With its nerve-rich flesh, the inner lip is one of the most painful areas to have tattooed, Gaudet confirmed. And it's a body part that poses a challenge for ink artists because of the texture of the skin and the need for the client to hold their bottom lip open with as little movement as possible.
Avoid eating hot, spicy, salty and acidic foods for the first 2 weeks and drink liquids through a straw for 3 days. While eating, do not constantly wipe your lips with a napkin or keep licking your lips as this will impede the healing process.
You can expect a lip tattoo to heal in about two weeks fully. “Everything inside your mouth heals really fast, but for it to completely heal, it would take as long as any other tattoo,” says Jay. “Your mouth does contain a lot of bacteria, so it might take longer if you don't take good care of your tattoo.”
In short, after tattooing your lips, you need to abstain from chicken, beef, duck, sticky rice, water spinach, seafood and greasy foods, etc. You should eat yogurt, carrots, tomatoes.
Avoid facials, swimming and or hot tubs for at least five days. 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).
Pre-Procedure
Avoid alcohol for 24hrs before your appointment. Alcohol can thin the blood, which can cause the skin to be hypersensitive, and bleed/ bruise easily. Avoid blood thinning medications for 72hrs before your appointment. This includes ibuprofen, aspirin and fish oil tablets.
Avoid: Sun, sweat, steam, and swimming for 48 hours, ideally 7 days. Avoid:Kissing, eating spicy foods, drinking hot drinks or applying ice directly to your lips.
Because of the potential harm to your health, mouth tattoos are never recommended. Any tattoo comes with risks, however, mouth tattoos come with added dangers. Unlike tattoos on the outside of the skin, mouth tattoos are placed on soft tissue. This makes it extremely difficult to cover, protect and keep clean.
The cost of an inner lip tattoo will depend on the artist you choose, the colors, shading, the tattoo shop you go to and where you live. Most inner lip tattoos, according to our research, will be in the $50 to $125 range and will take less than an hour to complete.
As with any tattoo, the aftercare process for lip tattoos is crucial, but we're not talking about your usual tattoo aftercare ointment here. You'll need to use an alcohol free mouth wash, and avoid acidic foods at all costs. Also, kissing your significant other is a no no.
This is a fun point! You need to abstain from kissing for around a month or so. This will make sure that your lips get enough time to heal and that you do not end up catching infections.
Since the lips come into contact with saliva, food, and drinks, this can also increase your risk for infections. Inner-lip tattoos are most susceptible because of moisture and bacteria inside the mouth.
Wash your lips with water or a fragrance-free cleanser on a cotton pad before hydrating the area with occlusive balm or gentle moisturizer (Otsuji recommends Aquaphor Healing Ointment or Zensa Healing Cream, according to her commentary for Byrdie).
use Chapstick, lip-gloss or lip balm 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.
This includes coffee, energy drinks, pre-workout and tea. Do not take fish oils for a week before your treatment. Caffeine, alcohol & fish oils act as a blood thinner, causing you to potentially bleed during the process. This will stop the cosmetic tattoo pigment from holding in the skin during the tattoo process!
Many have taken over-the-counter Tylenol 30 minutes before treatment. This will not interfere with the procedure. Any physician prescribed pain relieving medication for which you have arranged, should be taken as directed, usually after your arrival.
Generally, there's no need for Vaseline on a new tattoo whatsoever. Once your bandages are off, you'll want to stay away from Vaseline during the healing process, too. You may be able to use Vaseline on a newer tattoo only after it's completely healed.
Your tattoo artist will most likely recommend that you keep using antibacterial mouthrinse after you get the tattoo. You'll also want to be careful about what you eat or drink for the next few days. Some foods may be particularly irritating, such as spicy dishes, acidic foods, and hot beverages.
Your lip color will appear brighter than it will heal. Your lips will also feel swollen and tender. Your color will begin to darken temporarily throughout the day as the pigment oxidizes.
You may take Tylenol within the first 2 days to alleviate any minor symptoms, but avoid aspirin and/or Ibuprofen as they are blood thinners. Allergic reactions to the cosmetic pigments I use are not common, however, if you experience any severe symptoms that do not clear up in a day or two, please let me know.
Aftercare of Lip Tattoos
Once you have the lip tattoo, you'll want to wait at least a few hours before drinking or smoking. Then, while healing your new inner lip tattoo, you'll want to use mouth wash to rinse after meals and after smoking.
Tattoos in the inner lip are the hardest to care for because the excessive moisture and their tendency to fade. Forty percent of inner lip tattoos completely fade because of improper care, some even within the first few days. With the proper care you can keep an inner lip tattoo clean and prevent fading.
Inner lip tattoos seem like a silly concept, but once you learn more about them they don't seem like such a bad idea. These tattoos are actually temporary because of the cells on the inside of your mouth that cause the area to repair itself.