Find out about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines, and Mayo Clinic patient and visitor updates.

Tattoos might be more common than ever, but don't take the risks lightly. Understand basic safety precautions and aftercare.

You could be the proud owner of a new tattoo in a matter of hours — but don't let the ease of the process stop you from thinking carefully about permanent body art. Before you get a tattoo, make sure you know what's involved and how to reduce the possible risks.

A tattoo is a permanent mark or design made on your skin with pigments inserted through pricks into the skin's top layer. Typically, the tattoo artist uses a hand-held machine that acts much like a sewing machine, with one or more needles piercing the skin repeatedly. With every puncture, the needles insert tiny ink droplets.

The process — which is done without anesthetics — causes a small amount of bleeding and slight to potentially significant pain.

A granuloma is a small area of inflammation caused by tissue injury or the body's intolerance of a foreign substance. In this case, the injury was caused by punctures in the skin during tattooing. The skin is reacting to the tattoo ink.

Tattoos breach the skin, which means that skin infections and other complications are possible, including:

Medication or other treatment might be needed if you experience an allergic reaction to the tattoo ink or you develop an infection or other skin problem near a tattoo.

Before you get a tattoo, think carefully about it. If you're unsure or worried that you might regret it, give it more time. Don't allow yourself to be pressured into getting a tattoo, and don't get a tattoo if you're under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Choose the location of the tattoo carefully. Consider whether you want the option to hide your tattoo under clothing. Also remember that weight gain — including pregnancy weight gain — might distort the tattoo or affect its appearance.

To make sure your tattoo will be applied safely, ask these questions:

How you care for your new tattoo depends on the type and extent of work done. Typically, however, you'll need to:

If you think your tattoo might be infected or you're concerned that your tattoo isn't healing properly, contact your doctor. If your tattoo isn't what you expected and you're interested in tattoo removal, ask your dermatologist about laser surgery or other options for tattoo removal.

Mayo Clinic does not endorse companies or products. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

Check out these best-sellers and special offers on books and newsletters from Mayo Clinic Press.

Any use of this site constitutes your agreement to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy linked below. Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy Notice of Privacy Practices Notice of Nondiscrimination Manage Cookies

A single copy of these materials may be reprinted for noncommercial personal use only. "Mayo," "Mayo Clinic," "MayoClinic.org," "Mayo Clinic Healthy Living," and the triple-shield Mayo Clinic logo are trademarks of Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research.

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here.