift certificates are non-refundable and cannot be changed for cash.
- Late Arrival – tattoos take time – so if you are more than 15 minutes late, your appointment may need to be rescheduled so your tattooer will not run late for the appointments after yours. If your appointment has to be rescheduled due to your own late arrival (over 15 minutes), you will forfeit your deposit and be required to leave another deposit before you can schedule a new tattoo appointment.
- ID Is Not Optional – You must bring a state or federal photo ID every time you come in for any tattoo. If you arrive for a tattoo appointment without proper ID, you will not get tattooed and will forfeit your deposit money. Acceptable forms of ID include a driver’s license, state-issued non-driver ID card, military ID, or passport.
*Your school ID or other less official IDs do not count.
*ALL RULES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT THE DISCRETION OF YOUR ARTIST*
Call, Message, or Visit to Get Your Tattoo Appointment Booked at the Best Tattoo Shop in Dallas!
Lamar Street Tattoo Club and our skilled tattoo artists in Dallas know what we’re doing, and we know how to make everything run smoothly for your new tattoo. So come in, call, or message us and we’ll give you all the details and answer any questions you have!
Send us a submission form if you are interested in working with the best tattoo artists and the most renowned tattoo shop in Dallas. Contact us, and we’ll get back to you with a consultation, appointment time, and tattoo artist recommendations if you don’t know who you want.
Walk-ins Always Welcome, Appointments Preferred.
Proper Tattoo Aftercare | Advice From Dallas Tattoo Artists
June 23, 2022
Tattoo aftercare is JUST AS important as its application, along with a great tattoo artist from a great Dallas tattoo shop (probably us)!
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June 23, 2022
Proper Tattoo Aftercare | Advice From Dallas Tattoo Artists
Unless you want your new tattoo to look worn-in, faded, fuzzy, uneven, and overall shitty, you have to take care of it right from the very beginning.
Proper tattoo aftercare is JUST AS important as its application, and since you probably chose a great tattoo artist from a great Dallas tattoo shop (probably us), we’re guessing you want your tattoo to look great too.
Follow these steps to keep your tattoo looking crisp, clear, and bold:
1. Don’t Mess with Your Saniderm Bandage
Leave the Saniderm bandage on for 48 to 72 hours. Period. We have found that this is the optimal time for most people based on the climate here in Dallas, TX.
Your tattoo will weep lymph, blood, ink, and other bodily fluids, which will collect under the bandage. This is normal! Don’t be alarmed. These fluids may affect the adhesion of Saniderm though, so if it comes off before the 48 hours is up, begin your follow-up care as directed.
If you cannot tolerate adhesives, we will work with you and use other methods.
2. Take Your Saniderm Bandage Off (Properly)
The best way to remove your bandage is with heat and hot water. If you can get sweaty before taking a shower, all the better. Peel up a corner of the bandage and peel it over and across itself, NOT AWAY from the skin. Do not lift straight up and pull, as this will cause damage to your tattoo and the surrounding skin.
Wash your tattooed area in HOT water (as HOT as you can stand without hurting yourself, of course). This will cause slight discomfort but will not damage the tattoo.
Wash with Optiscrub using just the pads of your fingers (no nails, sponges, washcloths, loofahs, soft brushes, etc.) for a MINIMUM of 30 seconds. If you are not washing for at least 30 seconds, you are not killing the germs.
Optiscrub is a lotion-based, anti-microbial soap that won’t dry your skin out like Dial – while still killing germs. This process can help remove the elements that create thick scabs and will make for proper healing of your new tattoo.
3. Dry Your Tattoo (Properly)
Pat the tattooed area dry. Do not wipe the tattoo. Only wipe the wet areas around the tattoo with a dry paper towel. And for the love of God, DO NOT use the same towel you dried your ass with. Treat your tattoo like a wound – because, well, it kind of is.
4.Moisturize (Properly)
Once your tattoo is uncovered, clean, and dry apply a small dab of an organic, petroleum-free, vegan ointment or moisturizer like cocoa butter, coconut oil, or shea butter. Be gentle. Be sparing.
Only apply a thin layer of the ointment – meaning, only use what you can (gently) rub in. We recommend working the ointment between your fingers for a moment to warm it up prior to applying as this will make it easier to spread with less pressure.
