Lips Tattoo Pre-Care

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Pre-care instructions MUST BE STRICTLY FOLLOWED to limit bleeding and skin sensitivities during the service. Excessive bleeding and sensitivity during the procedure will dilute and expel the pigment color and lead to poor results.

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• You MUST contact your physician for a prescription of an antiviral medication Valtrex, Zovirax, or other anti-viral pre and post procedure to help prevent a herpes outbreak, specially if you have ever had chicken pox, fever blisters or cold sores. There are absolutely no exceptions to this rule. Start taking the medication 2 days prior and continue for 2 days post procedure.  

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• The skin must be free of all irritations including blemishes, eczema, and psoriasis.

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• Must not be on Accutane medication for one year prior to getting a Cosmetic Tattoo.

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• You must wait 6 weeks after getting lip fillers, it is possible to have poor color retention in lips that have had collagen injections within 6 weeks, and within a year of Restylane. There is the risk of pigment migration along the lip line if you have had Restylane. If you plan on getting lip fillers after your procedure, you must wait at least 6 weeks.

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• Stop taking Fish Oil, Vitamin C, Glucosamine, Evening Primrose Oil, or Ginger one week prior to your appointment as they thin the blood and prevent the pigment from implanting correctly. If you continue to use these the healed result may be patchy.

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• Discontinue the use of any anti-aging, skin brightening or anti-acne skincare products. Particularly those that contain Alpha Hydroxy (AHA), Vitamin A, Retinol. Ideally, do not use these products for 30 days prior to your appointment. Even if you do not use it near the area to be treated the product does spread under your skin and your cosmetic tattoo will heal patchy. Once your tattoo has healed under the skin surface (approximately 6 weeks following your final session) you may resume your usual skin care routine.

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• Do not schedule any facials, microdermabrasion, microneedling, peels or laser treatments for at least 4 weeks prior to your appointment.

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• Must wait 6 months after a lip implant.

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• Please avoid any type of blood thinning medication, and supplement for a minimum of 72 hours prior to your procedure unless is unsafe to do so for your health. Please ask your doctor before stopping these type of medications. Such as: Ibuprofen, Aspirin, Advil, Niacin, Voltaren or Indocid. As well as Supplements, Prenatal Vitamins, Vitamin E or Nutritional Shakes. Tylenol is recommended if you have a low pain tolerance.

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• Do not work out on the day of the procedure.

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• Avoid sun tanning or tanning beds for 2 weeks prior to procedure. If you show up to your appointment with a sunburn you will need to reschedule and will forfeit your deposit. As your skin exfoliates from a sunburn it will take the pigment. Tanned skin is damaged skin, and your color will not heal properly.

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• Scars from surgery or injury must be healed for at least one year prior to service.

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• Do not drink alcohol 24 hours prior to your procedure

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• Do not consume coffee or other caffeine products 24 hours prior.

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• Please note that you will be more sensitive during your menstrual cycle.

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• Please get plenty of rest and drink lots of water to hydrate prior to procedure.

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 Lips Tattoo Post-Care

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WHAT TO EXPECT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PROCEDURE?

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The colour will look bold like lipstick immediately after. Your lips will look slightly larger than normal as if you may have had lip filler injection. This will only last a day or two. The size of your lips will shrink back to normal and the color will significantly fade up to 50% within the first 3 days. You will lose colour on the inside of your lips first , the edges last.

A crust that forms will start to flake away revealing a lighter and more natural color.

In many cases the client wishes to go darker on their touch-up appointment. It is always best to air on the side of caution on the first procedure. It is easy to add more colour, but not to remove it.

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Lips will be tender at first. Drink through a straw. Choose foods you can place in your mouth with a fork without touching the lips.

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Day of Appointment (Day 1)

You may apply an ice pack (which must be protected with a clean wet barrier film of paper toweling, towel or cloth) for 10 minute intervals for the first 24 hours. Ice may be applied every hour or so, if desired. Do not put ice directly on the area.

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(Days 1 - 10)

The treated area may experience the following symptoms for 1 to 10 days after the treatment, which are all common and will dissipate in a short period of time.

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• Swelling and redness.

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• Tenderness.

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• Flaking and mild itchiness as the lips heal.

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• Dry skin that may remain for up to 3 weeks.

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• In the first 12-48 hours, while the skin is in the process of forming a protective scab and the lymph secretion is active you may see fluid or ooze on the skin.  This is normal but the fluid must be patted with a water wet wipe and dried with a clean paper towel so that the secretion does not crust and block the skin from breathing.

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• Keep the lips clean at all times and moisturised with the ointment provided. Try not to disturb the crust when cleaning and let it fall off by itself. Lips will ooze a couple of days.

