Tattoos

Anesthesia tattoos: All you need to know about the controversial procedure - safety, cost and planning

A board-certified anesthesiologist with a large social-media following is warning tattoo enthusiasts about the dangers of being inked under general anesthetic.

GORKA LEIZA | DiarioAS

William Allen

British journalist and translator who joined Diario AS in 2013. Focuses on soccer – chiefly the Premier League, LaLiga, the Champions League, the Liga MX and MLS. On occasion, also covers American sports, general news and entertainment. Fascinated by the language of sport – particularly the under-appreciated art of translating cliché-speak.

Update: Mar 23rd, 2025 12:07 EDT

A prominent anesthesia expert is using her major social-media presence to warn people about the risks of being put to sleep when they get a tattoo.

“Wholly inappropriate”

Dr. Tiffany Moon, a board-certified anesthesiologist who is also known for her role on the reality-TV show The Real Housewives of Dallas, describes herself as “the spokesperson for not having general anesthesia for tattoo procedures”.

Defined by the American Society of Anaesthesiologists as a treatment that leaves you “unconscious and unaware of anything that happens”, general anesthesia has grown in popularity among ink enthusiasts who want to avoid the discomfort of the tattoo application process, particularly for large-format designs.

But in a recent video posted on her TikTok profile, Moon told her 1.7 million followers that mixing body art with general anesthesia is “wholly inappropriate”.

In particular, she has expressed her concern over the conditions in which tattoo studios are administering such anesthetics.

Influencer dead after opting to get general-anesthesia tattoo

Moon posted her TikTok video in the wake of the death of Ricardo Godoi, a 45-year-old Brazilian influencer who passed away in January after going under a general anesthetic to receive a large back tattoo.

Godoi died after suffering a cardiac arrest shortly after sedation began, the Daily Mail was told by the owner of the studio commissioned to ink the tattoo.

“The lesson here is: If you can’t stand to have the tattoo while you’re awake, don’t have it,” Moon declared.

What to do before getting a tattoo under general anesthetic

If you do decide to get a tattoo under a general anesthetic, Moon says, it is important that you make sure your anesthesiologist is board-certified.

It is also crucial that you undergo the procedure in a setting that has the wherewithal to deal with an emergency.

“Always ask for the qualifications of the person who is putting you to sleep, because your life is quite literally in their hands,” Moon stresses.

In an interview with the radio station KCBS this month, she added: “The concern here is what kind of facility are you going to to undergo this procedure?

“If it has the same credentials and people working and equipment and medication that a surgical office would have, where you would go for a surgical procedure, then it can be safe.

“My concern is that it is being done in substandard conditions where you don’t necessarily have the medications, equipment or personnel if something goes wrong.”

What other precautions should you take before having a general anesthetic?

When preparing for any kind of procedure that is to take place under general anesthetic, the Mayo Clinic says you should “adopt healthy lifestyle habits”.

“You can do this by increasing your activity level, eating a healthy diet, getting plenty of sleep and stopping tobacco use,” the medical group practice says.

The MayoClinic also notes that you should have a pre-procedure consultation with your anesthesiologist to talk about any medicines you are currently taking.

“Some medicines must be stopped for a day or several days before surgery,” the body explains. You also need to report any allergies you have to certain medicines.

In addition, you should be given clear instructions on how long you need to fast for before your procedure.

“Sedation and anesthesia relax the muscles in your digestive tract,” the Mayo Clinic explains. “This reduces your body’s usual protective reflexes that help prevent food and acid from passing from your stomach into your lungs.”

How much does a general-anesthetic tattoo cost?

Speaking to USA Today, the tattoo artist Romeo Lacoste, who works for the California Dream tattoo parlor in Los Angeles, said his studio now inks general-anesthetic tattoos on a large number of notable clients.

And Lacoste insists that the parlor’s anesthesia process observes the same strict precautions as in a medical setting.

“I’ve been working with a lot of celebrities and high net-worth individuals, and they’ve actually been asking me about this for quite some time,” Lacoste says.

“We finally found a way to make it happen and connect the dots and work with some of the top anesthesiologists in Los Angeles.

“The facility that we work with is one of the best of the best, so everything that we do is always top-of-the-line and safety first.”

Lacoste also noted that a general-anesthesia back tattoo is significantly pricier than the regular body-art process - costing customers as much as $35,000.

By comparison, getting a back tattoo without being put to sleep will set you back $10,000 to $15,000, he said.

Such a jump in cost is in line with figures quoted late last year by MarketPlace, in a report entitled: “Getting a tattoo under anesthesia won’t hurt - except the price”.

The business news outlet cited the example of Sedation Ink, a studio that specializes in doing tattoos using general anesthesia, where prices begin at around $30,000.