Informed consent · reference copy
Read it before
you sign it.
Document record
Where this is executed.
- Document
- Tattoo consent — reference copy
- Signed
- At the shop, before the stencil
- Identification
- Photo ID checked on the day
- Retained by
- Hardcore Tattoo 1982
Part 01
Health disclosure.
- 01
I am 18 years of age or older and can produce photo identification.
Why we ask · Identification is checked at the shop before the stencil goes on. No exceptions, and no work is started on the strength of a booking form alone.
- 02
I am not under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and will not be on the day of my session.
Why we ask · Alcohol thins the blood, which pushes ink out as fast as it goes in. A session that starts this way does not heal the way the drawing was planned to.
- 03
I am not taking blood thinners, and I do not have a bleeding or clotting disorder.
Why we ask · Anticoagulants change how the skin takes ink and how long the session runs. If the answer is yes, say so — it changes the plan, it does not automatically cancel it.
- 04
I do not have a heart condition, diabetes, epilepsy, or any condition affecting healing that the artist has not been told about.
Why we ask · Four hours in the chair is a physical commitment. Anything that affects circulation, blood sugar or seizure risk changes how the session is paced and where it breaks.
- 05
I have disclosed any bloodborne condition, immune condition, or medication affecting my immune system.
Why we ask · This does not stop the work. It changes the setup and the aftercare, and the artist is entitled to know before the session rather than after it.
- 06
I have disclosed any allergy to latex, adhesives, antibiotics, or tattoo pigment.
Why we ask · Gloves, barrier film and aftercare products are all things a client can react to. Alternatives exist for every one of them if the allergy is known in advance.
- 07
I am not pregnant or breastfeeding.
Why we ask · Standard practice is to wait. The booking is held rather than lost — say so and the session moves.
- 08
The area to be tattooed is free of open wounds, rashes, sunburn, recent surgery, and moles or lesions I have not pointed out.
Why we ask · Compromised skin will not hold the drawing. The artist will not tattoo over a mole, and the placement is adjusted around anything that needs to stay visible to a doctor.
Part 02
Risk acknowledgment.
01
A tattoo is permanent
The design, the placement and the size are permanent decisions made by you. Removal is a separate medical procedure performed elsewhere, it is expensive, it is painful, and it does not reliably return the skin to how it started. Placement and spelling are approved by you on the stencil before any needle moves, and that approval is the last point at which the piece can change.02
Infection is a real risk
A tattoo is an open wound for the first several days. Sterile single-use needles, barrier film and a clean station reduce the risk during the session; what happens afterwards is largely down to aftercare. Signs that warrant a call — spreading redness, heat, swelling that increases after day three, pus, or fever — are listed in full on the Aftercare page.03
Allergic reaction is possible
Reactions to pigment, latex, adhesive or aftercare products can occur, occasionally months after a session and most often to red pigments. Disclosing a known allergy in advance lets the setup be changed; an undisclosed one cannot be planned around.04
Scarring and healing vary
Skin is not a uniform surface. Keloid-prone skin, previous scarring, stretch marks and sun damage all change how a piece settles, and two people can take the same drawing and heal it differently. A touch-up is a normal part of the process rather than a sign something went wrong.05
Colour and detail change as it heals
A fresh tattoo is not the finished result. Ink settles, fine line softens, and saturation drops as the skin recovers over the following weeks. This is why every healed frame in the portfolio is labelled with the month it was photographed — a fresh photograph is not evidence that a piece held.06
Sun and time will fade it
Ultraviolet exposure is the single largest cause of fading. Sunscreen on a healed piece is the difference between a tattoo that reads at ten years and one that does not, and no aftercare regime makes a tattoo immune to time.07
Medical imaging and donation
Rare skin irritation during MRI has been reported; tell the radiographer you have a tattoo. Blood-donation services in the United States apply their own waiting period after new tattoo work — check with the donation centre rather than with the shop.
Part 03
Aftercare undertaking.
- 01I will follow the written aftercare instructions given to me at the end of the session, and I understand that the healed result depends on it.
- 02I will not pick, scratch or peel the healing tattoo, and I will keep it out of pools, baths, hot tubs and open water until it has closed.
- 03I will keep the healing tattoo out of direct sun, and I will use sunscreen on it once it has healed.
- 04I will contact the shop, and a doctor where appropriate, if I see any of the warning signs listed on the Aftercare page.
- 05I understand that a touch-up may be needed and that arranging one is a normal part of the process rather than a complaint.
Part 04
Declarations.
- I have read this document in full, the artist has answered my questions, and I understand what I have read.
- The health information I have given is true and complete to the best of my knowledge.
- I accept the risks listed above and I am choosing to be tattooed of my own free will.
- I accept the aftercare undertaking above and understand the healed result depends on it.
- I agree that the artist may photograph the finished and healed work, and may publish it without my name. This one is optional and does not affect my booking.
Questions about the form