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• To cleanse the lips please use the water wipes provided to compress each morning, midday and at night. Each time after cleaning and several times a day apply a thin layer of the ointment provided to your lips with a Q-tip or clean hands with light touch. This will reduce the risk of secondary infection and should be done for at least 7 days post procedure. Do not allow lips to become dry. This may interfere with healed colour. Do not use aggressive movements on the skin, be gentle. NEVER put the ointment on a wet or damp tattoo.

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• Lips will peel for a week. Allow them to flake off on their own. Picking and pulling off skin that is not ready to come off will cause pigment loss and can pull out deeper tissue. The edges or lip liner will be the last to fall off. Pulling this off will result in an uneven splotchy line or an indented scar.

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• During the peeling process it may look like there is not much colour there. Colour is more apparent by the second week and will continue to clarify until 5 weeks.

The following must be avoided:

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• Do not rub, pick or scratch, as the color may heal unevenly and you could risk infection, which in turn could lead to scarring. Let any scabbing or dry skin naturally exfoliate away.

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• Do not excessively stretch lips by smiling big or puckering lips with smoking while they are healing. Those motions push and pull against the lip edges, applying tension and friction between the strong normal skin surrounding the mouth and the broken inflamed lip edges. Lip skin is a continuation of the delicate mucous membrane in the mouth. It is not strong like normal skin.

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• Avoid direct sun exposure/tanning or tanning beds for 4 weeks after the procedure. Wear a hat when outdoors and/or big sunglasses.

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• No smoking while your lips are healing (approximately one week).

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• No kissing, rubbing or friction on the treated area until it is totally healed or else you will lose color.

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• Avoid heavy sweating, exercise, sports, swimming, sauna, steam rooms, jacuzzi, and long hot showers for 10 days.

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• When showering make sure you avoid direct water pressure on the treated area for 10 days. You may apply aquaphor to cover your lips.

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• Avoid use of skincare or cosmetics on the treated area (be careful using your foundation or powders.)

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• Refrain from using cleansing creams or moisturizers that contain Retin-A, glycol acids, anti acne ingredients, AHA’s/BHA’s on the worked area.

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• Avoid eating hot, spicy, salty and acidic foods for the first 2 weeks and drink liquids through a straw for 3 days. While eating, do not constantly wipe your lips with a napkin or keep licking your lips as this will impede the healing process.

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• Avoid using toothpaste products with whitening properties as this can bleach the color in your lips also. Avoid For 10 days

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• Do not receive bleaching, waxing, electrolysis or laser hair removal treatments close to your enhancement. Avoid for 2 weeks.

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• Avoid using exfoliants, acids such as glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acids lactic acid, salicylic acid, fruit acid and Vitamin A on the tattooed area for 30 days. (Causes premature fading)

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• Use a fresh pillowcase. Avoid sleeping on your face for the first 10 days.

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• Do not schedule any facials, microdermabrasion, microneedling, filler, peels or laser treatments for at least 4 weeks. They can darken/lighten or distort the pigment.

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• Avoid drinking alcohol in excess, as it may lead to slow healing of wounds.

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• Do Not use Blistex, Carmex or Chapstick while healing.

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• Avoid driving in open air vehicles such as convertibles, boats, bicycles, or motorcycles.

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• Do not perform tasks related to heavy household cleaning such as; garage or storage cleaning where there is a lot of airborne debris–now is not the time!

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• Do not have cosmetic injections on lips for at least three weeks prior to your appointment.

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NOTE:

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• All procedures must HEAL, PEEL and FADE! The approximate healing period is 10 days, however healing can be prolonged if your immune system is compromised, if you are generally stressed and by poor diet.

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• Clients with sun damage, scar tissue (from injury or fever blisters) and clients with implants may not have strong results.

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• Hyperpigmentation can happen on any lip client without warning.

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• Until your skin sloughs off and regenerates you will not be able to see true results. It takes 28 days for the skin to slough off and regenerate itself. Keep in mind that even with proper care, some areas may look uneven or patchy. It is absolutely normal because your natural skin regeneration is not a process that your artist can control. This is the purpose of the complimentary touch up included after 4-6 weeks from the initial session to fine tune your enhancement assure that richness of color, symmetry, density in the shape and desired effect is achieved.

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• Healed results vary per individual client. We have no control over what occurs during the healing process. Lips are a muscle and will need 1 to 3 sessions to complete the process of this procedure. Lips are unpredictable. Some clients will yield to a strong healed lip color. Others will only heal with slight color uptake. This will vary on an individual basis.

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• You can resume wearing lipstick once lips are healed. It is advised to use a new lipstick after all lip treatments.

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Following the proper post-care is necessary to achieve the best results. When scheduling an appointment for a cosmetic tattoo keep in mind the healing time of the procedure will depend on your body’s regeneration, age, immune system and lifestyle.

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