Before and Upon Arrival at the Clinic

You’ll receive an appointment notice in the mail telling you when and where the clinic will be held, and the time assigned to you. We’ll call to confirm your appointment the week before the clinic. Please arrive on time. Wear comfortable clothing; don't forget that you’ll need to expose your tattoos for treatment, and that your treatment areas may be tender afterwards. If your appointment time says "stand-by", this means that we have filled all of the regular treatment slots for this clinic, but if someone doesn't show up, or if there is time left, you’ll be treated. We’ve never turned away anyone who has shown up on time, even on stand-by. After you arrive and sign in at the Project New Start desk, we’ll check your paperwork to see if everything is complete and up-to-date and take pictures of the tattoos you’re having treated. We'll ask you to review your health questionnaire and initial the pregnancy statement if you're female.

If you want something to numb your skin, a nurse will call you in and an anesthetic cream called EMLA will be applied to your tattoos and covered with plastic wrap to numb the area(s). You will go back to the waiting room (we provide snacks for you); the cream reaches its full effect between 30 minutes and an hour. Your laser time has been scheduled for 40 - 60 minutes after your arrival and EMLA cream time. This is why it is important that you arrive on time. If you come late, we can’t always change your laser time, the cream may not have time to work completely, and the treatment could hurt more.

When it is your time to be treated, a nurse will call your name and you’ll be brought back to the laser area. The cream will be wiped off (if you used it). You’ll be given a pair of protective eye goggles to wear. Treatments are generally less than 5 – 10 minutes unless you have very large, detailed tattoos.

Tattoo Clinic Procedures

Before and Upon Arrival at the Clinic

Facts About the Cream Used to Numb the Skin

After the Treatment