More is not better here. A thick layer is bad. You are not buttering toast.
For the first week after getting your new tattoo, apply the ointment 3 times daily after washing. In the second week, you can taper down to 1-2 times per day. This is incredibly important for your tattoo aftercare, so don’t skip applications.
Also, Here Are Some Common Sense Things That Stand to Be Said…
- Keeping the tattoo OUT of direct sunlight (this includes tanning beds) is important during your tattoo healing process.
- You and others will be tempted to touch your new tattoo. DO NOT touch your tattoo except to clean it. Definitely don’t let other people touch it. Ew, it’s a wound.
- DO NOT pick or scratch your tattoo (obviously) as this may cause scarring.
- Try to keep tight clothes off of your healing tattoo as much as possible. Socks, bra straps, tight pants, etc. can cause discomfort and poor healing.
- DO NOT submerge your healing tattoo in water including, but not limited to, bathtubs, toilets, pools, ponds, swamps, lakes, seas, fjords, and oceans.
- Drink water. It’s good for healing, your skin, tattoo…and just health in general. In fact, drink water right now. Go.
We Know Our Stuff | Take Care of Your Tattoo from Lamar Street Tattoo Club
Lamar Street Tattoo Club and our elite tattoo artists in Dallas know what we’re doing, and we know how to care for what we’ve done too. Send us a submission form if you are interested in working with the top tattoo artists and tattoo shop in Dallas. Along with getting the best tattoo quality, you’ll also get the highest level of tattoo aftercare when you choose Lamar Street Tattoo Club. Contact us and we’ll get back to you with a consultation, appointment time, and tattoo artist recommendation!
Walk-ins Always Welcome, Appointments Preferred.
Tattoo Styles | Your Full List (19+)
May 26, 2022
Tattoo styles are the general look and feel of a tattoo, not the matter or image/writing. Think of it like any other art form!
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May 26, 2022
Tattoo Styles | Your Full List (19+)
How many styles of clothing are out there? How many music genres? Hell, how many colors exist? These are tough questions, considering every person has an opinion on just how much variety in a style or color is allowed before it becomes a new, distinct subset all its own.
Unfortunately, this means we can’t tell you about every tattoo style in the world – but we can get damn close.
Tattoo Styles | The Basics
A tattoo style is the general look and feel of a tattoo, not the matter or image/writing. Think of it like any other art form – you can tell when an artist is painting in a specific style, regardless of what the painting depicts.
Though many tattoo styles have been around for decades or even centuries, some have adapted or blended with others – creating a melding hybrid. When you add that every artist has their own style, flair, or edge, you see why the lines between tattoo styles are blurry at best. Regardless, here are all of the most common, popular, and distinct tattoo styles that we at Lamar Street Tattoo Club loves.
All the Most Popular Tattoo Styles
Classic Americana Tattoo Style
These can be called ‘Traditional’ or ‘Old School’ tattoos as well – and perhaps the best way to describe them is to picture a Navy man in the 1930s. Bold black lines and bright colors are trademarks of the classic Americana tattoo style. Often, the imagery contains themes of the ocean or nautical imagery, pinups, predators, hearts, roses, thorns, and daggers.
Neo Traditional Tattoo Style
Like their precursor, Neo Traditional tattoos often have bold lines but a more illustrative look, with brighter, more modern colors and more dimension without exaggerated 3D effects. Neo Traditional tattoo styles are like a comic book or graphic novel on your skin.
New School Tattoo Style
If you move a bit further away from Americana and past Neo Traditional, then you land at New School tattoos which have a distinct graffiti or cartoon feel, along with bright colors and frequent pop culture references.
Japanese Tattoo Style
Classic Japanese tattoo styles have been popular for centuries. They often tell stories, use symbolism, and have historical or traditional meanings. Often, Japanese style tattoos cover large areas, like the back, arms, or legs.
Black & Gray Tattoo Style
As the name describes, the black and gray tattoo style really only limits colors used, as any subject matter can be depicted. This style tends to be more realistic with shading in grays by diluting the black ink to gather a spectrum of shades.
Portraiture Tattoo Style
The Portraiture tattoo style is a genre within realism. However, as the name suggests, this style is used for the likeness of people, often with incredible accuracy in black, white, and grayscale.
