Pre care

• No workouts 24 hours before the procedure
• No Coffee before 24 hours before the procedure
• No sun or tanning 7 days before the procedure
• DO NOT take Aspirin, Niacin, Vitamin E, or Advil/Ibuprofen 24 hours before procedure. Tylenol is okay.
• NO “power” shakes or greens for 72 hours prior to procedure. They may cause blood thinning and excessive bleeding.
• NO fish oil or “Hair, Skin, and Nails” 24 hours before procedure.
• Stop all use of glycolics, chemical peels, or Retin-A 4 weeks prior to procedure. Check your skincare products for anything that says “acid.”
• You must be off Accutane for at least one year. NO Exceptions.
• If you get fillers they should be done no sooner than 6 weeks prior to or 6 weeks after your appointment.
• If you use botox, it should be performed either 2 weeks prior to or 2 weeks after your appointment.
• You must not be pregnant. NO exceptions.
• Cold sores: if you’ve EVER had even 1 cold sore on the outside area of your mouth or on your lips you MUST take doctor prescribed Aciclovir, Zovirax or Valtrex at least 2 days prior and 3 days after getting your lips tattooed. If you don’t – this procedure can trigger an outbreak that will affect healing- so this is very important & very easy to avoid!
• Moisturise: make sure your lips are well moisturised in the days leading to the appt. Dry, cracked lips won’t heal nicely!

Aftercare

• First and foremost, make sure your hands are squeaky clean before ever touching the treated area.
• For the first 6 hours cleanse with water and soothe the area, allowing the wound to close naturally in a clean environment
• For the next 10 days, use ointment to keep lips always moist and apply as needed.
• do not apply ice- this will cause bruising. During the healing period, avoid wiping/ licking the lips. This will further traumatise the area and also impede the healing process. Be careful when brushing your teeth as toothpaste can pull out the pigment out of the lip vermilion.
• For the first few days, drink with a straw. Avoid citrus fruits and juices and hot or spicy drinks or food during the healing process.
• Day 1-10 – NO Exercising, gardening, sports, or other activities that lead to excessive sweating
• Day 1-10 – NO Swimming, hot tubs, jacuzzis, saunas, or steamy baths
• Day 1-10 – NO Sun tanning or salon tanning, this includes spray tanning
• Day 1-10 – Chemical treatments (Glycolic peels, AHA, Retin-A, etc)
• Day 1-10 – NO Exposure to airborne debris (Cleaning sprays, dust, dirt, open-air vehicles)
• Day 10-30 – Avoid scrubbing the area for 30 days after the procedure. After 10 days you may gently wash the area with clean fingers and you may apply lipstick if desired.

What to expect after procedure

Some residual swelling is normal for ALL procedures. Some clients may have no swelling, reaction and healing is very different from one client to the next.

Dry skin, itching, and tenderness are all very common and normal especially within the first 5-7 days following the procedure. These symptoms will dissipate each day and will vary on an individual basis.

You can expect the colour to fade and soften 30-50% once healed. The touch-up will enhance any areas that have faded too much. Healing and colour retention is specific to each client and their skin type.

Follow up needs to be done 4-6 weeks after the initial appointment to achieve the best result that we are both pleased with. Some clients may desire or need an additional touch-up which will be subject to an additional fee.

It is important to understand that you will need a colour boost every 1-3 years to maintain a fresh, natural-looking appearance.

If you are out in the sun a lot, use anti-aging products, oily skin creams, chemical peels, or sweat frequently, you will likely need a colour boost every 6 months to 1 year.

General healing timeline:

DAY 1

After Lip tattoo procedure, your body will begin the healing process by releasing lymph fluid. This is normal. The color of the treatment area may appear most vibrant immediately after the procedure. Occasionally, slight bruising may occur, but this is normal and will fade within a few hours. To ensure proper healing, avoid consuming hot liquids, spicy foods, or foods that could potentially stain your lips. To aid in the healing process, it is important to keep your lips moisturized. Use an aftercare gel or balm to keep your lips hydrated and protected. This will help to minimize any discomfort and promote faster healing.

DAY 2

The lips may still be swollen today. Make sure you keep them moisturised with aftercare cream (do not apply ice- this will cause bruising).

DAY 3

You will experience a warm feeling before exfoliating and have very dry, chapped lips. Keep moisturising with the aftercare cream as needed. Light flaking or peeling is normal and should not be picked at.

DAY 4-5

Exfoliation begins, the chapped texture is almost gone.

DAY 6-7

Lip colours begin to appear under the crust. This colour will start to disappear, replaced with a greyish, transparent “frosty” haze as the second stage of healing begins.

DAY 8-14

Greyish haze disappears and beautiful colour blooms and matures, looking bright and clear.

DAY 15-30

You will start to notice the actual healed results from your session (you’ll notice a few colour changed until then). Patience is key 🙂

The healing is complete. The colour you see now is the new colour you will have. Your lips will remain dry for 1-2 months, keep them moist. If you suffer cold sore use cold sore cream like Zovirax with the Bepanthen cream.