Pregnancy/Injury and Tattoos

This is an expansion on our previous blog, 'You Won't Tattoo Me?' due to an increase in inquiries on this subject. We thought it would be a good idea to address some of the most frequent questions that arise with clients wanting to be tattooed while pregnant, breast feeding, or are healing an injury. So have a read of the below information and feel free to message us if you have any other questions.

I'm pregnant, will you tattoo me? In short, no. We are not willing to tattoo anyone who is aware that they are pregnant.

Why won't you tattoo me if I'm pregnant?? Here are some very important reasons why we will not tattoo anyone who is aware they are pregnant

Increased risk of infection. We are ALWAYS diligent with a very high standard of hygiene for every tattoo, however no matter how careful we are there are always external and outside factors which can cause a tattoo to get infected. There are many different types of infections and none of them are good for a developing baby so the safest thing is to not even take the risk
There is very little research on the effects of tattoo ink on a developing baby/fetus. While we use all safety approved ink, since there is little/no studies specifically on how these can effect someone who is pregnant it is again another risk which is best avoided.
Your skin goes through some drastic changes when you are pregnant. This is largely due to the hormones which are now being produced. Some people even take supplements/use creams to increase the elasticity of their skin during pregnancy. These changes can make it extremely difficult to tattoo and may mean that the appearance of your tattoo will change once your body returns to normal. Due to all of these reasons we can't guarantee the quality and longevity of a tattoo done while pregnant.
Lastly our artist reserve the right to not tattoo any person for any reason and the largely increased risks mentioned above are enough to make us create a blanket rule to not tattoo anyone while pregnant.

I just found out I'm pregnant and got tattooed last week! Will something go wrong?? Don't stress, don't freak out. Making sure you take extra care of healing your tattoo is very important so that you do not risk infection. If you are concerned you can call or come back in to the studio. Just look after yourself and your body while the tattoo heals and you'll be perfectly fine. Generally at this early stage of pregnancy there is virtually nothing to worry about so just being mindful that your immune system may not be at it's full is the most important thing.

I'm not pregnant anymore! But I am still breastfeeding my tiny human, can i get a tattoo now?

Unfortunately a lot of the same risks still apply while you are breast feeding. Remember that your little human is consuming something from your body so putting ink into your body, and then having this clearing through you lymph system, means that there is a chance this will effect them too. We would much rather wait until you are finished breast feeding.

I gave birth under 6 months ago, but my small human is on formula/I'm not breastfeeding will you tattoo me? Sadly again, we would still rather wait. After your body has been through such a major change it can take awhile for things to get back to a stable state. Your skin will still be slightly more stretchy, your immune system might still not be 100%, and most likely you'll be completely warn out from the whole ordeal, so take your time, rest up and know that we are not going anywhere.

As a final note while it is not illegal to tattoo a pregnant/breast feeding person, the artists at our studio always have your best interest at heart. If you do find somewhere that is willing to tattoo you, or do not ask you if you are pregnant/breast feeding, please consider all the risks. Consider if you are ok with putting yourself and your baby at an increased risk or something that might not look great after your pregnancy.

Oops I did something silly and broke my arm! But I'm booked in for a tattoo! (on my leg) will you tattoo me? Broken bones are more on a case by case basis. In general we don't like to tattoo anyone with a broken bones mainly due to a compromised immune system. It also depends on what medication(s) you are on. Please let us know as soon as possible if you are booked in and have had an injury. This might still be alright however this will be determined on each individual. Obviously we won't be able to tattoo any area that is covered by a cast or is close to an open wound.

I've just come down with the flu but I am booked in/want to book in soon, will you tattoo me? Nope! Sorry but we can't tattoo anyone who is sick/has the flu. We pride ourselves on creating a safe and sterile environment at our studio and would hate for any of our other clients to get sick while they are here. This will also increase your risk of infection as your immune system will be working over time already. If you have a little sniffle or hay fever this should be fine but please do get in touch asap if you have any concerns or aren't feeling well and are booked in.