Geelong Tattoo Studio | Coastline Ink

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faq

Fine Line Tattoos

How old do I need to be to get a tattoo?

You must be over 18 years old

Our minimum charge is $100 and the price of a piece depends on the size and complexity of the design. We are happy to provide you with a quote if you send us your design idea, approximate size and placement. Reference photos also really help to illustrate your idea and style of your design you’re looking to get.

We accept all major credit cards, cash, bank transfer as well as AfterPay and Zip Pay.

If you’re unable to make your appointment, simply contact us and we’ll be happy to rebook you. If possible, we appreciate at least 48 hour notice of appointment changes and cancellations.

We do request a deposit for larger and custom pieces. Deposits may also be requested at our discretion for rebooking of cancellations that do not meet cancellation policy notice requirements.

Only a little bit! As we mostly work with very fine lines, the discomfort is minimal. Chat to your artist if you have any concerns. 

Check out our blog article on how to care for your new tattoo.

Yes! However finger tattoos have a tendency to fade faster than any other tattoos and need frequent touch ups. It’s normal for finger tattoos to show visible signs of fading after just a couple of weeks, in some cases they may even completely disappear. Having said that everyone is different!

Numbing cream is not recommended for fineline tattoos as it changes the texture of the skin, making it spongy which impacts the way the ink implants into your skin. These factors can create undesirable fine line tattoo results. However, if you’re getting something bigger, number numbing cream can be a life saver! Chat to your artist and we’ll be happy to guide you.

Yes! Contact the studio to arrange

We recommend that you have something to eat before your appointment and stay hydrated in the days leading up to your appointment. Having the tattoo area ‘hair-free’ before the appointment would be appreciated but is not required. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Preparing for your Tattoo Appointment 

All touch ups are $30 per tattoo for small, $50 medium and $100 for large pieces

Eyebrow Tattoos

How do you create brow symmetry?

Though our faces are NOT perfectly symmetrical as one side of our face is usually flatter than the other, we do our very best to achieve as much symmetry as possible, As we like to say, ‘brows are sisters, not twins’!

Touch up appointment or perfecting session is scheduled no earlier than four weeks after the initial procedure and no later than six weeks. During this session  we assess the pigment retention and touch up any irregularities that may have resulted during healing. This is also a time where you are able to intensify the colour of your brows to ensure long terms longevity of the tattoo.

On the day of your appointment, eat and make sure you are well hydrated.

Do not consume any caffeine or alcohol the day of your appointment. This includes coffee, energy drinks, pre-work out, coca cola and tea. Do not take fish oils & vitamin E oils for a week before your treatment. Caffeine, alcohol & fish oils act as a blood thinner, causing you to potentially bleed during the process and may impact implanting of the ink into the skin.

Blood thinning medication should be discussed with a doctor prior to your appointment but it will need to be stopped 1 day prior to your appointment.

Facials & skin peels should be avoided for one week before tattooing. Botox should be done 1 month before or 2 weeks after your brow tattoo appointment and using a high Vitamin A, Retin-A or Tretinoin, this will need to be discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to your appointment.

It is advised that you don’t wax, thread or pluck your eyebrows for at least one week before your appointment.

In most cases up to 2 years

4-6 weeks

$650 all up. The breakdown includes:

– $100 booking deposit

– $400 at initial appointment

– $150 at follow up touch up appointment 4-6 weeks later

A topical numbing cream is used before and during the process in order to reduce irritation and swelling. People’s pain tolerances are all different, so please keep this in mind! 

This information is provided to ensure that there is minimal bleeding during the tattooing procedure. Failure to follow the below instructions may result in poor healed results.

It is advised that you don’t wax, thread or pluck your eyebrows for at least ONE week before your appointment.

Do not consume any caffeine or alcohol the day of your appointment. This includes coffee, energy drinks, pre-work out, coca cola and tea. Do not take fish oils & vitamin E oils for a week before your treatment. Caffeine, alcohol & fish oils act as a blood thinner, causing you to potentially bleed during the process and may impact implanting of the ink into the skin.

Blood thinning medication should be discussed with a doctor prior to your appointment. It will need to be stopped 1 day prior to your appointment, as you will bleed more during the tattoo process, impacting ink implantation

You won’t be able to engage in heavily exercise that causes your face to sweat, use a sauna, swim or tan for ONE week.

You can bring in reference pictures of eyebrows.

Facials & skin peels should be avoided for one week before tattooing.

Botox should be done 1 month before or 2 weeks after your brow tattoo appointment.

Using a high Vitamin A, Retin-A or Tretinoin, this will need to be discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to your appointment.

Following the aftercare instructions is extremely important in order to ensure good retention of colour during the healing process. Aftercare accounts for over 60% of the healed results.

Apply any medicated cream or healing balm as recommended by your technician. Aftercare cream can be purchased at your appointment for $20. Otherwise, you can use Bepanthen as aftercare cream during the healing process.

