Aftercare Instructions
A fresh tattoo is an open wound, so it must be carefully treated as such. Please read these instructions thoroughly, all the way through.
Please do not touch or itch your tattoo, let your pet lick or scratch at it, soak or submerge it (baths, lakes, oceans, etc. - but showering is fine), wear tight/constricting clothing, or sunbathe the area you got tattooed for two full weeks. Any clothing or bedding that touches the tattoo should be clean.
During the first few days, your tattoo is still an open wound and will be sore, painful, and warm to the touch. The skin around your tattoo might also appear slightly red and swollen. During the first days of tattoo healing your tattoo will continue to release plasma, blood, and ink—this is completely normal. Plasma, which is a clear liquid, makes up the largest part of your blood (55 percent) and it’s release is part of your skin’s natural healing process.
After the third or fourth day following your tattoo appointment, your tattoo will begin to dry out. It may feel tight. Swelling should start to subside, though your skin might still feel warm and uncomfortable.
By the end of the first week, you will likely see your tattoo flaking. This is also a normal part of the tattoo healing process.
Most tattoos will finish flaking and essentially be healed around the 2-week mark. But it still may take a couple of weeks for your tattoo to fully settle in.
Recommended products - Dial unscented antibacterial soap, Hustle butter, Tattoo balm by Badger, A&D ointment or Aquaphor ointment, Tegaderm. These be found at pharmacies or online.
Saniderm
If you opted for the Saniderm bandage, please leave the bandage on ideally for 5 to 7 days. The bandage will fill with some ink, blood and plasma, so it may appear to be smudged. This is all part of the normal healing process and nothing to worry about.
If the buildup is extreme and bothersome or if the bandage starts to peel up and reveal the tattoo, feel free to switch your bandage. At most pharmacies, and definitely any Walgreens, you can find something called Tegaderm in the bandage section. Slowly pull the bandage off. Give your tattoo a gentle wash with unscented, antibacterial soap. Allow the tattoo to air dry completely. In this time do not touch the tattoo. Then follow the instructions on the Tegaderm package to apply the new bandage.
If you leave the bandage on for the full recommended 5 days or more, all you will need to do is give your tattoo a gentle wash with unscented, antibacterial soap. Make sure your hands are clean. I advise you to take the bandage off in the shower. Gently wash off all the residue thats built up, do not scrub.
After this wash, no need to do anything else. Just leave it be and your body knows what to do, ointment is not necessary.
If you decided to take off the bandage, or if it falls off before the five days are up - read the aftercare instructions in the “No Saniderm” section and follow those.
No Saniderm
If you decided against the Saniderm wrap, or if it fell off/you took it off before the 5 days were up, please follow these instructions.
Wash the tattoo gently (with clean hands) with unscented, antibacterial soap 3 to 4 times daily for 3 full days after your tattoo appointment. After each wash, either let the tattoo air dry or pat dry gently with a clean papertowel (no not scrub dry or use a bath towel). Then apply a thin coat of ointment (A&D or Aquaphor work well).
After the third day, no need to do anything else. Just leave it be and your body knows what to do.