Begin your Anti-Viral medication 2 days prior to procedure.
- Do not get any form of injections and lip fillers 90 days prior
- Do not get a botox treatment
- Do not work out 48 hours before procedure.
- NO alcohol, caffeine or stimulants 48 hours before procedure (Yes, there is caffeine in decaf coffee and tea!).
- DO keep lips exfoliated and moist, avoid them getting dry and cracked for optimal results 7 days prior
- DO take anti viral medication if prone to cold sore/herpes 48 hours prior
- Avoid sun and tanning one week prior to procedure
- Do not take Aspirin, ipuprofen Niacin, Vitamin E or Advil/Ibuprofen 48 hours before procedure.
- Avoid Fish Oil, Primrose Oil, Prenatal Vitamins, Nutritional Shakes (Shakeology, etc), "Hair, Skin, Nail" supplements for a minimum of 48 hours prior to procedure.
- Discontinue Retin-A, and Alpha Hydroxy Acid (AHA) at least 6 weeks prior
- Must wait a minimum 6 months after lip fillers and 8 weeks after touch-up. It is possible to have poor color retention in lips that have had injections within 6-12.
- Wait six months after lip implant and get written clearance from your surgeon.
Please Note: You will be more sensitive during your menstrual cycle.
Stages of the Lip Blush Healing Process Day by Day
After your session, the skin of your lips will go through several stages of the permanent lip color healing process. It needs to recover from the trauma and close up the micro-wounds.
If you notice any unusual symptoms or extreme irritation throughout your lip blushing healing process, contact your artist. You may be having an allergic reaction, or an infection.
DAY 1 – Swelling, tenderness, and high color intensity
Swelling
The lip tattoo healing process starts halfway through the procedure. Your lips will probably start swelling towards the end of the tattooing session. This is a natural reaction to the trauma.
Everyone experiences a different degree of swelling, so be prepared for everything, from minor swelling, to your lips doubling in size.
Don’t panic – this is normal and it will subside.
They’ll also keep oozing lymph in the first few hours – kind of icky, but normal. Blot it off as instructed.
The swelling can cause your lips to look asymmetric – this too will subside. The same goes for minor bruising some clients experience.
Apply an ice pack to minimize the swelling. Make sure the surface that comes in contact with the treated area is clean.
Tenderness
After the numbing used during the procedure stops working, you will probably feel some tenderness, or even mild pain. Check with your artist if it’s okay to take a painkiller.
Color
The color of your lips is very intense. You may love it, or you may feel like it’s too much – either way, that’s not the true shade the pigments will have.
The color will fade significantly over the next few days, and your lip tattoo will look 40-50% lighter once the 6 weeks have passed. You can book a touch up when the lip bluish healing process ends and go darker.
For most clients, the pigment shade looks its darkest in the first 48 hours or so. After that, it starts fading.
DAY 2 – Less swelling, more tenderness, and a lot of dryness
Your lips should be closer to their normal size, but still a bit swollen. If they don’t go back to their original shape within a few more days, contact your artist. You may be experiencing an allergic reaction.
Tenderness
Your lips still feel tender to the touch. You may experience a slight burning sensation similar to a sunburn.
Dryness
Dryness kicks in. Your lips will feel tight and they may start chapping. The scab film is forming.
Apply the prescribed moisturizing ointment frequently to minimize the discomfort and prevent heavy scabbing.
Keeping your lips moisturized forms a film-thin layer of scab that will peel evenly, instead of thick, patchy scabs that will pull out too much of the pigments.
Don’t touch your lips! If you pick at the scabs, your lips will heals patchy.
Moving your lips may feel uncomfortable. Try to control your motions, eat in tiny bites and drink through a straw to prevent the scab from cracking until it’s formed.
They don’t look too attractive at this point, but muscle through it. It will be worth it!
DAYS 3 AND 4 – Heavy peeling and dryness
The first round of peeling starts. The scabby film will start falling off in patches and strips from the center of the lips outwards – the outline will be the last to peel.
This is the most annoying and unattractive phase of the lip tattoo healing process, but be patient and control yourself – don’t pick at the scabs.