Avoid getting the area wet for up to 10 days, which includes keeping your face dry during a shower. Use a damp face cloth or face wipe to clean your face.

Use a damp cotton pad to gently wipe the area for the first two days. This will reduce the build up of lymph fluid as the brows heal and reduce the chances of scabbing.

Don’t put makeup on your brows or forehead for at least 10 days. This is because the tattoo is a healing & open wound. Applying makeup to the brows will increase the chance of infection.

Don’t pick at scabs, tug, or itch the eyebrow area. Again, this will increase the chance of infection and possibly cause skin damage and scarring.

Avoid saunas, swimming, and excessive sweating until the area is completely healed, which may take up to two weeks.

Keep your hair away from your brows. Do not touch your brows with bare hands when they have been freshly done. Simple hygiene!

Long Term Aftercare: Apply SPF-50 daily to the healed brow. Sun exposure over a prolonged period of time will fade the tattoo. Do not use strong chemical acids/ peels (salicylic, glycolic, lactic acids),IPL or laser on the healed cosmetic tattoo, as these will fade the tattoo over time.

Immediately after your appointment, your brows will appear a lot darker and more intense than what they will look like once healed. Over the first few days, they will be at their darkest and they might scab and flake a few days after your appointment. This is completely normal and expected. Once the scabs flake off naturally, your eyebrows will reveal a much lighter colour which will continue to fade until the skin is fully healed.

Please keep in mind that everyone’s skin will heal differently and ink retention may vary depending on lifestyle factors. The true colour of the tattoo will not be revealed until after 4 weeks. The touch up is then completed at 4-6 weeks to perfect any areas that need some extra attention.

Hypopigmentation refers to patches of skin that are lighter than your overall skin tone. Your skin’s pigmentation, or colour, is based on the production of a substance called melanin. If your skin cells don’t produce enough melanin, the skin can lighten. This may happen to clients in the Fitzpatrick Scale 4, 5 & 6.

While the brows are healing, they may experience hypopigmentation, where the skin healing under the tattoo turns a lighter colour (white, grey or a milky colour), before changing back to the normal skin tone. The tattoo colour may completely disappear during this time too, and will resurface once the brows have fully healed in 6-8 weeks.

Please trust the healing process. This does not happen to all darker skin-toned clients, but it can happen.

  • Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding
  • Diabetics should check with their doctor first as the healing will take longer and there is an increased risk of infection
  • Those on blood-thinning medication. This includes aspirin, treatment of high blood pressure, pain relief (Ibuprofen), Niacin, Vitamin E, Advil. Please seek advice from your doctor before discontinuing any medication prior to treatment
  • If you suffer from acne, open wounds on the face, or other infections on the brows, you should not get eyebrow tattoo until the skin in this is fully healed
  • Those with oily skin are not suitable for Nano Brow Feathering as Ombré Eyebrow Shading produces better healed results on this skin type
  • If you suffer from keloid scarring
  • If you have taken Accutane in the past year
  • Those who are allergic to lidocaine, prilocaine, benzocaine, tetracaine or epinephrine can still get the eyebrow tattoo but would NOT to be able to use numbing cream for their comfort
  • Anyone who has any serious medical conditions will require a doctor’s letter clearing them for the procedure

SMP

How much does SMP cost?

The cost of SMP treatment depends on the extent of the area that needs to be concealed. To get an accurate quote, get in touch to book a FREE consultation online or in person at our Portarlington studio.

Here’s a rough estimated of what you might expect for SMP:

Mild hair loss/scar camouflaging: $500 – $1,000

Medium hair loss: $1,000 – $2,000

Advanced Hair loss: $2,500 – $3,000

While the process involves piercing of the skin with microneedles, you generally experience less discomfort compared to that of a conventional tattoo. The most sensitive area during the procedure is typically around the sides and back of the scalp. Most people describe the pain level as being 2-5 out of 10. However, the level of discomfort can vary depending on individual pain tolerance levels, as everyone’s experience is different.

session. The key is to trust the process!

SMP is process that requires anywhere from 2 to 4 sessions to complete. Following the completion of the treatment, we offer a complimentary maintenance session to all our clients. This session can be used anytime within the first 12 months to make adjustments to your hairline or blend out any additional hair loss if needed.

If you are getting density SMP treatment on long hair, please come in with clean and dry hair. If you intent to keep your hair short and we are recreating your hairline, please shave your hair to 0.5mm to 1mm length otherwise we will shave it for you at the studio. Please do not razor blade shave or use a rotary shaver on the day of your appointment as we need visible hair follicles to be able to match colour, size and density.

Please use a gentle exfoliant on your scalp the day before your treatment to soften your scalp and remove any dead skin cells.

Micropigmentation is a semi-permanent camouflage technique that can last up to five years with proper maintenance. Over time, pigments may lighten due to factors such as skin absorption, sunlight exposure, and natural skin exfoliation. If desired, you have the option to have the scalp re-darkened to refresh your look