If you're a budding tattoo artist looking to set up shop, it's not enough just to have the tools and talent. You also need to place a strong emphasis on hygiene and proper tattoo sterilization. Not only does this prevent the spread of infectious skin diseases like staph, warts or even herpes, but because a tattoo needle punctures the skin to the point of drawing blood, other diseases like AIDS are high on the minds of your prospective buyers. Here's how to ensure your tattoo studio is the safest, cleanest and coolest around.
Keep Your Single Use Items Stored Carefully
Items such as needles, ink cups, inks and gloves should all be considered single use products for each patient. These are generally kept inside of a disposable kit and should never be reused under any circumstances. Other items that you'll keep on hand during the tattooing process, such as your needle bar and tube, will need to be properly sanitized. Just washing them with hot water and soap won't kill all the bacteria, viruses and fungi that could be lurking on the instruments. Instead, tattoo sterilization equipment is needed to make sure all the microbes are toast long before needle ever touches skin.
Sterilizing Tattoo Instruments With An Autoclave
Before every customer gets tattooed, your common, reusable items need to be stored inside a sterilization pouch, much like those used in hospitals, clinics and dentists' offices. A sterilization pouch is part paper, part transparent plastic and can be seen through on one side. Indicator strips on the inside and outside of the pouch show when the items inside are sterile and ready for use. It may also let you know if the bag is torn, punctured or ripped. Once the items are inside the sterilization pouch, the tattoo sterilization begins by placing the pouch inside an autoclave. Autoclaves are often found in hospitals and dental facilities too to help kill germs and stop the spread of infection from patient to patient by using only 100% sterile surgical equipment.
How Is Tattoo Sterilization Done?
Choosing the right type of sterilization pouch is only part of the sanitizing process. Inside the autoclave, a combination of steam and pressure work to kill any pathogens on your instruments and tools, and it generally takes around an hour to complete the full sterilization process. Explain these steps to your clients as well to help them feel more at ease with the tattoo procedure. You should also open the sterilization pouch in front of them to make sure they can plainly see that the instruments are clean. Check your own hands for any cuts or scrapes and disinfect these areas as well as the area to be tattooed on the customer. You'll need to apply an EPA-certified viricide to the work area to prevent cross-contamination. This creates the most sterile, hygienic area possible and keeps the risk of infection down to a bare minimum. All in all, proper tattoo sterilization techniques can help create an atmosphere that's clean, comfortable and safe for anyone looking to get inked.
