Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional. Some of the information provided contains a brief and incomplete list of conditions that may be affected by tattooing. Any and all information could be outdated, incomplete and/or inaccurate. It is your duty to ALWAYS consult with a trained medical professional about any and all questions and concerns related to your health prior to getting tattooed. It is your responsibility to make an informed decision prior to making an appointment as there is always a potential risk to your health any time you receive a tattoo.

I am unable to inform you of the severity of a health condition, or the exact level of risk to your health if you were to receive a tattoo with said health condition. I may, in my best case of judgement, deny a person service if the tattoo seems to pose a major risk to your health, my health or if a service makes me uncomfortable in any way.

I do my best to accommodate most requests and kindly ask that if I am not comfortable tattooing you for any reason to look for an artist that is better suited and more comfortable to work with the subject matter, medical condition or demeanor you have requested for me to work with.

Medical conditions, such as the list below but not limited to, should be consulted about with a medical professional before booking a procedure. These conditions may affect your ability to sit through a tattoo, heal a tattoo or affect the way your skin reacts and heals a tattoo, which will affect the way your tattoo looks after settling into the skin. These conditions paired with a tattoo procedure may weaken your immune system or result in a medical emergency.

1. Diseases (neurological such as epilepsy, autoimmune like diabetes or arthritis, or diseases of the heart, lungs or skin)
2. Allergies (such as pigment, latex, topical anesthetics and skin products, or metal)
3. Cancer (especially those of skin, lymph nodes, or fragile/immunocompromised states)
4. Nerve pain/damage (such as neuropathy, hyperalgesia, allodynia, or pain from muscle spasms)
5. Infections (especially hepatitis or HIV, but also any viral, bacterial, fungal or parasitic variety)
6. Disorders (neurological such as tourette syndrome, or blood like hemophilia or anemia, or skin)

Any medically related condition is worthy of discussing with a medical professional prior to getting tattooed and this is not a complete list of every condition that a tattoo may affect or interact with. It should be understood that because an artist is not a medical professional, they may need to opt out of tattooing a person with a medical condition that they do not believe they are equipped to support in the case of an emergency or if they believe a tattoo may put someone's life in jeopardy. Your safety, care and comfort and our ability to support your needs should be considered since this is a medically related procedure.

Please reach out to an artist and inform them of a medical condition or questions before booking an appointment so we can do our best to accommodate you when able to.

Any medication could impact your tattoo in some way. If you are on any medication, speaking with a medical professional prior to getting tattooed is important. This is not a complete list of every medication that may cause complications. It should be understood that because an artist is not a medical professional, they may recommend you consult with a medical professional and obtain approval for a tattoo, but may also opt out of tattooing individuals taking medications that are very probable to make it hard for you to get reasonably good results or cause an emergency. In the case of an emergency, artists should be knowledgeable of how to assist you or medical personnel.

Please reach out to an artist and inform them of medications or questions before booking an appointment so we can do our best to accommodate you when able to.

Antibiotics: If you are currently taking antibiotics for any part of your body, you’re likely fighting an active infection. When your immune system is already strained and fighting something off, adding a fresh wound such as a tattoo is likely to lead to poor heal or a secondary infection. You must finish your full course and should wait for clearance from a medical professional before coming in for a tattoo.

Steroids and Immunosuppressants: Medications used for autoimmune conditions such a a prednisone can suppress your immune system’s ability to heal. This will cause slower healing times and a much higher risk of infection. The harder your body has to work, and the longer a tattoo takes to heal over, the more likely it is to have complications such as patchiness, fading or scarring.

Anticoagulants: Medications that thin the blood, such as aspirin, warfarin, or heparin prevent blood from clotting normally. There is risk of excessive and unmanageable bleeding during the session. Excessive bleeding can also essentially push tattoo ink out as an artist works, sometimes leading to a patchy or faded tattoo. It also makes it harder for the artist to see their stencil, or how much ink has been deposited into your skin.

Seizure Medication: Some rare anti-seizure drugs can have a risk of increased bleeding, so you may want to check with a medical professional to see if your medication does. Transparency with your artist is key, and you may need to ask for special accommodations such as shorter sessions, snacks, water, more breaks, lower lighting or soft music since physical stress, intense pain, exhaustion, dehydration or a drop in blood sugar can be seizure triggers. Artists want to ensure you're positioned safely, know exactly how to react, who to call or when to call for help if something happens. If you are easily triggered into seizures, it is best for you and your artist's safety to wait until they are manageable to avoid an emergency.

