Tattoo aftercare
A tattoo is finished when it has healed. That part is yours. Here is the routine, in order.
The routine
The routine: the first two weeks
Bandage off
Take the bandage off after 1–2 hours and do not re-bandage. A wound heals when it can breathe, and a fresh tattoo is a wound: keep it clean, open to the air, and away from anything that rubs against it, including a loose sleeve.
Wash
Warm water, a mild antibacterial soap, your fingertips only. Remove every trace of blood and plasma; dried blood becomes scab. Pat dry with a clean cloth or let it air dry. No washcloths for the whole healing period.
Thin ointment
A coat so thin you can barely see it, worked in, excess dabbed off with a paper towel. If it looks glossy or runny there is too much, and too much suffocates the tattoo and loosens scabs. Repeat 2 times a day for 2–3 days.
Switch to lotion
Then a plain, unscented moisturizer 2 times a day for the rest of 2 weeks. Nothing with color, fragrance or glitter until it has healed, and nothing thick enough to sit on the skin like a film or trap sweat under it.
Keep it dry and shaded
Short showers, under 10 minutes. No baths, pools, ocean, hot tubs or saunas for 2 weeks. No sun and no sunblock on it until it has healed; after that, sunblock every time. Pools and the ocean are how most tattoos get infected.
Do not pick
It will itch and flake like a sunburn. Flakes of color are normal. Do not scratch, peel or scrub; slap it or dab rubbing alcohol near it if the itch is bad. Most tattoos look healed in 10–14 days; the skin beneath settles later.
Special cases
Hands, feet and sun
Hands and feet replace skin faster than anywhere else and rub against everything. A tattoo there can take an extra 2 weeks and needs no dishes, no gloves, no socks or closed shoes while it heals. Friction wears a fresh tattoo out quickly, which is why hand and foot tattoos are rarely guaranteed.
Sun is the enemy of every tattoo, new or old. A burn on fresh work scabs hard and fades the piece before it has healed. Once healed, a high-factor sunblock every time you are outside keeps the blacks black and the colors bright for years, which is the cheapest touch-up there is.
We carry
- Ointment
- H2Ocean healing ointment
- Lotion
- H2Ocean lotion
- Soap
- H2Ocean soap
- Kit
- All three, for larger pieces
Questions people ask
What if it forms a thick scab?
Too dry or too wet both cause it. Leave it alone, keep it lightly moisturized, and let it fall off on its own. Picking pulls the ink out with the scab.
When can I work out?
Light exercise is fine once the bandage is off, as long as sweat is washed off gently afterward and nothing rubs the tattoo. Swimming and heavy sweating that soaks the area wait 2 weeks.
The color looks dull while it heals. Is that normal?
Yes. The flaking layer sits over the ink for a week or two. When it has gone the color comes back. If it stays patchy after a month, come in for a free look and a touch-up if it needs one.
Can you do the first wash for me?
Yes. Book an in-shop aftercare session with your artist for a small fee.
