How well you take care of a tattoo is a major factor in how the tattoo will look after the piece is healed. Following these steps and tips will help you to take care of a tattoo perfectly. These steps should be taken 3-4 times a day or whenever the tattoo is dry. For further clarification please see my video on this subject embedded within the article.
- Using liquid antibacterial soap and warm water remove the old ointment from the tattoo by gently rubbing and then rinsing the tattoo.
- Pat dry your tattoo with a clean paper towel, a cloth towel can harbor bacteria and should be avoided due to risk of bacterial infection on the healing tattoo. Allow any excess moisture to air dry before moving to the next step.
- Apply and work in a small amount of recommended ointment (listed below) to the tattoo like you would lotion. Only a small amount of ointment should be left on the tattoo upon completion. Excess ointment can be blotted with a clean paper towel and the remaining ointment reworked into your tattoo.
Tattoo Healing Time Frame
- Day 1: The tattoo will be sore and red around the edges.
- Day 4-5: The skin on and around the tattoo will shed like a sunburn. This is normal and the shedding skin should not be picked or scratched off.
- Day 6-14: Shiny skin called silver skin will appear under the skin that has shed from the tattoo. This is fresh skin and is completely normal. Once the silver skin subsides and looks like the normal skin around it the tattoo will be completely healed.
Tips And Tricks
- Always use a clean paper towel when dealing with a healing tattoo as regular towels can harbor bacteria.
- Never use bar soap to clean a tattoo as it will have bacteria from prior use.
- Avoid submerging a tattoo in sitting water. This includes but is not limited to pools, baths (showers are fine), and lakes as these will have bacteria that can lead to infection.
- Let the tattoo “breathe” as often as possible by keeping it uncovered by clothes whenever possible.
- If you will be in a place that foreign objects can get into the tattoo (mowing grass, working out, dusty environments) you can cover it after cleaning with clothing and plastic wrap to protect your tattoo. As soon as possible remove the plastic wrap and clean the tattoo.
- Do not scratch a healing tattoo as you may cause part of the tattoo to scab and pull out ink. Instead you should pat at the tattoo to stop itching. Usually if a healing tattoo is itching then it needs to get more ointment worked into and onto it.
- If red bumps appear around and on the tattoo this means your pores are getting clogged and that you should switch to a different and lighter ointment.
- The sun is the worst thing to expose your healing and healed tattoo to as it will bleach out ink. Avoid tanning during healing and over a healed tattoo. If the healed tattoo will be exposed to direct sunlight then you should apply sunblock to protect your tattoo.
Recommended Ointments: Aquaphor, Tattoo Goo or equivolent tattoo specific ointment.
Ink By Design 