The first 24 hours
Leave the covering on for as long as you were told on the day - usually a few hours for a wrap, or up to a few days for a second-skin dressing. It is doing a job.
When you take it off, do it with clean hands, under warm running water. Peel it back slowly rather than pulling.
Washing
- Wash gently with clean hands and unscented antibacterial soap, two or three times a day.
- Rinse with lukewarm water. No cloths, sponges or anything that has been in a bathroom for a while.
- Pat dry with a clean paper towel. Do not rub, and do not use a bath towel.
Moisturising
Once it is dry, put on a thin layer of unscented moisturiser or a proper tattoo balm. Thin is the word - a thick layer suffocates it and slows everything down.
Keep this up for two to three weeks, or until it stops feeling tight.
For two weeks, don't
- Soak it - no baths, swimming pools, hot tubs or the sea. Showers are fine.
- Sit in direct sun, or go anywhere near a sunbed.
- Pick, scratch or peel it. It will flake, and it will itch. Tap it instead.
- Wear anything tight over it, or let a pet sleep on it.
- Go to the gym on it for the first few days, and clean it straight after once you do.
What is normal
Redness, warmth and swelling for the first day or two. Weeping ink and plasma early on. Flaking and itching from about day four. A dull, cloudy look in weeks two and three, before it settles.
What is not
Spreading redness, heat that gets worse rather than better after 48 hours, swelling that grows, pus, a smell, or a fever. Any of those, see a doctor - that day, not next week. Then let us know, so we can help you sort the tattoo out afterwards.
Forever
Sunscreen. High factor, every time it is out in the sun. Nothing fades a tattoo faster than years of sunlight, and nothing keeps one sharp like a habit of putting cream on it.