Stick & Poke Tattoo Style
Stick-n-poke uses a single needle to create simple designs, this is reminiscent of many cultures’ traditional tattooing styles. Often, this style uses thick and bold lines, usually in black, with small decorative dots or patterns.
Realism Tattoo Style
The Realism tattoo style is exactly as it sounds…real-looking tattoos. This tattoo style looks like a photograph and can be in color or black and grayscale. Realism tattoos are often used to commemorate someone or something, as realistic tattoos can portray anything from scenery or objects to animals and people.
Blackwork Tattoo Style
Blackwork tattoo style originally came from the first tribal tattoos, made of thick and bold black lines in a variety of geometric shapes and patterns. Now, artists often add in imagery derived from different sources to create an image that is unique and seems to capture swirling movement in different forms around the body.
Biomechanical Tattoo Style
These tattoos are often done freehanded and are meant to adapt to the individual’s body and muscle movement. And, as the name lends, it is also meant to mimic machinery hidden under the skin.
Sketch Tattoo Style
Sketch tattoos are meant to mimic hand-drawn images. This can be done with resemblances to brush or pen marks, incomplete strokes, overlapping lines, or ‘incomplete’ elements. In addition, the shading is often bold and rough as well, with a heavy emphasis on negative space.
Fine Line or Aesthetic Tattoo Style
The Fine Line or Aesthetic tattoo style is characterized most often by thin lines with no shading or gradation of colors. These tattoos emphasize the image, the lines, and not the colors, textures, or shading. They are also often delicate due to their thin lines, though this doesn’t mean they have to be small.
Geometric Tattoo Style
Geometric tattoos are very popular yet have the ability to be timeless, as they are mainly shapes and lines, which – let’s be honest – will always be in style. Using geometric designs on bodies that are decidedly not geometric is a stunning contrast. A combination of geometric and organic/floral is often used to soften the otherwise ‘hard’ shapes.
Realistic Trash Polka Tattoo Style
Realistic Trash Polka is instantly recognizable for its collage-like feel, as it can include almost anything, all jumbled together in a unique and pleasantly ‘chaotic’ blend. Trash Polka tattoo style can mix blackwork, realism, and a little splash of everything else as well and usually only has black and red.
Surrealism Tattoo Style
Surrealism tattoos are just like the general art genre of surrealism. This gives artists more material and options to work with, and the more creativity given, the more amazing the artwork. This tattoo style is about fantasy and is the opposite of realism.
Watercolor Tattoo Style
Watercolor tattoos are bright, vivid, and look like a watercolor painting with color changes and gradients in a rainbow of hues. This style is softer and more watered at the edges, looking much more like paint than traditional ink.
Tribal Tattoo Style
Many cultures hold as the originators of tribal style tattooing, including the Aztec and Borneo cultures, Samoa, Hawaii, India, Polynesia, and the Maori people of New Zealand. This tattoo style is mainly characterized by solid black dots and lines, traditionally meant for ritualistic or sacred places, as well as storytelling and memories.
Illustrative Tattoo Style
Illustrative tattoos come from both traditionalism and realism. They typically use black outlines, the same as traditional tattoos, and can have color or be only black. What differentiates these tattoos from traditional ones is that it aims to look drawn or animated instead of photo-realistic. This is one of the instances where two styles can blend to make a new one.
Chicano Tattoo Style
The Chicano tattoo style often shows women, skulls, flowers, and religious figures, often in black and grayscale. This style has heavy symbolism and meaning, connections to the Chicano culture, as well as religious and group dynamic connotations.
We Know Our Tattoos
Lamar Street Tattoo Club has diverse and talented tattoo artists, which means we are practiced in many styles. Ask us about yours! Whether you already know exactly what you want or you are looking to collaborate, send us a submission form and we’ll get back to you with a consultation, appointment time, and tattoo artist recommendation.
Walk-ins Always Welcome, Appointments Preferred.
Meet Your Tattoo Artist | Top Dallas Tattoo Artists
April 28, 2022
We have actively screened our tattoo artists so you can be sure our vetted practitioners are some of the best tattoo artists in Dallas!
