Tattoo Aftercare

Bandaging & Washing

Your tattoo will be wrapped when it is finished.  Keep it covered for approximately 2 hours.  The bandage is preventing surface and air-borne bacteria from infiltrating the wound. Yes, it is a wound. Tattoos can radiate heat for a period of time and the first few are the crucial days to make sure it stays clean. This is when you are most susceptible to picking up germs/bacteria. 

At the 2 hour mark, remove the bandage and gently use your clean hands to wash it with a mild liquid antibacterial/antimicrobial soap (store brand, Dial, Softsoap).  Wash away the ointment, blood, and/or plasma (clear serous fluid excreted when clotting).  DO NOT use a washcloth or anything abrasive.  DO NOT re-wrap, let the area “breathe”.  It may feel warm to the touch and tender.  This is to be expected.  

*The healing process is similar to that of a severe sunburn. Tender, radiating heat for the first day or two, followed by irritating and itchy as it peels, then shiny and taunt once it has shed completely.  
Pat it dry with a paper towel or a clean towel to dry completely.

WASH IT! EVERY COUPLE HOURS FOR THE FIRST 3 DAYS.

(it will be alright while you sleep) 

Moisturizing

You have options for moisturizers: A&D, coconut oil, fragrance-free lotion, cocoa butter.  All should be used to keep the area soft, not as a layer that will suffocate. If it’s shiny, there’s too much. Always wash before reapplying. Do not reapply new moisturizer without washing and drying first. Layering new on old can cause irritation. Expect your tattoo to peel. Don’t be alarmed. This is normal. Wash, moisturize, repeat. Don’t pick, scratch, or neglect it. We know you don’t want to pay for pain twice. 

Scabbing & Peeling

Your tattoo will start to peel after a few days, this is normal!  
DO NOT scratch or pick at it!  If it’s itchy, pat it with your hand-gently, and apply lotion.  
Every person is different, as are different areas of the body.  Joints (elbows, knees, and wrists) as well as hands, fingers, feet, and necks are areas that tend to take longer to heal.  Majority of the body will heal completely in 1 ½ - 2 weeks, aforementioned locations may be as long as 4 weeks.  This is acceptable due to the difference in skin and heightened use on a daily basis. A healed tattoo will no longer be shiny and the skin will be completely intact.  

Bathing, Showering, Swimming, Hot Tubs

Please shower.  You, hopefully, wouldn’t avoid washing a cut on your arm or hand.  That being said, you will want to wash your tattoo in the shower.  Most of the time, that is the most convenient time to cleanse the area.  Do so at the end of your shower with the recommended soap so it rinses away any other shower products used.  Try to keep the shower quick.  When you do have a cut, it is common for the scab to get soft and nearly wash away when exposed to moisture, heat, and steam.  This is true for a tattoo as well, only when the scab goes, the pigment does also.  Therefore, submerging in bodies of water is highly frowned upon.  That means, stay out of pools (freshwater or chlorinated), oceans, lakes, hot tubs, and bathtubs for at least 2 weeks.  When it has healed completely you may take part in water activities and the use of sunscreen. 
Your Tattoo should heal in 10 to 14 Days.