Much like surgery, tattooing involves breaking through the barrier of the skin, a barrier which is in place to protect the individual against infection

. If done wrongly, it can be dangerous with the risk of disease

. In order to ensure this does not happen, the tattoo studio should be kept immaculately clean and all tattoo equipment should be sterilized between customers

. Keep the studio tidy

. Mess and clutter will make it far more difficult to sanitize surfaces and move around freely

. A hygienic studio means cleaning every day, wiping down all surfaces and sanitizing all equipment with alcohol

. The cloths which are used for this task should be thrown away once it is completed

. As far as is possible, disposable equipment should be used, but for some items this may be prohibitively costly

. If any items which have been in contact with blood are to be reused, there is only one sterilization technique accepted by the Alliance of Professional Tattooists in the US

. This is the use of an autoclave, a high pressure machine which fires saturated steam

. Equipment which is to be sterilized would first pass through a ultrasonic cleaner for disinfection, then the autoclave

. Once the tattoo machine has been used, it must be taken apart and given a thorough clean with alcohol

. When it is reassembled and the needles reattached, it is important to note that they should be attached straight from the autoclave and ultrasonic (or straight from their sealed packet if disposables are being used) without coming into contact with anything else in the tattoo studio

. If they must be laid down, this can be done on a sterilized surface, but best practice is to plan things so this need not happen

. If contact is made, the needle must be replaced, or it should go through the process of cleaning again

. There should be no skin-to-skin contact between the tattooist and the customer during the tattooing process

. Gloves will ensure this is the case

. When using gloves, make sure they are a correct fit as baggy gloves stand a risk of being punctured while the work is being carried out

. The tattooist should also wash their hands thoroughly before putting the gloves on and should take particular care about what the gloves come in contact with

. Other than tattoo equipment and the skin of the customer, nothing else should be touched

. When using a razor to shave an area in preparation for ink work, it should always be a disposable one

. These are just a few tips on how to keep a tattoo studio clean and sterile, to minimize the threat of infection

. Adherence to hygiene means the tattooist can concentrate on creating beautiful skin art, and the customer can relax knowing they are in safe hands

.