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April 28, 2022
Meet Your Tattoo Artist | Top Dallas Tattoo Artists
At Lamar Street Tattoo Club, our clients benefit from the passion, experience, and craftsmanship that our elite group of tattoo artists provide. We have actively screened our tattoo artists so you can be sure our vetted practitioners are some of the best tattoo artists in Dallas, proudly creating the best tattoos from the best tattoo shop!
But don’t just let us brag on our own team – learn a little bit about each of our tattoo artists, their specialties, and histories, and make your own call…
Our Tattoo Artists:
Josh Hall
Proprietor of Lamar Street Tattoo Club & Tattoo Artist
With over 20 years of experience as a professional tattoo artist in Dallas and 8 years as a licensed paramedic before that, Josh strives to bring a higher standard to the craft of tattooing. Named by the Dallas Observer as one of the best tattoo artists in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, he believes in providing an unparalleled customer experience.
Josh has been heavily influenced by the early American and Eastern tattooing styles and has enjoyed creating many pieces of permanent artwork in styles like American traditional, Japanese, Mehndi, Botanical and anatomic. He is also a fan of creating the popular ornamental and blackwork tattoos. As one of the top tattoo artists, his American traditional tattoos in Dallas are sought after.
“Get it done right the first time, it’s only permanent.”
Jake Johnson
Tattoo Artist
For over 25 years, Jake has been tattooing in Dallas. A native of Lubbock, Texas, he realized a love for art and tattooing at an early age. He would move to Dallas to accommodate the apprenticeship required to earn his spot in the trade.
Jake enjoys collaborating with clients on custom pieces and working in many genres including realism, traditional, neo-traditional, and geometric.
Bob Lawson
Tattoo Artist
Bob is a native Texan from right here in the Metroplex. Bob has been a fixture in Deep Ellum/Downtown Dallas shops for over a decade but started his tattooing career 6 years ago. Bob has always had a love of the arts and previously worked in drafting, architecture, and skateboard deck design. Bob prefers to work with fine lines and old-school American traditional styles.
Cameron Gamel
Tattoo Artist
Cam Gamel has been professionally tattooing in DFW since 2007. After graduating high school, he served proudly in the US Army, then enrolled in college to obtain an associate’s degree in graphic design. Cam has mainly worked in high-volume street shops where versatility in tattoo styles is expected in daily demands. However, while he can perform different tattoo styles, he prefers bold traditional tattoos and Chicano style black and gray.
Cam’s main goals are to provide a tattoo that looks great, that you’re proud to show off, and that will age properly with you.
With Lamar Street Tattoo Club and our diverse and talented tattoo artists, you will get a comprehensive consultation, superior service, detailed aftercare, and an amazing piece of permanent artwork to show off. Whether you know exactly the style and form you want, or you are open to collaborating, send us a submission form and we’ll get back right away with a consultation, appointment time, and tattoo artist recommendation.
Walk-ins Always Welcome, Appointments Preferred.
Lose Your Ugly Tattoo | Tattoo Removal in Dallas
March 24, 2022
We offer a superior solution for laser tattoo removal in Dallas, Texas. And we’ve upgraded our technology to the cutting-edge Astanza Duality!
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March 24, 2022
Lose Your Ugly Tattoo | Tattoo Removal in Dallas
Lamar Street Tattoo Club has been your trusted tattoo shop for years, but we also offer the opposite service – no, not bad tattoos, but removing them.
We offer a superior solution for laser tattoo removal in Dallas, Texas. And as we’ve upgraded our technology to the cutting-edge Astanza Duality, you can rest assured that our process is the best. We don’t settle for anything less than the best, and neither should you.
We couldn’t be more excited to bring on new technology and provide the best tattoo removal in Dallas. Our Duality laser delivers better, faster, and safer results for ALL skin types I through VI. We are also the only laser tattoo removal in Dallas, TX exclusively offering treatments using the DESCRIBE® PFD Patch.
Our Tattoo Removal Process:
In general, laser tattoo removal works differently than other lasers. For example, unlike a laser pointer or a continuous beam of light, tattoo removal lasers produce pulses of light. Each pulse of energy penetrates the skin and is absorbed by the tattoo ink. As the tattoo ink particles absorb the energy, they heat up and then break down into smaller fragments that your body naturally rids.
