TATTOO AFTERCARE
THE INITIAL BANDAGE:
You’ll leave the studio bandaged with a waterproof adhesive film bandage that lets your tattoo heal with no intervention for the first 3 days—All you’ll need to do is look it over carefully every day and make sure no fluid is leaking out of your bandage and that no edges have pulled away from the skin to expose the tattoo. Once the bandage is compromised it needs to come off, so if it fails sooner than 3 days, remove it then. If there is a puddle of inky fluid under the bandage that’s ok even though it looks gross. Don’t try to drain it unless you’re ready to remove the bandage completely.
REMOVING THE BANDAGE:
When the bandage is ready to come off, you’ll need to have a few things ready: approved aftercare soap or a mild hand soap, your approved aftercare balm, and a few paper towels or a very clean hand towel you don’t mind getting inky. Take the bandage off in the shower, making sure to wash your hands first. It’s counterintuitive, but remove the bandage like you would a Command strip, by stretching the film laterally in the direction of the skin and letting the adhesive undo itself, rather than pulling it back away from the skin. (It helps to have a friend assist, so enjoy the bonding experience of letting another human see you all tender and slimy!)
YOUR AFTERCARE ROUTINE:
Wash your fresh tattoo with warm water and an approved tattoo aftercare soap. Wash off any wet or dried fluid from the tattoo’s surface so that you’re not giving it an opportunity to harden into a thick scab.
Dry by patting very gently with a paper towel.
Apply a small amount of your approved aftercare balm. TIP: Thicker products may need to be thinned by rubbing between your fingers to warm it before applying. Rub the product into the skin rather than leaving a layer on the surface. Less is more.
Repeat at regular intervals. (I set a timer for 3 hours at first). If it’s seeping a little fluid, wash it well and apply your aftercare product anytime you notice the skin beading up, extending the length of time between washings as the tattoo heals and begins seeping less. Once it’s no longer seeping and is onto the tight and dry stage, cut back to washing once per day, and continue moisturizing anytime the healing tattoo feels tight, dry or itchy.
BIG NOPES:
Sun exposure. Your healing skin will sunburn super easily, and if that happens it can be super damaging to your fresh tattoo. Make it a habit to consider your sun exposure before you leave the house, and plan ahead. I’d advise physical sun barriers like a UPF shirt or umbrella in the first few days, and high SPF mineral sunscreen can be used after that. If your tattoo is in the sun and it feels spicy, it’s taking damage.
Friction. Some friction is unavoidable just from normal movement, but avoid as much friction from clothing, backpacks, bras, shoes, etc. as possible during healing. If you can feel it, it’s bad for your tattoo.
Picking or scratching your tattoo. It’s normal for your tattoo to be flaky and itchy as it goes into its last stage of healing, but any little flaky bits that come off early, even the superficial ones, can leave light spots in your healed tattoo. To control the itching you can reapply balm or use a mild, fragrance free lotion. Lightly slapping the skin is also acceptable and has the bonus of looking really cool*. (*Lie. It looks insane but it feels good.)
Soaking. Soaking your healing tattoo will thicken your scabs and increase the chance of cracks forming and leaving light streaks in the healed tattoo. Keep it out of the bathtub, hot tub, pool, etc. and keep your tattoo out of wild or untreated water while it’s healing to keep any exotic microbes out of that fresh, raw skin.
That’s it! Your tattoo should be healed enough to be exposed to sun and water in about two weeks, and healed enough for your next tattoo appointment in 3 weeks. If you have any questions, or if anything is behaving strangely, text me a photo right away! You have my number!