Helpful Healing Tips

Aftercare is super important! Properly caring for your new tattoo is just as important as getting it.

Following instructions will help ensure that your tattoo heals as it should. These steps do not guarantee that you will not have any issues, yet if followed correctly, they will reduce the chance of some of the avoidable issues.

Remember that your new tattoo is an open wound. Everyone is different!!!! This makes each person's healing just as unique as the tattoo they receive.

Give your body permission to do its miraculous healing. Be patient with healing and diligent with your new tattoo. It takes time!

After getting tattooed:

You have received a new tattoo that has been covered with a type of “second skin.” There are a variety of brand names for this product; the most commonly found in pharmacies is Tegaderm.

Your tattoo will release plasma and ink from the top two layers of your skin into your second skin bandage(s) for up to 48 hours after your session. Amounts vary. It may appear as a squishy, muddy colored goop-like mixture. This is totally normal. Yes, it will look very strange! For some it does leak, especially if it is a larger tattoo packed with solid color or black. If so, gently wipe the leaks, and do not lift the edges or change it until 24 hours after the session (Unless your bandage is damaged/falling off, see bellow for more info).

Sleep with a towel under you and don’t wear white that day if it does leak.

You have been given a second bandage of the same size to reapply after the first one has been left on for 24 hours. Second skin helps reduce prolonged skin peeling and helps the skin to retain better color. We will review how to remove and apply the bandages during our appointment and in the instructions that are also below.

How to remove your second skin bandage:

After the 24 hours is up : Hop in the shower and gently pull the bandage back on itself in the direction of hair growth. Avoid pulling upwards. This should be done in the shower. Keep in mind that the tattoo MUST NOT be exposed to scented soaps or hair products. It is very important not to irritate your new tattoo that you have painstakingly sat through and paid for with scented products or harsh wiping & rubbing.

Once removed, wash the whole area with your hands using a gentle UNSCENTED soap. Use any mild unscented baby soap, such as Dr. Bronner's Pure-Castile Liquid Soap (readily available in small bottles at your local pharmacy).

Rinse area well. You may PAT the area dry - do NOT WIPE - with a clean paper towel and allow to air dry completely for about 3-5 minutes, before applying the second bandage!

Once TOTALLY dry, apply the second bandage that was provided. Do not wait more then 5 minutes to apply the new bandage.

How to apply your new second skin bandage:

Ask a friend with clean hands, to assist you if the tattoo is in a hard to reach area. I highly recommend not trying to apply the bandage alone if in a spot where you can not reach easily.

First, make sure you know where and in what position the bandage will be applied before sticking it on. Then take off the white film, and align the bandage in the desired position, place on your tattoo, smoothing it from the center towards the edges. Push down to insure no air bubbles. (A few small ones is okay — don’t panic.)

Once in place, SLOWLY peel away the clear, 2-piece film (the yellow arrows indicate where to peel) and gently, as you are removing this top film, smooth out the bandage to cover the tattoo.

This 2nd bandage should be left on for 3-5 days.

Last and final steps:

After the 3-5 days, remove the bandage and follow the same washing instructions described above. Continue to wash twice daily (or if it is ever exposed to dirt, debris, or/and sweat) for the next week once the bandage is off. You can now use a non-fragrant lotion. I recommend using CeraVe as it is USNCENTED. Make sure your hands are clean when applying or even touching your new tattoo, as it is an open wound,

If you chose to use 100% shea butter here are some tips and things to keep in mind. Make sure it is a clean tub of product. To use, warm a very small amount of it in your CLEAN hands and gently apply to your CLEAN tattoo. (Shea butter is an occlusive and has some moisturizing qualities, but it is not the same as an actual well formulated light moisturizer. Occlusives do not add moisture, they only trap the moisture already present on the skin, which is again why I recommend a light unscented lotion).

• Some things to keep in mind as you heal:

Your tattoo will begin to heal with a scab-like layer. Often this stage can be very itchy and unattractive. Do NOT scratch it, you may add some unscented moisturizer to alleviate the itching as needed. (Second skin helps with this step and sometimes avoids the very tight scabby skin stage, and allows the skin to go straight to the “molting” stage, but not always, so some areas could have larger scabs.)

Tattoos often go through a second peeling layer similar to molting, like a snake's skin, or sunburn. Your tattoo may even appear shiny once its molted and it can take several weeks to settle in the skin and begin to look “natural”. Your body is in the process of releasing the1st and 2nd dermal layers of your skin - in both layers, the dead skin will contain color (the scabs that fall off will contain color/pigment). This is normal.

Your tattoo may feel tight, be warm/hot or can have a pink halo around it. This is normal, and can come and go during the first week. You are healing and your skin is angry, it’s all part of the process. But it will settle in your skin with time - be patient. :)

If your tattoo sticks to fabric at any point during healing, remove it very gently by getting the fabric and tattoo area damp/wet and then separate. Once off, wash gently with your clean hands to release any residue, and then moisturize. Keep it clean!!!

