The stakes for tattoo aftercare are higher in prison than in the free world. If your ink fades, the artist might have been shipped to another facility by the time you can coordinate a touch-up. If the tat gets infected to the point that you need to seek medical care, there’s a good chance it’ll cost you months of access to phone calls and edible food. Risk of infection is higher when the ink and tattoo guns are homemade. But there are steps one can take to substantially reduce the odds of infection, and increase the odds of being satisfied with the end result.
Ideally, the artist you select will have new gloves, either latex or talc-free nitrile. It’s your job to see that the tattoo gun—or stainless steel rod, for piercings—is equipped with a single-use needle and barrel; meaning, you should provide them. Whatever patch of skin will be getting inked, clean it first. If you have access to an alcohol pad, wipe in one direction rather than in circles; you want to get any dirt and surface bacteria out of that area, rather than just move it around.
Ink is made by burning vaseline or mineral oil and capturing the smoke residue, then liquefying it with water to create small clots of soot. The clots are broken down with a drop of alcohol squeezed from a swab. Or, if no alcohol is available, small shavings of soap. But some soaps have fragrances that people are allergic to, so alcohol is better. It’s good to become familiar with this process as you want your ink to always be fresh—never touched with a needle that’s been used on anyone but you.
If planning that full back piece you’ve always wanted—they run about $200 at this facility—make sure that when choosing an artist you factor in the likelihood that they’ll transfer between sessions. Stock up on whatever antibiotics you can, plus all the clean towels and hygiene supplies you can.
“If you cannot finish the artwork in one session, you can resume in the same spot,” said Bolo* a tattoo artist incarcerated 30-plus years at a medium-security state prison in Georgia. “But if it has been longer than six hours, it’s better to wait two weeks to restart.”
Finishing the tattoo the next day will hurt more.
“Do not do that!” Alpo said, referring to the common practice of covering a new tat with sandwich cling wrap.
Post-op, the most important thing is to wash the area gently, but thoroughly. Do this at least twice a day for the first week, using whatever anti-bacterial soap is sold at commissary. Alternatively, a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic, baby shampoo.
Alpo*, who worked in the medical field prior to beginning his sentence a couple of decades back, warned that it’s critical to use a clean towel to pat dry—gently—rather than rubbing, which will just irritate the wound. Once the area is clean and dry, apply a very thin layer of vaseline.
“To cut overhead costs, a tube of generic A+D ointment issued from Medical works just as well,” Alpo said. “Most prison-available rub-in medications, such as Neosporin, use a base of petroleum jelly and will work in a pinch.”
The purpose of the Vaseline or other petroleum jelly-based ointment is to keep the wound moisturized as well as protected from water and outside contaminants—but still able to breathe. A common misstep one sees in prison is for someone who has saved the plastic cling wrap from their packed-lunch sandwiches stretching it across the new tat to protect it.
“Do not do that!” Alpo said. “Exposure to air is essential for the best results.”
Don’t forget the basics. Drink as much water as you can and get as much sleep as you can. Don’t sleep on the new tat; make sure it can breathe. Wear long sleeves and so forth when necessary to hide the new tat from staff, but otherwise avoid any clothing that could irritate the area. Expect some blood and seepage during the first 24 hours. No picking or scratching.
“Post-op itching can be expected,” Alpo said. “But if any of the four pillars of infection appear to be present—redness, excessive swelling, discharge of pus, prolonged heat from area or fever—seek professional care.”
That’s a last resort.
“Hoops and bar bell ornaments, or jewelry … the drones and guards will deliver anything if the tax is paid.”
While the medical staff don’t write disciplinary reports, they often notify the officers who do. We used to get solitary confinement when staff found a new tattoo. These days the punishment is loss of visitation, commissary and phone privileges for the next 90 days. Food and property packages too.
If the tat gets dirty, just lightly re-wash and apply the same Vaseline-type product as before. In southern prisons that lack air-conditioning such as ours, it’s not a bad idea to wait until the cooler months to get started. Sweat is to be avoided entirely for at least the first three days. It will cause the ink to fade prematurely.
Fading is especially an issue with color ink. It used to be that color ink was a rare item, because there was nowhere to get it from other than the occasional art therapy session with the mental health counselors, so the rest was made in-house. These days, you can get pretty much any contraband delivered by drone, at least in Georgia, but the per-gram cost and zero-warranty policy mean that color ink still represents a hard-hustled investment, and isn’t something that artists will bring out of hiding for cheap.
Alcohol wipes are great for site prep, but for aftercare you want to avoid them. Along with sweat and sunlight, alcohol is the third thing that fresh ink must not be exposed to. Because with tattoo ink, the end result isn’t what you get—it’s what you keep.
Bolo also does piercings, and said that those are a different story as far as alcohol wipes go—using them to clean the ornament is highly advisable.
He recalled that earlier in his sentence, the main piercing request used to be just simple loop earrings made from wire. Usually for either ears or nipples, though every once in a while someone would pay extra for below-the-belt piercings.
“For years we used stainless steel welding wire,” he said. “Today, hoops and bar bell ornaments, or jewelry, is brought to me by the customer. The drones and guards will deliver anything if the tax is paid.”
*Names have been changed to protect sources
Image via Anonymous
