Overworking the skin is one of the biggest mistakes apprentices make. It leads to:
• patchy results
• blown-out lines
• raised or textured healing
• scarring
• muddy color retention
Here’s how to keep your client’s skin calm, clean, and intact.
1. Understand What Overworking Is
Overworking = breaking the epidermis faster than it can handle, usually from:
• excess passes
• inconsistent pressure
• slow hand movement
• bad stretch
• too-deep needle penetration
If the skin is angry, shiny, or mushy — you’re overworking it.
2. Use a Proper Stretch
Most overworking comes from poor stretch.
Without tension, your needle bounces and digs.
Triangle stretch → flat skin → fewer passes.
3. Watch Your Speed
Slow hand + slow machine = trauma.
If you’re working at a slow hand speed, increase your machine’s voltage slightly.
4. Limit Passes
If you need more than 2 smooth passes, the problem is technique or angle — not pressure.
Stop, pause, reassess, then go back in lightly if necessary.
5. Use Gentle, Non-Stripping Cleansers
Harsh soaps irritate the skin and make overworking worse.
A gentle formula like Cleanse:
• removes plasma + ink
• calms inflammation
• doesn’t dry out or strip the skin
• keeps the canvas workable
Less irritation = fewer passes = less trauma.
6. Know the Signs You Must Stop Immediately
If you see:
• foggy/milky appearance
• shiny “chewed” areas
• bleeding that increases instead of decreases
• mushy texture
Stop. Let the skin rest. Move to another area.
7. Work in Smaller Sections
Beginners try to tattoo too much at once.
Break the tattoo down:
• outline → small sections
• shading → top to bottom
• color → lighter to darker
Your control increases and trauma decreases.
8. Respect Skin Types
Thin skin, older skin, and dehydrated skin all require:
• lighter pressure
• quicker passes
• gentler technique
When in doubt, go softer.
9. Don’t Scrub When Wiping
Scrubbing = micro-tears.
Wipe gently, lift pigment, don’t dig.
Cleanse helps here too — it wipes away excess without friction.
