{ Looking after your new tattoo }
At the studio:
When your tattoo is finished, your artist will wrap your tattoo to protect it before you leave the studio, and will go over the tattoo aftercare basics with you. Please listen carefully and be sure to ask them to clarify if there is anything you don’t understand. Please be aware that different tattoo artists sometimes give different aftercare instructions, this is because they are experienced in how their specific style of tattooing heals, as different techniques in tattooing affect healing differently. So always listen to the artist who has done your tattoo and follow their advice for the best healing results.
There are several different types of dressing your tattoo artist may apply before you leave the studio, please pay attention to which one your artist has used:
Cling Film:
Leave this on for a maximum of 3 hours, then take it off and give your tattoo a gentle wash in warm running water with clean hands and a mild soap (a liquid soap with no perfume or colour is perfect, for example Simple, Dove, or a tattoo specific wash) Please do not use bar soap as it can harbour germs on its surface. Wash away all excess ‘gunk’, blood and ink, then pat dry with clean kitchen roll or leave to air dry.
If you are able to, leave the tattoo to air for a couple of hours, this will help seal the pores. If you are not able to leave the tattoo exposed to the air safely, for example you need to go to work or have a particullarly affectionate pet so you might struggle to keep the exposed tattooed area clean, then instead re-wrap the tattoo in fresh cling film, and do not leave it on longer than 3 hours.
Bedtime on the first night:
Tattoos with heavy coverage will need to be wrapped in fresh cling film just before bedtime, as during the night they sometimes bleed a little and/or weep a little bit of ink, this is normal, but you dont want the tattoo to stick to clothes or bed sheets, so it’s best to protect the delicate new tattoo. With smaller tattoos, linework only tattoos, and sometimes dotwork tattoos, this is not usually nessesary, so listen to your artist for their best advice on this.
The next day:
Wash your tattoo first thing, especially if you have worn cling film overnight. Pat dry with clean kitchen roll or leave to air dry, and observe the tattoo closely- if it is still a little ‘weepy’ or becomes wet again after you have dried it (this is more likely to happen with high coverage tattoos) then re-wrap with cling film. Make sure you don’t leave the cling film on for longer than 3 hours at a time, (especially in hot sweaty days) and when changing the wrap, wash and dry the tattoo before applying fresh cling film.
When the tattoo starts to become dry, you can start applying your aftercare balm, and you no longer need to cover the tattoo. You do however still need to make sure the area stays clean, so it is best to wear loose clean clothing to protect it, and nothing that will rub. Treat your new tattoo like a wound, there is no need to over-care for it, but do try and keep it clean and avoid touching it unessesarily.
Second Skin dressing:
Pictured Left: A fresh tattoo 24 hours after applying second skin dressing, it’s normal to see some ink collect under the dressing.
This is a clear breatheable medical dressing that adheres to your skin around the tattoo, and is very effective at protecting your new tattoo and speeding up the healing process. Sometimes if the tattoo is bleeding a bit when we are finished, your artist will be unable to apply this kind of dressing so will resort to cling film, but if they are able to they will apply the dressing, and you can then leave it on for around 48 hours, as long as the tattoo is still covered by the dressing. The corners of the dressing may start to roll or fold a little bit, but as long as the whole tattoo is contained within the sticky parts of the dressing with no leaks or gaps, then the tattoo is still safe.
It is normal for blood and ink to collect under the dressing, and if there is still a strong seal then it can pool and create a pocket of liquid- this is normal and it is totally fine to leave this as it is until it is ready to come off.
If before the 48 hour period the dressing peels back to reveal a bit of the tattoo, or if it leaks at all, then it is time to remove the dressing. Sometimes this can happen almost immediately upon leaving the studio, if it does then there is no rush to remove the dressing, it can be left on for a few hours like that if you are unable to get home to remove it safely.
Also if this does happen, please refer to the instructions above regarding what to do for the first night after your tattoo appointment. You can also re-apply a fresh second skin dressing if you have one, this can be done up to 24 hours after the initial tattoo session, and as long as the tattoo hasn’t fully dried out yet.
When it is time to remove the dressing, hold it under warm running water and peel very slowly, try and stretch the dressing parallel to the skin as you pull it off, and begin from the bottom of the tattoo so the water doesnt pool in it. Take your time and be gentle, as the adhesive is quite strong and can leave marks on the skin if pulled too aggressively. The warm running water helps to soften it. Once the dressing is removed, wash your tattoo in warm running water with clean hands and a mild soap (a liquid soap with no perfume or colour is perfect, for example Simple, Dove, or a tattoo specific wash) Please do not use bar soap as it can harbour germs on its surface. Wash away all excess ‘gunk’, blood and ink.
Pat dry with clean kitchen roll or leave to air dry, and observe the tattoo closely- if it is still a little ‘weepy’ or becomes wet again after you have dried it (this is more likely to happen with high coverage tattoos) then re-wrap with cling film. Make sure you don’t leave the cling film on for longer than 3 hours at a time, (especially in hot sweaty days) and when changing the wrap, wash and dry the tattoo before applying fresh cling film.
When the tattoo starts to become dry, you can start applying your aftercare balm, and you no longer need to cover the tattoo. You do however still need to make sure the area stays clean, so it is best to wear loose clean clothing to protect it, and nothing that will rub. Treat your new tattoo like a wound, there is no need to over-care for it, but do try and keep it clean and avoid touching it unessesarily.
