Skin Stories, a Blog about Tattooing at Vellum

A 5 Star Hygiene and Safety Response to Covid-19....

5/12/2020

May12, 2020

As one of the leaders of Nottingham's 5 Star Tattoo Hygiene and Safety Accreditation Scheme we take our cross-contamination policy very seriously. With the onslaught of Covid-19 and in response to the Government's new Recovery Strategy published on the 11th of May 2020 (here and address provided below), the team at Vellum Tattoo have put together a plan to ensure the safety and health of our clients when we eventually reopen.

Firstly, as you may be aware, the Government has currently notified us that the earliest date that retail shops, which may include Tattoo studios, may be able to open is the 4th of July, and, that this date is contingent on the state of the virus and it's containment. Whilst we are preparing for this opening date we obviously cannot guarantee that we will be allowed to open then, and so we are contacting all our clients who are currently booked with us to rearrange their bookings for dates after the 4th of July. Our artist are now taking new bookings for after this date. If you have any questions about this feel free to contact us by email, Facebook or Instagram

We have listed below the actions that we are undertaking to ensure that we meet the guidelines set out by the Government and in some areas we have chosen to go above and beyond these guidelines. We know that Tattooing and Piercing is an often overlooked industry and the regulations that cover it are commonly set at a lower standard than we believe is right for a cosmetic procedure (for further information about this please check out our 'How to Spot if Your Tattooist is Hygienic' article here. ). There are and will be many amazing tattoo studios out there who will also be taking these precautions and you will be able to find out what they are doing on their websites and social media feeds. I always advise you do this before visiting a tattoo studio - especially under the current restrictions.

The list below is subject to change and we will be contacting all of our clients before their appointments to check that they are well and to clarify any changes in procedure that they need to be aware of.

We will be increasing the amount of space available to our artists in our studio to ensure that social distancing between clients can be maintained. This will mean extensive changes to our space and the loss of our beautiful and much loved Library waiting area. Don't worry though, our new studio area will still have that same relaxed and welcoming atmosphere!
Appointments will be staggered to ensure minimal contact between clients, please ensure you arrive promptly for your appointment and not in advance - this will also make sure we have time to clean the studio properly between clients.
We will no longer be able to accept walk-in appointments or consultations - Sorry!
Consultations will be conducted where possible by phone, video call or email and any necessary physical consultations will be made my appointment in advance and at a time of low use of the studio.
All of our artists will be wearing facemarks and face screens and we will be providing facemarks for all of our clients (you will be welcome to bring your own if you prefer).
Everyone who enters the studio will be asked to wash their hands on arrival at a suitable wash hand sink and provided with gloves.
All staff, including receptionists, to complete and display covid specific cross-contamination training and WHO training - we all already have our Tattoo Hygiene and Cross-Contamination certificates!
Touch point cleaning will take place between all movement in the studio and over all surfaces in use at regular and appropriate times throughout the day.
We will unfortunately be foregoing all unnecessary physical contact - sorry guys, no hugs or handshakes!
All equipment used with our clients will either be disposable, covered by non permeable disposable covers or sterilised after use - this is standard procedure at our studio anyway.
Our release forms will now be paperless and there will be a tablet for clients to sign them. The tablet and pen will also be cleaned between use.

Finally, if anyone has any questions or comments please leave them in the comment section below or contact us directly by email!

Stay Safe

Jai

(https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/884171/FINAL_6.6637_CO_HMG_C19_Recovery_FINAL_110520_v2_WEB__1_.pdf)

Goodbye to our lovely old Library...

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How to spot if your tattooist is hygienic...

1/20/2020

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Just like safe sex isn't about distrusting your partner but about all of their previous partners, so too checking your tattooist for good hygiene doesn't mean you think they have an infection - but how can you be sure of every previous customer?

When you go to get a tattoo you're probably looking to get some beautiful artwork or commemorate an important milestone, not to contract a debilitating and possibly deadly illness. But with poor UK legislation meaning that your tattooist may not have been inspected by the Local Health Authority since it opened - possibly years ago - it is a good idea to know what to look out for.

As the owner of a 5 Star Hygiene and Safety Rated tattoo studio I believe that no-one should ever be at risk from a cosmetic procedure. At present, anyone in the UK can set up a tattoo studio and offer procedures without proper training in either tattooing or hygiene control. As studios are generally only inspected at registration this also means that a tattooist who may have been working under good guidelines 20 or 30 years ago may now be unwittingly out of date and following dangerous practices. So, if you want to know what is safe, read on.

The basic principal here is to look out for cross-contamination. This is where there is the opportunity for blood and plasma from one person to come into contact with another. In tattooing this is vitally important as not only will this blood or plasma come into contact with your tattoo (an open wound) but it will also possibly be even hammered into that open wound with the tattoo needle.

But don’t worry, cross-contamination is relatively easy to spot and even easier to prevent, and as a client there are three simple things you can look out for when checking out your local tattooist.

1. What are the tattooists doing with their hands?

Whilst your tattooist has their gloves on and they are tattooing you they should not be touching anything that is not disposable or covered with a disposable film. This means no coffee cups, ink bottles or phones and ipads without a disposable plastic cover. If they are doing this with you they have probably done this with the last client and this means that your open tattoo may come into contact with blood or plasma left on that mobile phone from the previous client – and of course all their clients before that!

2. Is the tattoo machine covered?

Tattoo machines cannot be properly sterilized and cleaned so the only way to ensure that there is no cross-contamination is to cover them with a disposable bag or cover that is changed between clients. This is important because all tattooists touch their machines whilst they are tattooing, and this means that again you could come into contact with someone else’s blood and plasma. The same goes for the electrical cord that runs from the machine to the power pack, it should also be covered as should the power pack!

3. Leather apron?

Leather aprons look cool right? Or even better, those ones with the tattooists nickname all over the front. Unfortunately any apron that isn’t either disposable or washed at a high temperature between each and every client is a risk of cross contamination. Of course, wearing no apron at all is also a risk, but thankfully it is more of a risk to the tattooist than to you - Good 5 star Hygiene practise requires the use of a disposable apron that is changed between every client.

Finally, your local authority should be able to provide you with a list of all registered tattoo studios in your area and Nottinghamshire Local Authorities have gone a step further and set up a Hygiene Accreditation Scheme. This scheme assesses a tattoo studio every year and awards them certification for their hygiene and safety practices. Unfortunately however this is a voluntary scheme and most tattoo studios in Nottingham have not taken up the challenge.
Click here to read the news press about Vellum's 5 Star Hygiene Rating

Click here to read Nottingham City's Announcement of the Hygiene Accreditation Scheme