Lip
Blushing

After the treatment, your artist will review your aftercare instructions. Immediately after treatment, your lips will be tender and you will have some swelling – it is a tattoo, after all – so you can ice them if necessary. For the first 24 hours, we advise our clients to gently blot their lips with a wet cotton pad and let them air dry. This is to keep the lips clean and remove any body fluids that have surfaced and prevent the fluids from forming scabs. Scabbing typically lasts 4 to 5 days. When it comes to scabs, it’s important that they fall off naturally. Picking them can result in scarring or loss of pigment in those areas.

Throughout the next couple of days, the pigment will appear much darker, and your lips will feel extremely dry and flaky. Initially, the color will be super vibrant, almost like a lip stain. It is important not to be misled by the immediate ‘after’ results. The immediate results look nothing like when the lips are healed. Once healed, the color fades approximately 30-50 percent and also blends in with the natural lip color.

During the healing process, you will want to avoid kissing, smoking, working out, direct and prolonged sun exposure, and hot, spicy or salty food for up to 2 weeks. You should not use teeth whiting products and you should avoid picking or rubbing the lips. Your lip blushing will heal in about 4 to 5 days.

For one week prior to lip blushing, you will want to avoid anything to thin the blood, such as alcohol consumption, aspirin, Advil, or fish oil. On the day of the treatment, you should avoid energy drinks and coffee. For two weeks prior and 1 month following your lip blushing, you should not get laser or chemical peels and no fillers should be added to the lips.

We suggest a touch-up appointment after around 6-8 weeks in the event the client wants to alter the shape of the blush, or to fill in areas that may have rejected pigment, although it’s not mandatory.

We recommend ONLY using a light amount Aquaphor ointment (NO Vaseline, antibiotic creams, Polysporin, etc). Following the procedure, do not use creams that contain acids or ingredients that will lighten or exfoliate the skin. These items trap moisture which keeps the new tattoo from getting air around the lips. Air moving over a new tattoo helps the healing process. After initial healing (7-10 days) use lip gloss with sun block over the tattooed area to preserve color. The continued use of at least SPF 30 sunblock with UVA and UVB protection will help to prevent fading.

No kissing, rubbing or friction on your newly tattooed lips until after 10 days or you may lose pigment. Lips may be dry for 3 to 6 months depending on the body’s reaction.

Avoid applying lip balm, lipstick, or other lip products during this time. Apply Aquaphor every 30-60 minutes for the first week to keep lips from drying out. AVOID touching any tattooed area with your hands.

Lips will be tender at first after the procedure. Drink only through a straw. Choose to only eat foods you can place in your mouth with a fork without touching the lips.