So now that the painful part is out of the way, here comes the aftercare. This is just as important as getting the tattoo itself. If it’s not cared for properly, especially within the first few days after getting it, it could jeopardise the entire tattoo.
So here goes:
- Please leave the dressing we applied after your tattoo until you have a shower – We have cleaned and sterilised the area and the dressing will prevent any dirt or germs entering the tattoo site.
- You may shower to clean the tattoo either tonight or tomorrow morning. DO NOT soak it in a bath. (If a lot of fluid forms under the dressing it is better to clean it sooner rather than later.)
Days 1-3:
- Clean your tattoo with unperfumed soap (Carex or Dove are good) and just your hand. Make sure you get rid of the layer of gunk (plasma and excess ink) that has formed on the top. It will sting but it is really important to remove it all or it will cause a heavy scab.
- When the tattoo is clean, you may pat it dry with kitchen roll (not a towel or anything that will leave bits of fluff stuck to it). OR allow to air dry with no clothing over it.
- Once the area is dry, re-apply fresh cling film tightly to keep the tattoo clean. You do not need to put any cream on the tattoo whilst it is wrapped.
- Repeat this process two times a day for 3 days.
Days 4-14:
- After you clean your tattoo on day 4, the fluids being released should have stopped and you can dry the tattoo and simply apply your cream.
- We recommend using Palmers Solid Cocoa Butter, or dedicated tattoo aftercare creams such as Yayo, Butterluxe, Hustlebutter or Checkmate.
- You should continue to clean the tattoo twice a day and apply cream 2 times a day. If it is dry or itchy apply a thin layer of cream up to 4 times a day in total.
- You should also wear loose fitting clothing over your tattoo for two weeks or until it is healed. This means no tights or leggings, bras that rub on the area, heavy work boots or wellies that may rub and cause irritation etc. If this is unavoidable you should continue to clean and wrap your tattoo for up to 10 days without any cream. This is known as wet healing. It is just a different way to heal a tattoo, allowing the open wound to heal under the dressing. It is important to change your dressing every day.
Other Important things to remember:
- When you leave the shop your tattoo is cleaned, sterile and has not been exposed to any kind of germs or dirt, this means anything you do to the tattoo after you leave is your responsibility. Infections caused by poor aftercare or badly healed tattoos are not our responsibility and we cannot offer touch up’s for free in this circumstance. So please look after your new tattoo!
- You must not swim or expose your tattoo to sunlight until it is fully healed. Usually a minimum of 2 weeks.
- We recommend factor 50+ on healed tattoos as sun exposure can bleach tattoos.
- We do not recommend any other type of aftercare, we cannot guarantee good healing if you do not follow our advice.
- DO NOT allow your animals to come into direct contact with a fresh tattoo
If you think that there could be something wrong, please let us know and we can offer you some more advice and suggestions.
Quite often people have a tendency to over fuss their new tattoo, and smother it. This can cause heavy scabbing and slow the healing process, so it’s vital that we’re told if you think there may be something wrong.