Aftercare
Take care to follow the instructions as listed. If you have any specific questions or concerns about your healing, don’t hesitate to reach out.
While healing, please remember:
Always have clean hands before touching your tattoo during the healing process.
Do not let others (animals included) touch your healing tattoo. Pets are often attracted to ointments used during the healing process.
Flaking and itching is very normal. Do not pick or scratch at your healing work. Extra care must be taken to not disturb any scabs as the skin underneath is very fragile.
Two weeks is the minimum healing time. Some tattoos can take up to a month – tattoo placement, application, and aftercare can effect overall healing time. Your body is doing most of the work behind the scenes. Take care of your overall health as well.
Do not soak or submerge your tattoo during the healing process. Pools, hot tubs, or natural bodies of water put you at high-risk for infection.
Do not expose your healing tattoo to direct sunlight. Sunscreen may be applied after two weeks. Get in the habit – it’s the single most effective way to keep your tattoos looking fresh over your lifetime.
If you suspect you have an infection, contact your doctor and notify me. Signs of infection are: abnormal soreness, redness, and/or the tattooed area feeling warm to the touch. If it is caught and treated with antibiotics early, it can pass with little to no effect on the look of the tattoo.
Recommended Care Products
Your tattoo aftercare will require soap and ointment and/or lotion. The following lists are excellent products, but are certainly not the only ones that will work well.
General rule of thumb for both soaps and lotions: Use products that are mild, unscented, and hypoallergenic. Liquid soaps are preferred over bar soaps. Lotions and ointments should be applied thin and rubbed in so that the skin is just barely shiny. Over-moisturizing your tattoo can lead to poor healing.
Soaps:
Dr. Bronner’s Unscented
Dove Sensitive Skin Body Wash
Vanicream Gentle Body Wash
Cetaphil Ultra Gentle Body Wash
Ointments:
A+D Multipurpose First Aid Ointment
Aquaphor
McKesson Skin Protectant Ointment
Lotions:
Lubriderm Daily Moisture
Aveeno Skin Relief
Vanicream Moisturizing Lotion
Cetaphil Daily Moisture
There are a number of products specifically made and marketed for healing tattoos. These products are of course okay to use, but not necessary. Examples of tattoo-specific ointments include: Hustle Butter, Ink Eeze, SecondSkin Tattoo Cream, Tattoo Goo, After Inked Lotion, etc.
Bandage Types
Your tattoo(s) will be bandaged prior to you leaving the studio. There are two main types of bandages:
Transparent Film Dressing (commonly known as Tegaderm)
Plastic Wrap and/or Dri-Loc Pad
The type of bandage you receive will determine your immediate post-tattoo care instructions. Take care to follow the instructions pertaining to the bandage used.
Tegaderm Bandage
Technically called “transparent film dressing”, referred to in these instructions by its most common brand name, Tegaderm, for ease. Tegaderm is a hospital-grade breathable bandage that can be left on your tattoo for up to 4 days. The material allows your tattoo to heal while protecting it from bacteria during its most vulnerable phase.
4 days is the ideal length of time to wear your Tegaderm. This will significantly cut down on flaking/peeling/itching for the remainder of the healing process.
You may shower with your Tegaderm on, but no soaking – avoid tubs, swimming pools, etc. for 2 full weeks. You may exercise with your Tegaderm on, but a really sweaty workout may lead to the bandage falling off.
What to expect:
It is normal to have some fluid buildup underneath the bandage. The fluid is most commonly the color of the ink(s) used in your tattoo. If the bandage is coming off or leaking fluid, take it off and follow the instructions in this guide for “Plastic Wrap” instead. Removing the bandage early will not jeopardize your healing!
Similarly, if your skin is irritated around the edges of the bandage or it’s uncomfortable/painful (other than having a fresh tattoo), take the bandage off. A very small percentage of people are sensitive to the adhesive.
If you do not experience any excessive irritation or leaking, you may leave your Tegaderm on up to 4 days.
Tegaderm removal:
Tegaderm is best removed in the shower. Pull the edge gently and slowly away from your skin, allowing warm or hot water to run over it. Any ink on the bandage is not being pulled from the tattoo, but is dried on the surface, so don’t worry!
Using a mild, unscented liquid soap, make a lather with your hand and gently remove any dried material from your tattoo. Do not scrub your tattoo with a cloth, sponge, etc. as that will cause irritation and can lead to a poor heal.
When you get out of the shower, gently pat the tattoo dry with a clean towel (paper towel preferred if available). Let the tattoo air dry for about 15 minutes, and then apply a thin layer of mild, unscented lotion.
After Tegaderm removal:
If you made it 3-4 days with your Tegaderm on before removal, wash the tattoo 1-2 times a day for the remainder of the healing process.
