Client Safety, Sanitation & Sterilization - What you need to know.
Client Safety is one of the top priorities for all of the artists at Altered Aesthetics and if you have been researching cosmetic tattooing you have definitely read some horror stories. From permanent makeup done incorrectly to infections from improper aftercare, stories go from bad to worse.
Cosmetic Tattooing (Brows, Eyes or Lips) are procedures, and as such, have as risks associated with technicians failure to follow proper safety guidelines. Unfortunately with the rise in popularity of many cosmetic tattoo procedures, Improper safety measures can not only ruin the look of your new brows, eyes or lips, but it can also put you at risk for scarring and infection.
The artist/technician that you choose should be properly trained and experienced in the cosmetic tattoo procedure that you are looking at getting. They will take the necessary steps to protect you, their client from any potential harm by focusing on the cleanliness of themselves, their environment, and most importantly the artist/technician’s tools.
Watch out for artists/technicians who appear unkempt themselves, as they will be working directly over your skin. Artists/Technicians should wear sterilized disposable gloves, a face mask, apron or medical scrubs and goggles (if needed) while performing your chosen procedure. By wearing these items, your artist/technician is ensuring that no germs make their way from them to you.
The next thing you should look for is their studio/salon environment. No matter how clean the technician or their tools look, if the space that they are working in is dirty, un-kept or hazardous, there is an increased risk to your health and safety. If you see any torn client chairs, broken furniture, dirty floors or pests, that studio is not a safe, sterile environment for you to have your procedure done. Choose, instead, to work with an artist/technician that offers you a pristine, clean environment that you can trust is safe.
One thing that some clients are not aware to look for is what a proper artist/technician station should look like during the procedure. At Altered Aesthetics, we go above and beyond to ensure our clients’ procedures are done in a safe and sterile workspace. Some items to note when looking over the area you will receive your procedure in are:
Gloves - Gloves should be changed throughout the procedure if the artist needs to get additional supplies or touch un-sterile items.
Client Table/Bed/Chair - There should be a waterproof sheet or cover at the headrest when you are getting your procedure done.
Client Tray - The artists’ tray that they are using during the procedure should never have items on it that are going to be re-used. This means there should be NO bottles of pigment, mapping pencils, uncovered bottles, tweezers, etc. If items are left on the tray during a session, they are now contaminated and need to be thrown away.
Proper station set up is crucial to the safety of you and your artist.
Finally, clean tools are of great importance in reducing any risks from cosmetic tattoo procedures. For this reason, the majority of artists/technicians and studios choose to use disposable tools to reduce the risk of cross-contamination between clients. Cosmetic tattoo procedures use needles and blades that penetrate the skin, and you definitely do not want the artist/technician to put anything into your skin that has been used on someone else.
It is safe to say that inexperienced, untrained or lazy artists/technicians are the ones who do not follow the proper safety protocols, which puts you, the client at risk. But, it is also possible that a skilled microblading artist might not adhere closely to cleaning their tools and work area, which can pose serious threats to your health and the longevity of your results. The key is to do your proper research and ask the right questions of your chosen artist/technician.
We have come up with a list of questions we feel anyone looking for cosmetic tattooing should ask their artist/technician:
How long have you been doing the said procedure?
Are you insured?
Do you have healed photos?
Will you show me the tools prior to you opening them to ensure they have not been used on anyone else?
What are the steps you take to ensure cross contamination does not occur?
It is ok to ask any and all questions of your artist/technician and they should be happy to answer anything you ask. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact us!