Acne Medications: If you are on or have recently finished acne medications such as Accutane, it can thin your skin and significantly alter your body's healing response. You sometimes need to be off these medications for 6 months to a year before getting tattooed to avoid permanent scarring or skin tearing.

If you have an infection, or if you are on antibiotics you should wait until an infection has cleared and you are finished with your antibiotics. Bacterial, viral, fungal, yeast, parasitic, ect all compromise your ability to heal a tattoo and the overall end result, no matter what part of your body is affected. Getting tattooed on an already weakened immune system that is fighting to heal other parts of your body often causes complications for your tattoo and may cause your tattoo to become easily infected as well.

Skin Conditions: It is important to note that rarely but occasionally for some people, trauma to the skin like a tattoo needle can trigger pre-existing skin conditions to appear in the area being worked on. Conditions such as but not limited to psoriasis, eczema, or vitiligo could become triggered and potentially spread across the entire tattoo especially when tattooing over or near an irritated patch. This is known as the Koebner Phenomenon. Tattoos can also trigger autoimmune conditions that affect the skin or even other parts of the body. It is important for those that may be at risk of having a reaction to discuss the risks of getting a tattoo with medical professionals and in order to get an informed decision on if you'd like to proceed with a tattoo procedure.

Acne: If a needle hits a pimple, the pore can fill with ink. Once the pimple heals and the "plug" comes out, it often takes the ink with it, leaving a literal hole or a faded spot in your tattoo. Acne can cause cellulitis or larger scale infections, which are both very painful and can become systemic. This is caused by pushing bacteria that may be trapped in your pores and pushing it deeper while simultaneously spreading the bacteria across the entire area, potentially causing a massive flare-up. Artists strategically avoid acne by moving a stencil to work around it, or just booking another session to finish a project.

Scar Tissue: As a general rule most artists wait 6 months minimum, but often times a year or longer, for a scar to settle after injury to apply a tattoo if the scar tissue is deemed to be workable but sometimes it can take many more months or years to settle down to a reasonable state. Scar tissue is often either tougher or softer than normal skin. It can reject ink, require multiple passes, or it could blow out (the ink hits a deeper layer of skin than it usually would sit and hazes out from the original position.) Tattooing over a scar usually won't hide the texture and can often feel more painful than normal skin. During the application of a tattoo, scar tissue usually swells up more than the rest of the skin but it usually settles after it is healed. It is important to keep in mind that because of the unpredictable nature of scar tissue, it is impossible to depict how it will react during the healing process or how it will behave after the tattoo is healed.

Hygiene is a fundamental part of the medical safety of getting tattooed.

Showering thoroughly with soap and water and exfoliating right before you leave for your appointment will remove surface bacteria, odors and dead skin. Brushing your teeth and tongue, and applying deodorant and perfume will make the experience better for your artist. Ensure your bed sheets, towels and clothing or shoes are freshly washed or whatever your tattoo will be directly in contact with for long periods of time in order to minimize the risk of irritants or infection.

If your hygiene is currently bad due to mental health struggles, a busy schedule, pets, or lack of resources don't be hard on yourself but you should prioritize your health before getting tattooed as it could lead to scabbing, ink loss, or even serious infection. For sake of your immune system, the outcome of your tattoo and respect for the artist who may have to work with you for long periods of time, you should wait if there is not a good hygienic routine in a clean environment established.

Tattooing is an intimate, long process requiring high focus and physical endurance from both parties. The energy you bring into the shop changes everything. If you are respectful, patient, and calm, your artist is more likely to give you their best possible work. If you are being disrespectful, condescending, or hostile you will lose the extra effort you may have gotten otherwise. Haggling, backseat tattooing or not respecting boundaries or rules could result in a session being wrapped up early and the artist not continuing to work with you.

If you are too shy to speak up about a stencil needing to be done or not speaking up about something you don't like or want changed, you’ll end up with a tattoo you don't like or potentially frustrating your artist. Honesty and straight forwardness in a respectful manner is the best policy.

Your ability to get tattooed by a specific artist may be dictated by how your idea fits their specialization and how they manage their schedule. Many artists manage their schedules in a way to prevent burnout and ensure quality by prioritizing projects that they are passionate about and ones that will keep their stress low especially when requests are high.

Sometimes an artist's schedule allows them to be more flexible with the arrangement of styles they are willing to accept but if this is not the case, we may refer you to another artist. Not because we don't like your idea, but because we want to ensure you're getting the most dedication to a permanent procedure.