If you removed the Tegaderm less than 3 days into healing, wash the tattoo 3 times a day until day 4 or 5 of healing, then switch to 1-2 washes a day.
If your exposed tattoo comes into contact with anything gross at any point during your healing process, washing it as soon as you can is advised.
Apply a thin layer of mild, unscented lotion with clean hands 3 times a day. Apply it more often if your skin feels dry or uncomfortably tight, but don’t smother the tattoo with lotion. A bit on the dryer side is better for healing than a suffocated, soggy tattoo. Signs that you’re over-applying lotions/ointments are breakouts and/or scabs that won’t heal.
Plastic Wrap Bandage
“Plastic wrap”, in this guide, will refer to any tattoo bandaged with plastic wrap, a Dri-Loc pad, or in some cases no bandage at all. (i.e. somewhere a bandage just won’t stay, like your hands, head, etc.) Plastic wrap is best used for tattoos heavily saturated with ink and for clients who are sensitive to adhesives.
Leave your bandage on for at least 1 hour. You may leave it on up to overnight, as long as it isn’t gapping, leaking, or letting in air.
It is normal for there to be some amount of blood and ink that has wept from your tattoo.
Plastic wrap removal:
When you take the bandage off, get immediately into a hot shower.
Aim the water so it hits your skin just above the fresh tattoo and runs over it. The water should flow over and across the tattoo rather than hit it directly. Start with the hottest water temperature that you can stand, and as you get used to it, make it hotter. This process helps draw out the white blood cells that are trying to form a scab, meaning that you’ll skip that step and end up with little or no scab at all. Instead of forming a scab, the tattoo will flake as it heals.
Use your hand and mild soap to gently wash the tattoo. do not scrub your tattoo with a cloth, sponge, etc. as that will cause irritation and can lead to a poor heal.
Clean it until you don’t feel any slipperiness or crustiness under your fingers. Continue to wash the tattoo for a total of 5 - 10 minutes.
After removal, day 1:
When you get out of the shower, gently pat the tattoo dry with a clean towel (paper towel preferred if available).
Let the tattoo air dry for about 15 minutes, then apply a very, very thin layer of ointment – not even enough to see a shine.
If you do the hot water wash at night, put down a towel before you go to sleep, or wear a loose-fitting garment to bed. That way, if there’s any seepage, you won’t stick to your sheets. If you do wake up stuck to something and a very gentle pull won’t release it, take whatever you’re stuck to into the shower with you and soak it off.
After removal, day 2+:
For the next 3 days, wash the tattoo morning, midday (if possible), and night with the same gentle soap and reapply ointment. Like before, be sure to apply only a very thin layer of ointment each time.
Once the initial redness has gone away and the tattoo is dry to the touch (after 3-4 days, depending on the tattoo), you may switch to washing the tattoo 1-2 times per day. At this stage, it is okay to switch to a light lotion. Apply a thin layer of unscented lotion 3 times a day for the remainder of the healing process – apply more often if your skin feels dry or uncomfortably tight, but don’t smother the tattoo with lotion. A bit on the dryer side is better for healing than a suffocated, soggy tattoo. Signs that you’re over-applying lotions/ointments are breakouts and/or scabs that won’t heal.
Tattoo Longevity
The technical application of your tattoo plays a huge role in tattoo longevity. I aim for my best results with every tattoo. Taking care of yourself before, during, and after the healing process is equally important – it’s a team effort! Tattoos age, just as we do. It is normal for some details in tattoos to become a bit fuzzy over time.
The best thing you can do to help retain detail is to avoid prolonged sun exposure. Sunlight is not friendly to tattoos. It is highly recommended to cover tattoos from direct sunlight whenever possible. Avoid things like tanning beds and sunburns entirely. After healing fully, applying sunscreen regularly is key. You invested in this artwork – care for it accordingly!
Healed Photos
Seeing tattoos healed and settled is key to every artist’s growth. Additionally, healed photos give potential clients the best idea of what to expect as a final result. If possible, please contact me to set up a healed photo session 6+ months after you received your tattoo. Sending a photo update via email if you’re unable to return to the studio in person is helpful, too!
Touch-Up Policy
Occasionally a tattoo may need a little extra love post-heal. Sometimes things will heal too light, little bits may fall out, etc. No big deal! I want my work to look its best. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any concerns. Within 3 months of receiving your tattoo, email a photo of your tattoo to cloeyzikmund@gmail.com with a description of what you’d like touched up to discuss options. Touch-ups scheduled in this manner are typically free of charge.
Deciding to add onto or modify a design is not considered a touch up and cannot be done free of charge. Full reworks due to sunburn, infection, injury, etc. also cannot be done free of charge.