Dryness
Your lips will still feel very dry and tight – apply the prescribed moisturizer to relieve it.
Itchiness
As with any wound, as it heals, it’ll start itching. Don’t rub or scratch your lips – you’ll rip off the scabs and cause patchy color healing.
The first round of peeling ends, but there may be some additional light peeling. Wait it out and don’t pick at the chapped skin.
Once peeling ends completely, you can consider your lip tattoo healing process finished. For most people, it stops around day 10. Once it stops, you can start wearing makeup and abandon the aftercare routine.
If your lips are still peeling at that point, be patient and follow the aftercare routine for a few more days.
Color
The color has faded significantly – so significantly, in fact, you may think the treatment didn’t work.
Don’t start panic-texting your artist asking for a color boost – this is a normal part of the lip color healing process. The color will re-emerge and take its final shade within 6 weeks. That’s the process of pigment settling and you can’t speed it up.
*Immediately following the procedure, lips may feel dry, chapped, tight and tender to the touch.
Complete your antiviral medication to prevent an outbreak.
Apply ointment on lips several times a day. This should be done for at least 10 days post treatment. Do not allow lips to become dry. This may interfere with healed color. During the day if lips feel dry, apply a light layer of ointment. Make sure to dab/press onto skin, do not rub it in.
Itching is normal, DO NOT PICK!
No soaps, cleansing creams, or chemicals on lips. Wash your face carefully avoiding the lip area for 10 days.
Avoid moisture to the lips such as hot soups and hot coffee for 10 days. Drink everything through a straw until lips completely peel.
DO NOT stretch the lips. Avoid biting into large sandwiches, etc. Cut food into tiny bites.
Do not bite into greasy, oily, salty or spicy foods, rather cut them up and place them into your mouth.
While eating, do not constantly wipe your lips with a napkin or keep licking your lips at this will impede the healing process. DO NOT PICK dry healing tissue or you WILL remove the pigment color!
Avoid water on the new pigmented areas as much as possible, the first 7 days. (when showering, washing face, etc. have ointment on the pigmented area to protect lips from water). Do not stand in front of shower head when showering.
Avoid underwater swimming and batching for a minimum of 4 weeks to avoid bacterial infection.
Before brushing your teeth, seal lips with ointment first. Put cotton balls in gum areas so toothbrush will not rub against the lips. No whitening toothpaste (during the healing process). Use a small amount of toothpaste. Take a straw with you to the bathroom to retrieve water to swish with. Do not bleach/whiten your teeth while your lips are healing (about 2 weeks).
You may apply an ice pack (which must be protected with a wet barrier film of paper toweling, towel or cloth) for 10-minute intervals for the first 48 hours. Ice may be applied every hour or so, if desired. Do not put ice directly on area.
Do not expose the lips to direct sunlight or tanning beds for 4 weeks. This is new skin and will sunburn easily and direct sun prematurely may also cause scarring and alter pigment color.
You may wear lipstick, lipgloss, and chapstick after 10 days, make sure the tube of lip product is new.
Sleeping slightly elevated will help prevent swelling. It’s recommended to sleep on your back on a satin pillow case. If the pillowcase is not satin, you may also wrap your pillowcase at night and replace with a fresh wrap in the morning. This keeps pigment from sticking to the pillowcase at night.
No smoking while lips are healing (10 days minimum).
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 reaction.
Expect moderate swelling, usually one to three days following the procedure. Scabbing may make the lips feel thick. Lips will fade up to 50% after the first 5 days. While healing, the tattoo will look patchy. This is due to skin regeneration and healing. Two or three sessions may be required to achieve the desired results. Please be patient. Cosmetic tattooing is a multiple-step appointment process with a healing time of approximately 6 weeks in between touch up appointments.
The above Pre and Post-Care for lips will affect how quickly or slowly you heal. Mature age, poor diet, stress, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, age, general health, sleep/fatigue. The more fatigued you are the lower your immune system is and infection is more likely to occur. Please get plenty of rest and drink lots of water to hydrate prior to procedure.