PLEASE READ!
The healing of your tattoo is the final aspect of your art piece. The opinions and advice given are endless, and there are more experts out there than tattoos. A tattoo normally takes anywhere from 7 to 14 days to look fully healed, depending on the type, style, size and placement. The truth is that it can really take up to a month for a tattoo to be fully healed below the surface of the skin and for your body’s natural healing abilities to lock the ink in completely. I ask you to please follow my advice and not your buddy’s that has two tattoos. ·
- Remove bandage after 15 minutes. (If you're wearing Saniderm bandage can be worn for 2-3 days)·
- Gently clean tattoo to remove any excess Vaseline from the tattoo process. ·
- Leave tattoo unbandaged to breath (receive air.) ·
- Keep your tattoo clean but never submerge the piece under water. Wash tattoo daily with non-scented liquid anti-bacterial soap.
- Wash lightly with warm, soapy water using only fingertips. Do not scrub with a washcloth or body sponge of any kind.
- Blot dry with a towel, being careful not to scrub or irritate the tattoo. ·
- The first 3 days of your healing process apply little to no ointment/lotion to your tattoo to allow the ink to set under your skin.
- After the scab on the tattoo starts to form start to apply a small amount of non-scented lotion (I recommend Nivea Skin Firming Hydration Lotion, Vaseline Intensive Care Advance Repair Lotion, Lubriderm or Aquaphor Advanced Therapy Healing Ointment ,) twice daily/when needed. Be sure to rub into skin to avoid moisture build-up on fresh tattoos. If your tattoo looks wet after applying cream, you applied too much. Wipe some off.
- A+D® Ointment: is what most tattoo artists will use during the tattoo process. It starts the healing of your tattoo, it also works as a lubricant for the tattooist while working on you but it can have some side effects. One thing is that it is very thick and needs to be rubbed all the way in. If you are getting a large tattoo and you use it for an extended period of time, it can produce an adverse reaction from overdosing due to the skin absorbing too much of the active ingredients. The skin can break out in a rash or get pimply. If this happens, stop immediately!! If you use A+D® Ointment, we would recommend only using it to start the healing process for 1 to 2 days and then at that point switching to a non-medicated, non-scented lotion · Repeat steps daily for 10-20 days after receiving your tattoo.
- Remember that everyone is different! Your tattoo may heal in 7 days or it may take over 3 weeks, so don’t worry. ·
- The most important thing to keep in mind is: DO NOT PICK SCABS!!! This will pull color from your tattoo and increase the chance of scarring your design.
- I don’t care how small or little it is, let it fall off over time and/or during the gentle cleaning process. Picking can SCAR your skin and ruin the tattoo or at the very least, cause light spots that will have to be touched up. You will see the skin begin to peel some, like a mild sunburn. This is normal. You may also experience some color coming off while putting ointment on or during the cleaning process; again, totally normal and nothing to be concerned about. This whole scenario can last over the next 4 to 10 days. You will then see the color coming back clean and clear and your tattoo will be in the end stages of healing. By day 14, your new art piece should look fully healed.
- You will want to continue to put your lotion or ointment on until there is no shine to the skin at all. (This is also the indication that tattooists look for when doing multiple sessions on larger tattoos, signaling that it is ok to tattoo that area again.) ·
- Remember to keep your tattoo out of the sun, whether it’s old or new. Sunlight fades tattoos faster than anything. Keep a good sun block on the tattoo when in the sun for any significant period of time.