How Long Does an Artist’s Responsibility Last After the Client Leaves?

The tattoo is finished, the client receives aftercare instructions, and the appointment ends. Two days later, the client sends photographs and questions. A week later, they send more. Perhaps they followed every instruction. Perhaps they ignored them completely. Perhaps what they are seeing is normal healing—or perhaps it needs attention from someone qualified to provide medical care. An artist is not the client’s doctor, but the artist created the wound and has a professional interest in how the work heals. What level of follow-up should reasonably be included with a tattoo? Should every studio conduct a scheduled healing check-in? Is answering occasional questions simply part of the service? At what point should an artist stop offering opinions and tell the client to contact a healthcare professional? Artists and clients: where should that responsibility begin and end?