Hygiene rules for beginners and experienced tattoo artists

The profession of tattooist is not highly regulated in France today, particularly when it comes to qualifications. Almost anyone can set up as a tattooist and open a shop without ever having actually tattooed. However, there are a few rules to be observed if you want to set up a business or simply tattoo for the pleasure of friends or acquaintances. In this article, we'll look at the hygiene rules that need to be observed.

Hygiene rules to follow when getting a tattoo

First of all, it's best to work in an aseptic environment to avoid infection during tattooing. Tattooing creates micro-lesions in the dermis of the skin, so if the place where you are tattooing is not healthy, the micro-lesions may become infected. To protect the various materials you use, we advise you to use plastic film to protect your work surface, light, caps, etc., for example.

As you've no doubt realised, it's very important for you to keep your shop and work surface as clean and tidy as possible, because people who want to get a tattoo are more and more sensitive to this. How many times have we seen articles talking about the lack of hygiene of certain tattoo artists, whether beginners, amateurs or professionals? That's why we're making all tattoo artists aware of the hygiene rules that need to be respected, because we think it's essential to do so in order to professionalise the profession and reassure your customers. You'll find a whole range of hygiene products suitable for tattoo artists on our site, but here's a small selection of products that will help you protect your tools and, of course, your work surface. Plastic stretch film is a good way of protecting your tools and work surface, so don't hesitate to change them regularly. For better hygiene, we recommend that you change it every day to guarantee a high level of quality.

Single-use products for simplicity

Next, we advise you to use single-use products. In fact, only nozzles and needles can be re-used, provided they are sterilised. But for simplicity's sake, use single-use needles and nozzles. Always remember to check the sterility date on the back of your product packaging.

What a headache to have to sterilise your needles and nozzles! It's essential that you concentrate on other tasks that are much more rewarding than sterilising your needles and nozzles. This is why we recommend that you use single-use needles and nozzles, as these products are packaged in hermetically sealed, aseptic containers. However, it is essential to ensure that the expiry dates for the aseptic environment of your equipment are respected. We check this for you before each shipment of your goods. You can even order equipment that has passed its expiry date for use on training skins. You can also buy out-of-date inks in our shop for training purposes. To do so, please take a look at the underworld corner of the shop.

Devilish Tattoo tip: To avoid stocking out-of-date products, use the FIFO (First In First Out) method to organise your stock. This means that the first products to arrive in stock will be the first to leave. Always put products that are about to expire at the top of your stock and those that are due to expire later at the bottom!

Before tattooing, remember to disinfect your hands, using hydro-alcoholic gel for example, which is much simpler and just as effective as soap and water. To disinfect your hands with hydro-alcoholic gel, take a dab of gel and place it in the palm of your hand. Clean your hands as you normally would, taking care to spread the gel evenly over all your hands, then leave to dry.

Disinfecting your hands is a step not to be neglected, because on the one hand, when it's done in front of the client, it reassures him that his tattooist's hygiene procedures are being followed properly, and on the other hand, it will enable you to protect your client from 99% of the infectious agents that you carry on your hands and that you could transmit to him when your skin comes into contact with his when you tattoo him. It would be a pity if your client got infected after his tattoo, it would be bad publicity for your tattoo parlour and at Devilish Tattoo we don't want that, that's why we offer you hygiene products adapted to your profession and above all of quality.

Devilish Tattoo tip: Washing your hands too often can dry them out, so remember to apply moisturiser to your hands at the end of the day to hydrate and nourish them.

We recommend that you use clean latex gloves for tattooing. After washing your hands, put on a pair of gloves to reinforce hygiene during tattooing. Make sure you change your gloves every time you touch soiled or unprotected material.

An example not to be followed, which is often seen on markets, is when a shopkeeper uses gloves but gives change with the gloves. This is counterproductive, as the change he touches and gives back with his gloves becomes soiled. So remember to take off your gloves if you need to pick up unprotected or soiled products with your hands while tattooing. The use of gloves is strongly recommended while you are tattooing your client's skin, however the use of gloves does not free you from the chore of cleaning your hands with antibacterial products. The best procedure when tattooing is first to sanitise the environment where you are going to tattoo. Then clean and disinfect your work surface and protect it with plastic film. Then protect and disinfect your tools. Clean your hands and put on a pair of gloves. Now you're ready to tattoo your client in complete safety ;)

All these hygiene measures are designed to prevent infectious agents from contaminating the micro-lesions resulting from tattooing. So it's important to make sure you do this when tattooing a relative, acquaintance or customer. Don't hesitate to discover our range of hygiene products in the hygiene category.