Aftercare, an important part of owning body art.

     Owning a piece of body art, especially a new piece, comes with a set of challenges and responsibilities.  Many new tattoo owners, and even more new piercees have questions about how best to take care of their new body art.  For tattoos; the process runs for about three to five weeks, involving regular washing with fragrance/dye-free soap and warm (not hot water), and moisturizing with a plain unscented lotion at regular intervals throughout the day.  Keeping a fresh tattoo safe from direct exposure to sunlight will not only help it heal faster, but will keep the crispness of the lines, and the vibrancy of the colors intact.  Also, a healing tattoo needs freely-circulating air, avoid constricting clothing around your tattoo and it will heal beautifully.

     For piercings; the process runs a fair amount longer, typically between six and twelve weeks for most piercings, and most often consists of washing your hands before preparing a saline soak solution (1/4tsp iodine-free sea salt and 8oz of warn distilled water in a clean cup.) and soaking for 5-10 minutes (A longer soak make a piercing happy.), sometimes it's helpful to use a few cotton balls saturated with this warm saline solution to get to those hard-to-reach places.   This is followed by swabbing away the softened secretions/scabs, using a small amount of a mild fragrance/dye-free antibacterial soap helps. Finally; it is important to rinse the saline and soap off very well with fresh, warm water.  Rinsing removes traces of salt and soap from your skin, if salt recrystallizes on the skin; it will become dehydrated and will not heal as well as it should.

      There are many products out there on the market that bring a great degree of convenience and consistency to healing new body art, not all are created equally, and as with everything; one usually gets what one pays for, more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective, or safer, or better, however; a small amount of research into what others have had great success with usually result in upper-shelf products.  Treat yourself to convenience and peace of mind and protect your investment with quality aftercare, usually available at your body art studio, also online, and in specialty stores. It will make the process of healing your new piece of body art more enjoyable.
     It is important to note however, that keeping aftercare products free from contamination is of the utmost importance, hand-washing is a must! If you are using an ointment, be sure to not 'Double-dip', this will prevent  cross-contamination between any bacteria on your skin and the contents of your aftercare container.  When using a spray, or foam; be sure to never touch the nozzle directly as this will keep the contents as clean as can be.

The custom tattoo process, how it works, and how to get the most out of it.

   When you're thinking about getting a new tattoo, there are many things that complicate matters, most of these are known only to the tattoo artist. Things like whether to get color, or simply black and grey, artistic style, font, placement and size are all important factors that have an impact on your tattoo. A critical factor that many seekers of tattoo work are unaware of is the impact the specific placement has on the tattoo application process; everyone's skin varies in elasticity and complexion from one place to the next, moreover the design itself can sometimes clash with the flow of the client's physique.  The tattoo to the right, for example, does not make adequate use of the "canvas", not to mention the mediocrity seen in the line work, and other details, though this may have been a 'stylistic' presentation of bad lining. One improvement to this design would have been the incorporation of background, or foreground elements to more fully realize the concept presented.

On the other end of the Execution/Planning Spectrum'; this portrait of Billy Bob Thornton's in Terry Zwigoff's 'Bad Santa', features an excellent use of color and detail, while fully utilizing the 'canvas', on the client's arm.  Like many tattoos, the subject of this one is of a personal nature, and is of primary significance and appeal to the client it was applied on.
     While there are so many things to bear in mind when planning your next tattoo; making sure that all is well when you and your artist set down to the actual tattooing is of the utmost importance, don't fall victim to a false sense of security when getting lettering done, especially when it's in a location that you cannot easily see while the tattoo is being applied, some unscrupulous artists make 'mistakes' and others, simply cannot spell, case in point...
Care, caution and planning should go into every tattoo you choose to have applied to you, , because it is after all, your choice.

On Tattoo School...

     There's a lot of buzz going around the industry about the documentary series called 'Tattoo School', ranging from simple rants, to a full-blown industry boycott of The Learning Channel.  While there are plenty of elements to what we've seen on this show (and others, like L.A., or Miami Ink) that illuminate many questionable factors, such as lax aseptic technique, poor customer service, or a rushed approach to technical application.  This is an opportunity for the prospective tattoo client, and the budding tattoo apprentice to gain valuable insight into seeking an experienced professional, and putting forth the effort in learning the craft with patience, and dedication.
      "Rome was not built in a day." "Diligence is the mother of all good fortune." "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master." And, "If something if worth doing, it's worth doing right." are words to consider in the case of something like 'Tattoo School'.  This is especially relevant, considering a traditional Tattoo, or Piercing apprenticeship runs for a year or more.