Absorbent dressing/ plaster
Occasionally if there is a lot of bleeding from the tattoo when it is done, your artist will apply a sterile high absorbency dressing fixed on with medical tape, which looks like a big plaster. This can be left on overnight for the first night as long as it is still securely fixed on before you go to bed. Remove first thing in the morning, and wash as per the instructions above.
Applying Aftercare balm
Wash your tattoo and make sure the area is completely dry before applying. Wash your hands, then apply a very thin layer of aftercare cream/balm. See below for my recommendations of cream. Do this around 3-4 times per day, you can use your best judgement with this, if it feels dry, apply balm, if it is still moist from the last application, leave a little longer.
Continue this routine for the first 1-2 weeks, then after it has finished peeling, wash it daily until it is healed. (you can wash it as normal when you shower) and just apply aftercare balm or a regular unperfumed moisturiser such as cocoa butter whenever the tattoo feels dry.
I highly recommend using a tattoo specific aftercare cream until the tattoo has finished peeling, then you can switch to your regular moisturiser if you would like to save the more expensive tattoo aftercare for another time. Continue to moisturise your tattoo sparingly until the skin is no longer dry and has returned to its normal texture.
Your tattoo will take around 3-4 weeks to heal on a surface level, and a few more weeks after that to fully settle in.
Touch ups
After the tattoo has fully healed, so after 4-6 weeks, if you feel your tattoo needs a touch up, please contact your artist as soon as possible to arrange a touch up appointment. Please do not ask for a touch up before this, as during the healing process the tattoo can look a bit strange, it’s all part of the process and it is impossible to tell if a tattoo needs touching up until it’s done it’s thing.
Send a picture of the tattoo that needs touching up to your artist so they know how much needs to be done. Remember your tattoo will never look as vivid as it does on the first day it was done, as the skin forms a layer over the top of the fresh ink to lock it in place, so when it is healed you are viewing it through a layer of skin. Touch ups are only required if the tattoo has any bits missing or uneven, which can happen naturally during healing and is nobody’s fault.
If it has been longer than 6 months since your tattoo was done then the touch up will no longer be free, so make sure you get in touch as soon as you can if you think you need one. If your tattoo needs a touch up due to negligence during healing, and no fault of the tattoo artist, then you will be charged for the touch up - so make sure you follow the advice carefully.
Long Term Tattoo Care
All tattoos spread and fade a little bit over time, but you can help them look their best for longer by following this advice:
You should always apply suncream to your tattoos if you are going to expose them to the sun - UV rays can break down tattoo ink, fading the tattoos and causing them to spread/blur more.
Keeping your skin moisturised will always make your tattoos look their best long term, as you are always viewing your tattoo through the window of your outer layer of skin! So keeping that supple and soft means you’ll see the vibrancy of the ink best.
Aftercare Products
This is a controversial topic, and lots of artists give very differing advice on this subject, so I will do my best to explain the reasoning behind my recommendations.
The key things you want to look for in an aftercare product are:
-All natural ingredients, make sure you read the label and recognise everything that is in it - certain ingredients that go into moisturisers such as Palmers coco butter are NOT suitable to apply to broken skin/ wounds, so are not good for your fresh tattoo.
- Something that has been formulated specifically for fresh tattoo aftercare - not long term care, that is a big difference. You may see some moisturisers marketed as ‘tattoo enhancing’ but they are just regular moisturiser in fancy packaging, they only ‘enhance’ your healed tattoos by making your skin look lovely over the top of your tattoos, and soft moisturised skin does make your tattoos look better - so it is a good idea long term, but dont waste money on these marketing gimmicks, regular moisturiser is fine once your tattoo is fully healed!
- Not perfumed - Some tattoo aftercare balms are made to smell very strongly to make them attractive to buy, but this is not needed, and the harsh chemicals can upset your fresh tattoo. Even if the perfume is an essential oil, some types can be quite irritating to sensitive skin.
-Nothing oily - Coconut oil is sometimes used, but I find the oiliness clogs the pores and does not allow the tattoo to breathe properly, thus hindering healing. I have also found long term it is quite drying, so I would not recommend this. Bepathen has been recommended historically, but it is not suitable for tattoo care as it is formulated to create a water-proof barrier (between the skin and a nappy!) and your tattoo needs to breathe. The stickiness of Bepanthen also means that dust and dirt will stick to it, and will need washing a lot more than with other aftercare solutions (so more unnecessary handling of your tattoo and more irritation).
- Nothing containing antiseptic or harsh chemicals - you do not need to apply a wound care cream to your tattoo, your body will do the job of healing the tattoo perfectly well as long as you keep the area clean and apply the correct aftercare cream sparingly with clean hands. if you are worried your tattoo has become infected, please contact me as soon as possible and I can advise as best I can, or if you are extremely worried, go and see your GP. More often than not the tattoo may just be irritated, so your artist can put your mind at ease or recommend you have it checked by the doctor if something is amiss.
My personal recommendation is Hustle Butter, which I sell at the studio, or you can buy online prior to your tattoo session. Hustle butter has been formulated specifically for tattoos with all natural ingredients, and I have been recommending it to my customers for years with excellent results. Remember you only need to apply a very thin layer of aftercare cream, less is more! You want the skin to absorb the cream, not for it to sit on top as the tattoo still wants to breathe.