If your tattoo begins to seep yellow fluid any time after the first week, it may be an indication that you have exposed it to a post-tattoo infection that can be caused by a variety of things, for example, the fabric on your clothes, pet hair/dander, pets in your bed, reaction to touching it with your hands or possibly children's hands on it, exposure to contaminants in the air, depending on your job/activities, food particulates, etc. There are a number of things that could have happened. If you have a doubt and believe that the tattoo is not healing as it should, be sure to visit a medical professional with experience in tattoos. Your safety is important! 

During and after the healing period, your tattoo may appear dull or less vibrant than it did when you first got it. It will get brighter again when it’s done healing, but do remember, all healed tattoos are less bright when healed than when they are fresh. As they are now beneath two healed layers of skin. This applies to all styles of tattoos.

Sun exposure will always contribute to the fading of ALL tattoos. Keep them bright and beautiful by using good SPF50 ++++ any time you are in the sun! (However, only apply sunscreen on healed tattoo — once the tattoo has closed up and both layers of scaling have happened, usually about 2 to 3 weeks. During the healing process your must protect your tattoo from the sun.)

THIS IS VERY VERY IMPORTANT:
NEW TATTOO = SUNSCREEN ON IT FOR LIFE

• Things to avoid while healing:

During healing:

1. avoid products with fragrance

2. do not over apply creams/lotions/balm - DO NOT smother your tattoo with any product

3. do not completely cover your tattoo with a bandage other than second skin as instructed

4. make sure your hands are clean when touching the area around the tattoo

5. do not pick, scratch, your new tattoo, and avoid touching it at all

6. Avoid direct sun exposure to your tattoo for the first 2-3 weeks, so keep it covered (and protect it with spf for the rest of your life) . Sun can cause blisters on your healing tattoo. You may apply sunscreen after 2-3 weeks, once the tattoo has closed up and both layers of scaling have happened.

7. Avoid submerging your tattoo in any type of water for the first 2-3 weeks, including baths, hot tubs and all swimming. Your second skin bandage is water proof, so showers are totally ok. If you are not using Second Skin be mindful not expose your tattoo to excessive water (no long showers).

• Some info and recommendations on Skin lotions/creams/balms:

I know that everyone has a slightly to even drastically different method of after care, and I can not force you to follow my instructions, but this method is what I have found to be the best.

I really encourage people to use unscented products even if you do not currently have a sensitivity to fragrance or essential oils, as your body may develop one at any given time. Your tattoo is an open wound and putting something like fragrances on it, which are known irritants in the dermatological world, can cause very serious irritation, allergic reaction, and immune system responses to the existing trauma on the skin (the tattoo).

Using a light lotion that moisturizes just enough is also important. You do not want to smother your tattoo and overapply product. As I have stated above with Shea butter, ALL OILS (Avocado, Cocoa, Olive, Petroleum, Seabuckthorn, Emu, and everything in between) are occlusive; they are meant to trap the moisture but not add it. If your tattoo is dry and itchy this will NOT help relieve the itchiness. A well formulated simple moisturizer is best, like CeraVe (I suggest this one because it is affordable). A&D and Vaseline are also petroleum based products that are great for other things, but NOT FOR moisturizing a fresh tattoo.

Other moisturizers I like: La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5, Illiyoon Ceramide ATO Concentrate Cream, Bepanthen Sensicalm.

You have already spent a fair share of your hard earned cash on your tattoo, I think that it is worth buying products that will allow the healing process to go more smoothly. Healing and peeling times vary from person to person. Relax and try to enjoy your new Tattoo Art through its healing process, the body does some amazing work!

Additional Info
What if…

IF FOR SOME REASON:

If the first bandage is still on you but you have lost the second bandage:

Do not take the first one off yet and try to contact me to see if I can put another one on you. If I can not, you can either :

1. Keep the first bandage on for an additional 3-5 days (no longer than a week total from the moment the first bandage was put on). It is also ok to just keep on a total of 2 days or 3,4,5,or 6 days. The bandage is there to aid the healing process, I give you a second bandage in case the first fills with a lot fluid as that fluid will eventually seep out. But it is totally ok for you to keep the first bandage on longer!

2. Try to keep the first bandage for at least a total of 24/48 hours. Once removed follow the instructions for removal and what to apply on the tattoo for aftercare.

You can if you choose to go to your Pharmacy and ask them for Tegader (by 3M NexCare), this is the same type of bandage as second skin and can be used to replace the 2nd bandage if lost. Do this only if you have not yet removed the first bandage, and when you are ready to the new bandage, follow the instructions above on how to apply the 2nd bandage after the first one is taken off.

If the bandage just won’t stick!

It’s okay, don’t panic. You can put the new one on early. If the new one comes off early too, that’s okay too. The ideal scenario is that the second skin is left for 3 to 6 days, as it helps your body recover, but things happen and it can fall off prematurely. If this is the case than treat it the same way as explained above for when the bandage has been removed. Be extra gentle as this it is an open wound, and your body is trying hard to heal it. Always use clean hands to apply moisturizer. Do not over moisturize please, a small amount 2 and additionally whenever it is itchy.