What medical conditions effect tattooing?

Please speak to your tattooist if you are on any medication or if you have any allergies. Your tattooist will need to take these into account when tattooing you.
Tattoo artist inserting stencil on client
Tattoo artist inserting stencil on client


Diabetes – if you have diabetes (type 1 or type 2) you should make sure that it is under control and you are completely healthy at the time of your tattoo appointment. If you use insulin or are likely to need sugar boosts, make sure you bring these to the appointment and talk to your tattooist about what is likely to happen.

Additionally tattooing can slow down the healing time of your tattoo and increase the chance of infection. Take extra care of yourself durung healing, be patient with your body and let your tattooist know if you have any concerns.

Steroid Medication – Use of steroid medication can thin your skin and slow down your healing time. If you are using topical steroid medication please let your tattooist know at the consultation.

Eczema / Psoriasis – Some clients (a very small percentage) can find that the tattoo process can trigger an eczema/psoriasis outbreak around the spot being tattooed. If you are in the middle of an outbreak please wait until it has passed so we don’t cause any more discomfort or reaction in that area. If you develop spots after your tattoo don’t be alarmed, it’s the skin's normal response to any irritation.

Cancer treatments, Chemotherapy, Hormone Therapy, Immuno-suppressant medications and In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) treatment  – these medications and treatments can suppress your immune system and cause issues with the heal time, quality of healing and the end result of tattooing. More importantly, the risk of infection is increased as well as the dangers that any infection may cause. It is recommended that you wait until the medication is out of your system before you consider any tattoo work and you should always speak to your doctor before making your appointment.

If you are unsure about any medication you are on and it's effect on tattooing please ask your doctor before making your tattoo appointment. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure that you are fit to be tattooed.

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