TATTOO AFTERCARE

The goal is to keep it clean, moisturized, and free of irritation. It may be red, swollen, and oozy for a day or two. Wear clean, soft, loose-fitting clothing to protect it from sun exposure, dust, and contact with dirty surfaces. DON’T TOUCH IT UNLESS YOU JUST WASHED YOUR HANDS.

NO SWIMMING or submerging it in any water (even bath water, and especially pool/lake water) for 2 weeks.

WITHIN 1 HOUR—

• Take a hot shower and gently clean the tattoo using just your clean hands and a mild antibacterial soap, making sure to clean all the ointment and plasma off.  Liquid hand soap (like Dial/Softsoap) or Dr. Bronner’s unscented liquid soap work well.  Don’t use anything medicated/fragrant/exfoliating.

• Let the warm-hot water run over your tattoo for 1-2 minutes (it’ll be uncomfortable for 15 seconds), then cold water for 1-2 minutes. This will jump-start the healing process and help reduce the “oozy” phase.

• Dry your tattoo by dabbing (not rubbing) it with a clean towel or paper towel.  Apply a thin layer (think chapstick amount) of AQUAPHOR or other recommended ointment, from a clean tube/container.

FOR THE NEXT 4-5 DAYS…

• DO NOT LET IT DRY OUT. Apply ointment when needed, approximately 4-6 times a day: When you get up, after washing it, go to sleep, and throughout the day if it feels dry.

• Don’t let it come in contact with anything that can cause infection (dog/cat dander, saliva, a dirty tabletop, unwashed hands, the floor, a yoga mat, etc.) If it does, wash and reapply ointment asap.

• Wash it 2-3 times a day, depending on how easily that part of your body gets dirty or if the tattoo is oozing a lot.

• If it gets oozy, dab it gently with a clean paper towel and reapply ointment. (You may notice a little bit of ink in the ooze.)  If the ooze dries on the tattoo, wash it really well with soap first.

• Be careful not to let it get stuck to your clothes or sheets.  If this happens, soak in water before gently peeling it off.

• Avoid strenuous exercise or sweaty activities during this time.

Around day 3-5, your tattoo may start to get itchy and the top layer of dead skin & ink will begin to flake off. This is totally normal, allow it to fall of naturally and do not pick or scratch at it.

An infected tattoo looks red and irritated in some areas. This looks different than the normal day-old redness and swelling, and gets worse instead of better. If this happens, you can use Neosporin for your ointment for 2 days. Otherwise, avoid antibiotic ointment.

Often called 2nd skin, Saniderm, etc… I use a brand called Derm Shield and will put it on for you. This is a waterproof, breathable membrane that creates a seal over your tattoo to protect it from outside elements and uses your body’s natural juices to help it heal rather than applying ointment. You can touch it, shower with it (do not submerge it in water), and sleep on it. it’s great for traveling, if you have a dirty job, or you have lots of pets that sleep in your bed.

This doesn’t mean you get to ignore it for 4 days— The bandage is easier than using ointment, but the trade-off here is that you have to make sure the bandage stays on completely. Sweat can cause the adhesive to un-stick to your skin, so you’ll need to refrain from heavy exercise or activities that make you get really sweaty. I know this is hard to avoid in AZ in the summer, but it’s worth the extra effort. If your bandage fills up with large pockets of sweat, or sweat causes the bandage unstick enough to where other liquid can seep in, you’ll have to take it off and switch to using ointment.

In addition to this, be gentle with it. Wear soft loose-fitting clothing over it, keep it out of the sun, avoid rubbing/friction on the area from bag straps/etc, and stay away from situations where you could scrape/puncture the bandage.

It’s common for the bandage to fill up with a small amount of fluid (plasma and ink) underneath. This might make the details of the tattoo look weird or squiggly- Rest assured, those crispy clean lines are still under there and they’ll be there when the bandage comes off. That fluid will either re-absorb into your skin, or dry up and get crusty under the bandage after a few days.

Ideally, you will leave this bandage on for 4-5 days.

There are a few things that would cause you to have to take the bandage off prematurely: (If that happens, you’ll have to switch to using ointment for the remainder of the first 4-5 days.)

1. The bandage “leaks”- Either there was too much fluid buildup and it found a place to escape, or sweat causes the bandage to lose its adhesive strength and it couldn’t keep the fluid contained. If the fluid fully escapes the bandage, this is considered a breach of the seal (meaning it is no longer keeping contaminants out) and the whole thing needs to come off.

2. The bandage peels up and exposes even a small part of the tattoo- This is also considered a breach of the seal and the whole thing needs to come off.

3. You have a reaction to the adhesive- A small amount of redness and irritation may be normal, especially around the edges of the bandage. However if you are experiencing pain, itching, heat, or patchy-looking red spots or bumps, you may be having a reaction to the adhesive and you should remove the bandage. (You’ll know within 24 hrs or much sooner if you’re going to have a reaction.) On occasion, a mild rash may develop after the bandage comes off. This is not uncommon or cause for concern and should go away in a few days.

4. There is so much fluid that it becomes like a pressurized blister- A swishy watery pouch of fluid is ok (and fun to play with), but if it feels like pressure is building and it feels uncomfortable, take it off.

HOW TO TAKE IT OFF: Do this at the end of a hot shower. Find a corner that is peeling up, and gently start to peel the bandage flat against your skin and away from the center of the bandage (like a command strip), lubricating the area underneath with soap or a clean skin-safe oil (like jojoba) as you go. If your skin is super dry and the bandage is REALLY stuck, you can pull in the opposite direction, still flat against your skin. Never try to rip it off at a perpendicular angle, as this can tear the top layer of healing skin off with it. Some of the dried ink & dead skin might still stick to the bandage, but you want to minimize this as much as possible. Once the bandage is completely off, clean it really well with soap to break up all the crust/plasma that built up in there. (A simple antibacterial hand soap is best, do not use soap that is medicated, exfoliating, or super fragrant.) Gently pat it dry and apply an unscented lotion. Your tattoo may still seem a little flakey/crusty for another day or two, just keep moisturizing.

*You won’t be able to use the bandage option if you tend to have an allergic reaction to adhesives. If you like, I can give you a sample to test on an un-tattooed area of your skin.