You will need a suitable cream/lotion to put on your tattoo as it heals. Moisturising with an appropriate product is an essential part of the process. Without doing this you risk a poor result when your tattoo has healed. A range of aftercare products are available for purchase. We recommend no single brand for everyone, as different ones will suit different skin types. Feel free to ask if you need help choosing!
If, after reading this aftercare sheet, you have any further questions or any problems concerning your new tattoo, please contact your tattooist. Different tattoo artists may give conflicting advice about the type of cream to use and possibly about other details of the aftercare routine. Don't worry about this too much! Some people will find that one type of cream works much better for them than anything else, while others find that it doesn't much matter what brand they use. The basis of all good aftercare is to keep the tattoo clean and moisturised, to avoid damaging any scabs and to let them flake off naturally. It is also very helpful to stop the fresh tattoo coming in contact with the air immediately after it is done, as this will help ensure that the scab which forms is not too thick. A thick scab is more likely to crack, leaving lines of bare skin where there is supposed to be ink.
Here is the aftercare routine I recommend:
If, after reading this aftercare sheet, you have any further questions or any problems concerning your new tattoo, please contact your tattooist. Different tattoo artists may give conflicting advice about the type of cream to use and possibly about other details of the aftercare routine. Don't worry about this too much! Some people will find that one type of cream works much better for them than anything else, while others find that it doesn't much matter what brand they use. The basis of all good aftercare is to keep the tattoo clean and moisturised, to avoid damaging any scabs and to let them flake off naturally. It is also very helpful to stop the fresh tattoo coming in contact with the air immediately after it is done, as this will help ensure that the scab which forms is not too thick. A thick scab is more likely to crack, leaving lines of bare skin where there is supposed to be ink.
Here is the aftercare routine I recommend:
- Leave the tattoo covered with clingfilm for around 12 hours. If you have had mainly lines and little or no solid colour, you can afford to uncover the tattoo a bit sooner. If you have had a lot of solid colour, leave it covered for the full 12. A few hours longer won't hurt, so “the rest of the day and overnight” is a good general rule. It is fine to remove the clingfilm briefly, wash the tattoo, and immediately cover it with a clean piece of cling film.
- Make sure there are no air bubbles under the clingfilm. Replace the clingfilm if it does become loose and let the air in (If this needs to be done, take the opportunity to wash your tattoo if possible). Although I DON'T recommend applying a thick layer of aftercare cream once the clingfilm is taken off (nor do I recommend vaseline as an aftercare product for most skin types) , it can help to liberally apply vaseline at this stage only, so the clingfilm will stick and be more airtight.
- Don't remove clingfilm until you are ready to wash the tattoo.
- Don't leave the clingfilm on for longer than 24 hours; a tattoo does need to dry out and scab at some stage, or it will remain open to infection.
- After removing the clingfilm, rinse the tattoo clean under running water. The water should be comfortably warm but if it is hot it can feel quite painful, so take care.
- Use an antibacterial soap or shower gel. First wash your hands thoroughly and then gently wash all of the dried ink, blood, etc. from the surface of your tattoo . Use your hand only, not a sponge or wash cloth.
- Allow the tattoo to air dry.
- When the tattoo is a couple of days old and has gone from the sticky stage to the dry stage, you should start moisturising the tattoo. You can do this by washing it with aqueous cream instead of soap or shower gel and/or by applying a THIN layer of your chosen aftercare cream or lotion to the tattoo after you have washed it. Anything applied should sink in completely within a minute or two. If it doesn't, either you are using too thick/greasy a product or applying too thick a layer.
- Avoid wearing clothes that are expensive or your favourites for the first couple of days. The tattoo can leak some blood and ink for a while, and this can stain clothes. The tattoo can also become stuck to your clothing. If this happens, avoid unsticking the clothing before you are ready to wash the tattoo. When it is time to wash and apply cream to the tattoo, put the area under running water, then slowly and gently remove the clothing. Try allowing the tattoo to air dry for as long as possible before putting on clean clothes, this should minimise sticking.
- Continue to wash and apply lotion to your tattoo two or three times a day (more if the tattoo gets dirty for any reason, but try not to let this happen!) until the tattoo is fully healed. This takes on average 1 to 2 weeks, but do not worry if it takes your tattoo a little longer to heal, everyone is different.
- Don't re-cover the tattoo with clingfilm or a bandage after the first 12 hours, except when this is necessary to prevent it getting dirty.
- Don't expose the tattoo to the sun until it has fully healed. Putting sun block on the tattoo does not count (and is not recommended)- you should cover the tattoo with clothing when you go out in the sun.
- NEVER pick or scratch tattoo while it is healing- this tends to pull out some of the ink and lead to a patchy tattoo that looks bad. Also, never shave or wax the area while the tattoo is healing- this can take most of the scabs off and completely ruin the tattoo.
- Don't soak the healing tattoo until the scabs go soggy, as this can also make them come off before they are ready and lead to loss of ink. Have showers or very short baths only.
- Don't wear any item of clothing that rubs on the tattoo- waist bands, bra straps and footwear can be particularly likely to damage the tattoo by rubbing off scabs. Wear loose fitting clothing over tattoo and be careful not to suffocate tattoo with tights etc. Synthetic materials especially can stop your tattoo from breathing.