Tattoo aftercare

Clear bandage; if possible, try to sleep with the bandage to avoid ink/blood all over the bed and keep the tattoo protected over night. You can remove the bandage once you get up, or for a maximum of 24hrs from the time it was put on.

Remove the bandage in the shower once you’re done with washing your hair, body and everything else. Remove bandage by grabbing corners and pulling away for the tattoo - similar to removing 3M command strips. Keep the water hitting above the tattooed area so water can run down onto the fresh piece, making sure the water isn’t too hot to avoid burning or irritating the tattoo. Use a gentle, unscented liquid soap, like a regular Dove/Ivory, on your fingers and gently massage the new tattoo to remove any slimy, goopy stuff on it (excess ink/ plasma seeping out) then rinse. Do this until your tattoo doesn’t feel slippery.

Avoid towels on the fresh tattoo as they may transfer fluffs or bacteria into it and use a clean paper towel to pad off dry.

Wash your tattoo like this 2-3 times a day, for the first 48hrs, then you can cut down to once or twice a day for the next week. You can start washing normally once all scabs and flakes have fallen off on their own.

Once out of the shower, apply a thin layer of gentle, unscented moisturizer, like a regular Aveeno or Lubriderm hand lotion, all over the piece and let it sit for a min or 2. Make sure to grab a new clean paper towel sheet and pad off any extra moisturizer not absorbed by the skin. Leaving a thick layer for longer can cause pimples from the pores getting clogged and causing infections due to the area staying too wet and attracting bacteria.

For 2 weeks, avoid any soaking or submersion under water. If you get a tattoo anywhere on your forearm, avoid washing any dishes as it increases the risks of infection.

Avoid any sun exposure for the first 2-3 weeks as it is not good got the fresh ink and could lead to major fading of the tattoo. Fresh tattoos should be treated like a fresh wound, and putting sunscreen on it could lead to issues with healing as it contains chemicals that could be bad for it. Once it is healed however, make sure to always cover your tattoo with sunscreen if you plan on being out in the sun as UV rays will fade your tattoo faster, and sun damage on the skin can make it harder to go back into the tattoo in the future to freshen up the tattoo.

After 3-5 days, the tattoo should start to flake/ scab and do so for the next few days to a week depending on your body and washing aftercare routine you choose to follow. Once it gets to this stage of healing, the tattooed area may feel itchy, or tight. Throughout the day, you can apply a thin layer of moisturizer to the area and let it sit for a min or 2. As always, take a fresh paper towel sheet and pad of any excess lotion unabsorbed by your skin. Do this when you feel the need to scratch or you can try the “slapping it gently” approche, or if you feel the skin pulling a bit from being too dry.

DO NOT pick at the scab or flaking and let it fall of naturally. Keep gently washing the tattoo during that stage to avoid removing thicker scabs by accident and damaging the ink in your new tattoo. When drying your tattoo, still use a clean paper towel sheet to pad of water until your tattoo is completely done scabbing/ flaking.

For the first 48-72hrs, avoid wearing any white or light clothing over the new tattooed area to avoid any potential ink or blood stains and do so until the tattoo stops oozing. Also avoir wearing anything fluffy to avoid anything sticking into your fresh tattoo. Try to keep it covered with looser clothing until it is done peeling to avoid any damage from friction and reduce risk of infection.

Once your tattoo is done flaking, you will be left with a nice new shinny skin, which can still be very sensitive, so avoid any rough scratching or exfoliation to avoid damaging the new baby skin. At that point, you can keep applying moisturizer to it daily and switch to your daily scented body lotion, but it isn’t necessary. If you plan on taking pictures, either for yourself or to show others, make sure to use some lotion on your tattoo to make sure the skin is nice and smooth and remove any dryness to the skin. This will make your tattoo stand out better and brighten your colours, but don’t use anything greasy as it could create unwanted glare. Same applies when showing it off in person.