Before and aftercare
This page gives general guidance for restorative tattooing and MCA scar revision. Your consultation and treatment-specific written instructions always take priority.
Before your appointment
If anything changes after your consultation, tell us before travelling to the studio. Postponing is sometimes the safest and kindest option.
Let us know about medicines, allergies, skin conditions, recent illness, pregnancy or breastfeeding, problems with healing, and any ongoing hospital investigation, treatment or follow-up. We may need medical clearance or to postpone treatment.
Never stop blood thinners, antibiotics or any other prescribed medicine for an appointment unless the clinician who prescribed it has told you to do so.
Avoid sunburn, tanning and injury to the area before treatment. Contact us if the skin becomes broken, inflamed, infected, irritated or develops a new rash.
For MCA and areas treated with active skincare, follow the individual instructions given at consultation about acids, retinoids, exfoliants, hair removal or other skin treatments. Do not apply numbing cream unless we have agreed it with you.
Eat normally and drink water before your appointment. Avoid coffee, caffeinated energy drinks and other sources of caffeine beforehand, as caffeine may temporarily raise your blood pressure, make you feel shaky and affect your comfort during treatment. Do not attend under the influence of alcohol, cannabis or any other substance that affects your ability to understand, communicate or give informed consent. Take prescribed medicines as directed unless the clinician responsible for your care has advised otherwise. Let us know before your appointment if a medicine or health condition may affect how you feel during treatment.
Wear clean, loose clothing that makes the treatment area easy to reach and will not rub afterwards. For areola treatment, a soft clean bra or loose top may be helpful if comfortable for you.
After your appointment
Good hygiene and simple, consistent care support healing. More product is not better, so use only what has been recommended.
Your dressing, cleansing and product instructions depend on the treatment and your skin. Follow the written plan provided at your appointment, even if it differs from general advice online.
Wash and dry your hands before touching the area. Do not share towels, apply unapproved products or allow pets, dirty surfaces or unwashed clothing to contact healing skin.
Light flaking, dryness or crusting can happen. Let it lift naturally. Picking, rubbing or peeling can disturb healing, remove pigment and increase the risk of infection or scarring.
Until the area has healed, avoid swimming, baths that soak the area, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms. Avoid strenuous exercise or friction if it causes heat, rubbing or heavy sweating over the treatment site.
Keep healing skin out of direct sun and do not use a sunbed. Once fully healed, regular high-factor sun protection helps reduce pigment change and protects the treated skin.
Redness, tenderness and mild swelling can occur. Tattooed colour often looks stronger at first, then softens as it heals. The settled result can only be assessed after the full healing period explained at your appointment.
Treatment-specific reminders
These reminders support, but do not replace, the personalised written guidance given after treatment.
When to get help
Contact Pigments In Positivity CIC if you are unsure whether your healing is progressing normally. Please remember that email is not monitored continuously and should not be used as a substitute for urgent medical advice.
Seek prompt advice from your GP or NHS 111 if redness or swelling is spreading, or if heat, pain or tenderness is increasing rather than settling. You should also seek advice if you develop yellow or green discharge, an offensive smell, blistering, a worsening rash, fever, chills or begin to feel generally unwell. On brown or black skin, changes in redness may be less noticeable, so also pay attention to increasing warmth, swelling, pain and changes in the colour or appearance of the skin.
Call 999 for severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, sudden swelling of the lips, mouth, tongue or throat, difficulty swallowing, collapse, severe confusion or loss of consciousness.
Please remember: this page provides general information only. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for advice from your GP, hospital team or another qualified healthcare professional.