Discover the best ways to properly care for your new tattoo to promote excellent healing and reduce infection risks.

Looking after your tattoo during the healing process is equally as important as the tattoo itself. Poor aftercare can cause infection and potentially ruin your tattoo. Treat your new tattoo as an open wound, as it will consist of an area of tiny skin breaks caused by the tattoo needles so there is always a potential risk for infection to occur afterwards.

Healing usually takes 7 to 14 days, depending on the size of the tattoo.

Day 1

Before leaving the studio your tattoo practitioner will apply a sterile, non-stick gauze/dressing which will be secured with hypo-allergenic tape or alternatively a Dermalize Pro film.

Please keep this dressing on for at least 2-3 hours. The dressing is only intended to get you home without the tattoo area catching on clothing or being exposed to dust or pollution in the air. The dressing will allow ventilation and help to stop any bleeding or fluid oozing, but should be removed before it dries on the treated area.

If you opted to have the Dermalize Pro film applied, it should not but be left on for more than 2 days.

Before you remove your dressing/film, wash your hands and nails with antibacterial liquid soap and clean warm water and dry with a paper towel thoroughly. Do not use fabric towels to dry your hands as they harbour germs and bacteria.

Carefully remove your dressing/film, if you see any blood or plasma (the clear part of blood), or any ink, this is normal. Your skin will be red and sore, warm to touch and potentially swollen from the tattoo treatment.

Gently wash the tattoo with clean warm water and antibacterial fragrance-free liquid soap. Once cleaned, let the tattoo air dry if possible. If you need to dry the tattoo area straight away, gently pat dry (do not rub) with a clean paper towel. Do not use fabric towels to dry the tattoo area due to the risk of transmitting germs and bacteria.

You can keep the covering off at this point to let your tattoo breathe and dry out. Make sure you change into clean, loose and comfortable clothing and ensure nothing rubs against your fresh tattoo whilst it is drying out.

Day 2-3

By now, your tattoo will have a duller, cloudier appearance. This happens as your skin heals. Scabs will start to form. Wash your tattoo once or twice a day, and apply a small amount of alcohol-free moisturiser on the tattoo, the recommended moisturisers are Hustle Butter Deluxe,

Coconut Oil or Palmers Coco Butter. Apply your aftercare once a day to keep your tattoo hydrated and looking its best.

When you wash your tattoo you might notice some ink running into the sink. This is just excess ink that’s come up through your skin.

Days 4-6

The redness should start to fade.

You will probably notice some light scabbing over the tattoo. The scabs shouldn’t be as thick as the scabs you get when you cut yourself, but they’ll be raised. Don’t pick at the scabs as this can cause scarring and potentially ruin your tattoo.

Keep washing your tattoo once or twice a day. Apply an alcohol-free moisturiser.

Days 7-14

The scabs will have hardened and will begin to flake off. Don’t pick at them or try to pull them off. Let them come off naturally. Otherwise, you could pull out the ink and leave scars.

At this point, your skin may feel very itchy. Gently rub on an alcohol-free moisturiser several times a day to relieve the itch.

If your tattoo is still red and swollen at this point, you might have an infection. Go back to your tattoo artist or see a doctor.

Days 15-30

In this last stage of healing, most of the big flakes will be gone and the scabs should be going away. You might still see some dead skin, but it should eventually clear up too.

The tattooed area might still look dry and dull. Keep moisturising until the skin looks hydrated again.

By the second or third week, the outer layers of skin should have fully healed. It may take 3 to 4 months for the lower layers to completely heal. By the end of your third month, the tattoo should look as the artist intended.

It is normal for the tattoo to look slightly lighter when fully healed.

IMPORTANT HEALING ADVICE

To promote good healing and reduce the risks of infection please follow the below advice:

Hand washing:

  • Hand washing is the single most important method of reducing infection. Always wash your hands and nails thoroughly with antibacterial liquid soap and clean warm water and always dry with a paper towel before and after touching or cleaning your tattoo.

Whilst your tattoo is healing please avoid:

  • Unnecessary touching, scratching, picking or peeling the tattoo scab, as this can increase the risk of infection. Scabs must fall off naturally.
  • Bathing or submerging your tattoo in water for long periods of time, please opt for a short shower instead. When drying, avoid sharing towels with other people.
  • Sunbeds/solariums or sunbathing, please keep your tattoo out of the sun.
  • Swimming in a pool or the sea.
  • Saunas, steam rooms, hot tubs and massages.
  • Unnecessary excess sweating from exercising, as the bacteria in your sweat can get into your wound.
  • Contact with unhygienic surfaces, make sure your clothing, bed sheets, your partner and pets are clean in order to avoid contamination and infections.
  • Harsh chemical products when showering, opt for unscented and alcohol-free alternatives.
  • Perfume, aftershave and aerosols on the tattoo area.
  • Tight or chaffing clothing.
  • Skin products that have not been recommended by the tattoo practitioner or not intended for open wound healing, including petroleum based creams as they may affect the colour of the tattoo.
  • Sharing skin products with other people.

Signs of infection:

If appropriate aftercare is not followed infection may occur. The signs of infection are:

  • Swelling, rash and redness that increases around the wound.
  • A severe burning and throbbing sensation round the tattoo.
  • Increased tenderness and increasingly painful to touch.
  • An unusual discharge (yellow or green) with an offensive smell.
  • A fever within 24 hours after getting the tattoo.

Speak to your tattoo practitioner or seek medical attention immediately if you suffer from any of the above or have any concerns regarding infection in your tattoo or if there are any signs of an allergic reaction to any of the products used.