       There are many in the industry who lambaste the the very notion of Tattoo School, or even programs like New York Ink.  What is unfortunate is that instead of seeing these programs for the grimoire that is presented, many consider these entertainment-based programs to be failed representations of the 'real' industry.  Yet like any grimoire; these shows demonstrate largely what to not do, and for those intent on being on the other side of the needle, what to avoid.
     

Taking care in consideration

   Getting a new piece of body art is no easy prospect, be it a piercing, tattoo, or some other modification; the options, fear of pain, and cost can be daunting for anyone.  At Chameleon; we always encourage our customers not only to take careful consideration into what it is they want to have done, whether it is as simple as an earlobe piercing, or as elaborate as a full-back tattoo.
   Often, the most challenging part of the body art  process is choosing what to get.  The internet provides a wealth of graphic resources, which can be especially helpful for those considering getting a tattoo, though it can also be a boon to those seeking more exotic body modifications, and piercings not ordinarily found. Though as happens quite frequently for those who 'click' with a prospective or previous artist, references of this nature can be rendered surplus to requirement.
   In these turbulent economic times; the average consumer must take a very close look at cost and value in all areas of their day-to-day spending.  An important factor that is often overlooked in favor of low-price, is value,  whether or not the short term savings is outweighed by long-term satisfaction is as important as any other factor of your body art experience.

Welcome to Chameleon Life!

   Here at Chameleon Ink we're always striving to stay at the forefront of the Industry, when it comes to Professional Tattoos and Body-piercing we've led the way since 1996 and now, years into the advent of the blog-sphere we've advanced to yet another corner of the internet!
   Chameleon Life is all about bringing you hand-picked awesomeness from every facet of the Body Art and Body Modification lifestyle.
   For our first post; we're taking a look at Piercing aftercare products and technique, which are the best? Which are the worst? Aftercare is a subject of much contention, with lots of folks divided on which works best, and what not to do.
    The first this you have to remember when it comes to aftercare, is that whatever you're doing to take care of this wound you need to be consistent.  Flip-flopping between regimens and products will offer little else but complications and slows down your overall progress.

     A good piercing aftercare routine (for non-oral body piercings, repeated 2 - 3 times daily) should consist of:
              1. Soaking your piercing with an isotonic (A fantastic term, that in relation to piercing aftercare, means that it more or less matches your own body's salinity.) saline solution, or a home-made soak (8oz warm Distilled water, to an 8th of a teaspoon of non-iodized sea salt, mixed in a clean disposable cup.) to loosen and soften secretions. A good soak-time is about five to ten minutes long.
              2. Wiping these softened secretions away with a cotton-swab, hypo-allergenic anti-bacterial soap may be used to facilitate the removal, and act as an active sanitizer.  Take care not to use too much pressure, or over-zealously scrub, this can cause more hassle than it's worth.
              3. Rinsing your piercing thoroughly with warm after soaking and swabbing.  It's very important to remove any saline from your skin, if there is a sufficient amount of it left; the salt will recrystallize on the surface of your skin, drying it out in the process.  When the skin around a piercing is dry; it takes much longer to heal than healthy skin.
        Lastly, drying... Air-drying your piercing is important to note, as it is the least-traumatic method available, though it can be a bit time consuming if you have places to be.  Using a fresh paper towel to pat your piercing dry is an excellent alternative, just be sure to be gentle in doing so.
   
     In addition to the above; keeping your piercing safe from trauma is crucial to uneventful healing, as well as being careful to not touch your piercing if you haven't just washed your hands with soap and warm water.  Being consistent with your aftercare will provide you with the best results possible, remember that most piercings  take at least four months to heal completely.  A question that is often asked is, 'How long should I keep up with my aftercare?'  While there are the occasional exceptions; a good rule to follow when it comes to estimating how long you're going to be committing to an aftercare routine, is to take the average time it takes for a given piercing to heal, and plan to maintain an aftercare regimen for two thirds of that period. You'll definitely want to maintain your piercing regularly even after this initial routine, but frequency is less of a concern. Yet keeping your piercing safe and clean will always be of great importance if you plan on keeping it for as long as possible.

     Folks concerned with Oral piercings should know that if an oral piercing has an external opening; the same aftercare mentioned above is recommended, with the addition of rinsing with diluted alcohol-free / sugar-free mouthwash and water after meals, non-water beverages, and using tobacco products. Oral sex should be avoided for at least 4 weeks, and should always be hygienic.