How to care for your new tattoo

We have all heard of different "rules" when it comes to tattoo aftercare. These instructions are from my own personal experience of trying different methods for years and I find that these have worked best for me and other clients as well.

1. Remove bandage/covering after one hour. This allows the tattoo time to stop "sweating" as the white blood cells rush to start the healing process. Do not re-bandage.

***Note: If you got a ‘second skin’ or a Saniderm patch, skip this step and start at #2. Leave Saniderm on for 3-4 days.***

2. After removing the bandage, wash with soap and water using slight pressure to remove any excess or dried blood, ink, and ointment. Doing so keeps the tattoo from forming any unnecessary scab and aids in a faster healing process. Use warm water to open your pores. A thin scab will begin to form and it is important that it falls off on its own.

3. After washing your tattoo, apply ointment. Aquaphor is highly recommended. Ointments NOT to be used are Vaseline, cocoa butter, Neosporin, baby oil.

4. Apply a THIN layer of ointment 2-3 times a day until healed.  Until the scab begins to fall of try not to let your tattoo dry completely out. Keeping a thin layer of ointment on it will release the scab within 2-4 days. Do not over medicate with a thick layer of ointment.

5. Do not soak your tattoo in water, baths or pools, until the scab has completely fallen off. 

6. Do NOT pick the scab off. Your scab is what holds your color until it separates from your skin on its own. If you pick the scab, you pick the color and lessen your chances for a vibrant tattoo. 

7. ***Do not expose you tattoo to direct sunlight. The sun fades tattoo ink. With ointment it may cause a bad skin reaction.

8. Wear dark colors and loose clothing during the first few days of the healing process. While the tattoo is still "soft", it can leave an ink print on clothing that does not wash out. Also, loose clothing keeps the tattoo from being irritated and protects the scab.

9. Color tattoos may take longer to heal than black and grey. Red usually takes the longest heal and may look pink when the scab falls off. This is normal and may take a few days for the full color to come in. Red contains small traces of Mercury to give its color. If for any reason you are allergic to any metals, you may not want to use red in your tattoo. If so, red may cause a skin reaction such as itching or a tattoo that seems to "never heal".

10. Healing time normally takes one week to 10 days to heal. Color tattoos may take a little longer. Red ink may take up to 6-8 weeks to heal to its truest of color.