Stick and Poke Health and Safety
Both receiving and performing hand poke tattoos comes with the innate issue of health and safety risks, similar to any process that involves breaks in the skin. Consequently, this is something that must be taken very seriously and with great precaution. This guide will help ensure you stay safe when Hand Poke Tattooing!
Whenever the decision to perform a stick and poke tattoo crosses your mind, you should also take health and safety measures into consideration. You can use the following blog post as an effective, go to guide when planning to tattoo yourself, or someone else.
The area and set up which you intend to use for the process of tattooing, should meet the following requirements:
- The area must be clean and sterile. Preferably there should be a sturdy, smooth, washable non-porous surface. An example of this is stainless steel.
- The tattooing area should be as separate as possible from any other frequently used area in your home. This includes the living room, dining room, bathrooms, kitchen and sleeping areas.
- It is important that you refrain from drinking, smoking and eating in the tattoo area. It is also very important that you remove any pets in the tattoo area.
- You must use sterile, single-use, disposable hand poke needles. It is essential that they are in sealed, sterile packages that are opened in front of you.
- Use professional tattoo ink, that is certainly labelled for the use of tattooing.
- Dispose of all plastic and/or cloth barriers used after every individual tattoo.
- Consistently and carefully follow the post-care instructions for looking after and healing your tattoo.
You Must:
- Always ensure that the person perform the tattoo has thoroughly washed their hands with soap and warm water before starting the tattoo.
- Use disposable ink caps for each individual bottle. NEVER put needles into ink bottles.
- Pour each ink colour into their own, new ink cap.
- Wear clean, sterile clothing.
- Ensure the use of hand sanitiser by the person performing the tattoo and make sure they also change their gloves before continuing work on the tattoo if they have stopped to do something else. Washing of the hands may be done before using the hand sanitiser.
- Wear new, clean, disposable gloves when tattooing.
- Use clean wooden sticks to remove creams and gels from containers to be applied.
- Make sure that you have a puncture resistant sharps box to dispose of all used needles, this is very important as can lead to serious consequences if not done.
You must never:
- Allow yourself or the person performing that tattoo to put needles directly into ink bottles. The use of disposable ink caps is crucial.
- Reuse tattoo needles. All needles used MUST be sterile and new. They are to be disposed of immediately after use.
- Reuse any tattoo equipment that hasn’t been properly cleaned or sterilised.
If you have any concerns or doubts about the process of safely performing hand poke tattooing, DO NOT proceed.
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