A few extremely helpful tips on how to take care of yourself while choosing a tattoo artist. There is nothing worse than walking home with an infected tattoo. That is the best case scenario when it comes to faulty tattoos while the worse case scenario is where you end up with some life threatening disease. These tips give the soon-to-be-inked a few ideas on what to look for when approaching a tattoo artist for a tattoo. Where the tattoo artist performs his/her craft is not as important as the cleanliness and professionalism shown by the artist.
One precaution to take is to ensure proper placement and retrieval of the needles. The tips, an important piece of the machine, must be maintained and sanitized properly. The workspace must be well maintained and free of trash and leftovers as it has much to do with the artists ability to keep everything else clean. The scarring from a tattoo can be kept to minimal if aftercare instructions are followed precisely.
As far as the artist goes, try to avoid a heavy handed person as that style tends to leave more scars than a lighter handed person. I would still recommend going to an artist who was recommended to you by a good friend instead of going to a shop and getting tattooed by a stranger who probably does not care about you and your well being. All activities in life carry some type of risk, but most disasters can be avoided by taking certain precautions, and tattooing is no different.