1.) Wash your tattoo at the "END" of your shower. If you take "HOT" showers please refrain from lengthy shower times during the healing process and avoid direct shower head water beating directly on your "NEW" tattoo. NO BATHS or submerging tattoos under bath water. This is a NO NO! You can wash your hair and let other soaps rinse down over your new tattoo, just make sure it doesn't stay on them. Use an Antibacterial Soap [ex: Liquid Gold Dial] or, if possible, use an Antimicrobial Soap. This is the better of the two soaps to use for the healing process of your tattoo. Most medical facilities and hospitals use this as a standard.

 

NOTE: For anyone who likes to shave areas of their body, be advised that you are not to SHAVE any area where a new tattoo is applied until the tattoo is fully healed.

 

2.) Wash your tattoo at least 2 times a day (Morning and Night). If you can, wash it 3 times a day; Morning, Noon, and Night. Make sure when you wash it you use the soft pads of your fingertips using circular motions after you have lathered up with your soap of choice. Rinse off your tattoo when you’re finished and "PAT" dry the tattoo. Do "NOT" RUB DRY it with anything like a towel or anything that is rough. No RUB drying period. If your tattoo was just done recently you want to keep an eye on the tattoo and blot/pat with a soft napkin/towel when you see body fluid escape the fresh tattoo. This will help reduce/prevent any scabbing. What happens to unattended and left body fluids on the surface is drying of the fluid which then causes scabs or hard and dry scab-like additions to your tattoo. You do not want these on your tattoo if you can prevent it.

 

3.) Do "NOT" cover your tattoo ever after/if you get it wrapped to go home. If you do get a wrap or other type of covering you want to make sure you don't leave it on more than an hour or hour and a half. Keeping the tattoo covered for an excessive amount of time increases the healing time, your tattoo is a skin abrasion and needs oxygen to heal, therefore don't cover your tattoo as it needs to breathe to heal, otherwise you will just prolong your tattoo's healing process. (Example: Ever notice how fast a wound heals when you leave it out in the open -versus- putting a band-aid over it?) My point exactly, it takes longer to heal. So best to not cover it. Let it breathe.

 

4.) Lotions, creams, etc... I suggest only using Lubriderm Lotion (Nonscented and Nonfragrance). Don't use anything with nice smelling additives or fragrances as these can cause reactions to your skin. Last thing you need is a reaction on top of your tattoo trying to heal. We want the best healing experience and outcome for your new artwork. It's an investment you have made in your skin so let’s take care of it the best way we can. Don’t use Neosporin, Vaseline, or anything else. All you need is Lubriderm lotion at most. I don't suggest putting lotion on your tattoo until 2-3 days after the tattoo procedure has been performed. My reasoning behind this is that you will fair best with lotion after your wound is closed, if you start putting lotion on your tattoo after it is freshly done it will keep your wound open and prolong your healing. This also causes your body to expel more body fluid and increase chances of major scabbing and possible ink loss. So please try to wait at least 2 days if you can. You want the tattoo to close and heal itself.

 

5.) When using lotion please be advised that a little bit goes a long way. So don't OVER SATURATE your tattoo with lotion and cake it on like you’re about to fry bacon. You just need a small dot about the size of a green pea or two and spread it around evenly across the tattoo very carefully. Make sure you don't massage it in, just rub it over the surface and maybe a few passes to help it penetrate but not too much as you can still cause damage to your tattoo by over massaging the lotion in. Keep in mind you want to moisturize the tattoo but at the same time you want to keep your pores open as well so they can breathe to heal. A little goes a long way.

 

6.) Lotion your tattoo when you wake up, and during the middle of the day after each wash after your 2nd or 3rd day of having it. Try to not use lotion on it at night, and if you do wait a bit before going to bed. The reason for this is to help prevent your tattoo sticking to your sheets/bedding and you waking up and them being dried and glued to your tattoo acting like a scab and when you snatch the covers off you could lose ink and damage your tattoo. I suggest not using Lotions on your tattoo before bedtime until you are further along in your healing process. 5-7 days depending on progression of the healing.

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7.) Stay out of direct sunlight with your new tattoo. This means no tanning in beds or the sun. Also, another subject is swimming. I can't say that swimming will hurt your tattoo, but be advised to stay in your own pool if you do swim. Stay in for maybe 10-15 minutes (never get pruney) and get out for 5-10 and wash off any chemicals that may be used in the pool. Don't use public pools because you don't know what’s in the water and what people are doing in those pools. Rotate your time in and out if you really need/want to swim.

