During 2018 in England, more than 800,000 people donated blood.
A pivotal part of saving lives and giving back to the NHS, we understand why many of our clients are concerned about when they can donate blood again after laser tattoo removal.
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Can I donate blood after laser tattoo removal?
You can donate blood after laser tattoo removal once your skin has healed. No foreign objects have penetrated your skin, meaning there is no risk of your blood carrying anything infectious. You must, however, wait until the skin around that area has healed, which could take up to two weeks. If you want to speed up the healing process, we recommend you do the following:
Avoid exposing the skin to sunlight.
Avoid dirty or sweaty environments, i.e. steam rooms, saunas, beaches and outdoor activities.
Drink plenty of water.
Keep the area hydrated with specialist aftercare creams.
Keep our own medical-grade dressings on for 72 hours post-session.
Every person and every tattoo is unique, so everyone reacts differently to treatment.
I’ve recently had a tattoo - can I donate blood?
According to Blood UK, you have to wait for four months after having a tattoo before you can give blood. This includes semi-permanent make-up and microblading. This length of time also applies to body piercings and acupuncture.
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The four-month rule is in place to protect patients receiving that donated blood. While the majority of tattoo and piercing practices are completely safe, there is always a risk of blood-borne illness from introducing a foreign object into your body (e.g. a needle). The four-month period allows any risk to have passed.