Your immune system recognizes tattoo ink as a foreign matter, but since ink particles are usually too large and stubborn to be removed as they are, the energy pulse from the laser is needed to break it down to a size your body can deal with. These tiny fragments are then removed, or “flushed” out naturally by the body’s immune system. Eventually, the tattoo fades in much the same way that a bruise fades over time
Laser tattoo removal is the greatest tool for perfecting artwork, especially cover-up tattoos. Lamar Street Tattoo Club can lighten a tattoo before a cover-up, giving you more versatility with your new tattoo, and your cover-up tattoo artist more flexibility with their artistry.
Tattoo Removal Most Common Questions:
Can I Get Laser Tattoo Removal Treatment?
Laser tattoo removal treatments are safe and effective on all ink colors and are safe for all skin types. However, darker skin types or patients who are immunocompromised may require extra care. One of our best tattoo removal or cover-up tattoo artists in Dallas will consult with you and customize your treatment.
How Long Is A Tattoo Removal Treatment Session?
Generally, a laser tattoo removal session will last no longer than 30 minutes. However, we must assess your tattoo first to give you the most accurate estimate of time. After your first tattoo removal treatment session, we will have a much better idea of how long your sessions will last.
Is The Procedure Painful?
There is some discomfort associated with the procedure. Some patients have described it as a rubber band being constantly snapped at your skin. However, we all experience pain differently and tolerance is a variable factor. Some clients may choose numbing solutions to maximize their comfort as well.
How Can I Help Further The Healing Process?
We recommend applying an ice pack or cold compress over the gauze bandage several times a day to help reduce bruising and swelling. It is also important to exercise and increase blood circulation so that the immune system may carry the ink particles out faster.
Speaking of aftercare…
Tattoo Removal Aftercare in Dallas
Dallas is sunny quite often, as is most of Texas, so the aftercare of tattoo removal may be a little different than in other areas that have seasons with little sun.
The laser tattoo removal treatment may create a superficial burn wound. This means there will be immediate whitening, swelling, or redness of the treated area, which usually lasts for several minutes. Some clients may then develop blisters, crusts, or scabs within 8-72 hours, which can last for 1-2 weeks. The treated areas may be pink or pale after the scab separates. Some patients may experience bruising or swelling, which usually fades over the first week after treatment.
1. Apply a Cold Compress
Applying cold compresses can help ease some of the discomfort and inflammation from the treatment. We recommend icing the treated area in regular 15-minute intervals for the first 24 hours.
2. Keep Your Tattoo Removal Area Clean & Dry
Clean the area gently with soap and water and then pat the area dry. You may apply a thin coating of ointment, which we will provide, up to three times a day. For the first three days KEEP THE AREA COVERED with a sterile dressing. It is of the utmost importance that you avoid sun exposure to the area during the first 3 days.
3. Don’t Mess with the Scab or Blister
Should you scab, don’t pick or expose the scabbed area, as it may result in infection, scarring, or permanent pigment change. Shaving should be avoided in the treated area until it is completely healed.
4. Gentle Showers, No Baths, Hot Tubs, or Pools
It is ok to shower after the treatment but take care to avoid high-pressure water hitting the treated area. Any form of soaking is not recommended until all blistering and scabbing are completely healed as they may increase the risk of infection.
5. Exercise
Exercise is generally safe after treatment taking into account the other aftercare instructions provided.
6. Protect Against the Dallas Sunshine
Wear a sunblock SPF of 25 or higher, protecting against UVA/UVB rays over the area for the full time between sessions while removal is performed. Limiting sun exposure between treatments will reduce the amount of tan in the area, thereby reducing the risk of side effects. Do not wear makeup or any cream on the treated area unless recommended by our office for 48 hours.
7. Contact Us with Questions or Concerns
If the area looks infected (honey-colored crusting and oozing or spreading redness), if you experience an unusual discomfort or bleeding, if any other complications develop, or if you have any questions or concerns, contact us immediately.
8. Always Be Safe
Of course, if you have any extreme reaction, please contact your regular physician, go to the emergency department or call 911.
With Lamar Street Tattoo Club, you can expect to receive comprehensive consultations, superior service, and detailed aftercare to ensure that your tattoo removal goes well and you get the best results. Whether you want a tattoo removed or covered up, reach out to us for a consultation.