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8.) 9 times out of 10 your tattoo as it is healing will become itchy, DON’T SCRATCH it. This is a NO NO. Lotion it or pat it gently but never scratch it.

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9.) Drink lots of water daily and get good rest and your tattoo will heal much more quickly. Everyone's healing time differs and depends on that person’s stress, sleep, eating, and current health conditions.

 

10.) After your tattoo is healed if you continue to lotion it daily it will continue to look a lot better for a lot longer. Newer looking, brighter etc.

 

NOTE: Losing color flakes and such is normal. Getting a tattoo leaves a residue of color on dead skin on the surface. When the skin renews itself and produces another layer, the dead skin comes off that is stained with pigments (color) from your tattoo.

 

NOTE: "RED". Red is the hardest color to create in anything from tattoo ink, food color, to paint. It has the most metal alloys in it and chemicals. The appearance of healing red may seem light pink with a clear hazy looking skin layer over it like it almost seems to be disappearing. This is normal in most cases and there is nothing to worry about. Red goes pink then gets darker as it nears being fully healed.

 

NOTE: Be CAUTIOUS in public places with your new tattoo as the gym, and clubs can mean staph infection. All it takes is rubbing up against someone with your open wound (fresh tattoo) to catch a staph infection.

 

ADDITIONAL NOTES: For lower extremity tattoos you can elevate them, especially on your legs and such.

 

PET DANDER WARNING: Pet dander is composed of tiny, even microscopic, flecks of skin shed by cats, dogs, rodents, birds and other animals with fur or feathers. These bits of skin can cause reactions in people who are specifically allergic to these triggers. Absolutely NO SLEEPING WITH PETS OR ALLOWING THEM TO LICK YOUR NEW TATTOO. Although it is said that a dogs mouth is the cleanest they still lick their behinds and the bacteria in their feces will surely get you an infection. You must take caution if you have indoor and outdoor pets because they may go outside and lay in their feces and bring the bad bacteria back into you on their coats. You must also avoid any type of pet dander and hair around the house as well, as this can cause infections also. There are many dangers to a new tattoo that your bed presents nightly. On average, most people don’t wash their bed sheets and pillows often enough, providing the perfect environment for dead skin cells to breed potential infection or for cellulitis to begin in a fresh tattoo. SO WASH YOUR BEDDING MATERIALS for an extra layer of protection for your new tattoo. Another aspect is that most people don’t consistently shower or wash their hair before they go to bed, possibly having sweat or having been exposed to multiple situations during the day. People also can have their pets or animals sleeping next to them every night which undoubtedly brings animal fur, dander and the often overlooked feces that are on animal paws from the ground or backyard in general, which is simply horrible news for a fresh tattoo. Animal fur and dander can cause cellulitis which is worse than just a mild infection. Dander is an informal term for a material shed from the body of humans and animals, similar to dandruff. It is composed of skin cells which can be a major cause of allergies and skin infections in humans. Cellulitis is a common skin infection that happens when bacteria spreads through the skin to deeper tissues. It is caused by bacteria, most often strep or staph and a cellulitis infected area will be warm, red, swollen, and tender and usually needs extra attention and antibiotics to help the tattoo heal properly. Animal and human dander are typically the biggest problems with cellulitis or skin infections in fresh tattoos.

 

For Swelling/Swollen Areas: You can take an Ibuprofen since it is an Anti-inflammatory and helps reduce swelling. [This is just an opinion and in no way medical advice, see your doctor for Medical Advice and Guidance.]

 

To Reduce the Heat and Redness in your Tattoo: You can use a "Soft" towel as a barrier and a ziplock bag of ice resting on top of the towel while the tattoo rests below the towel. This will also help reduce swelling and ease any pain afterwards.

 

FINAL NOTE: Please don’t listen to friends and other acquaintances on how to heal and take care of your tattoo. We live in the days of the internet, so everybody knows everything, or they saw this on TV. You should only follow this article’s instructions or the instruction that your professional / licensed tattoo artist advises for their chosen aftercare methods.

 

[ If you ever need anything answered or have any concerns ANYTIME, please feel free to call, text, snap, DM, tweet, Facebook msg me and if I don't answer leave me a Voicemail. ]

 

Mrs. Selene Enoki Soju - Professional Tattoo Award Winning Female Tattoo Artist & State of Florida Lic. Skin Care Specialist / Esthetician.

 

These methods and advice have been proven to work for 99.9% of my clients. I do not stand firm to say that these are the only methods of aftercare or are the most accurate ways to care for your tattoo. So give it a shot, if it works for you then great, if it doesn’t seem to work for you then fall back to what you have done before if you’ve had a tattoo before.

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