Aftercare
A tattoo is an open wound for the first few days and a healing one for two weeks after that. How it looks in five years is mostly decided in the first fourteen days.
- 01
First night
Leave the wrap on as long as I told you to — usually 3 to 24 hours depending on what you got. Take it off with clean hands, rinse the tattoo with lukewarm water and unscented soap, and pat it dry with a paper towel. Don't rub it. Let it air out for twenty minutes before anything touches it.
- 02
Days 1–3
Wash twice a day, same way. After each wash, once the skin is fully dry, put on a thin layer of unscented lotion — thin enough that it looks matte, not shiny. Too much ointment suffocates the skin and pulls ink out. Sleep on clean sheets.
- 03
Days 4–14
It will peel and flake like a sunburn, and it will itch. This is normal. Do not pick it, scratch it, or peel anything that isn't ready to come off — that's how you end up with patchy linework and a touch-up. Keep lotioning, keep it clean.
- 04
Until fully healed
No pools, hot tubs, oceans, baths, or saunas. Showers are fine. Keep it out of direct sun, and don't put sunscreen on it until it's fully healed and closed. After that, sunscreen is the single best thing you can do to keep it sharp for decades.
Call a doctor if
- Spreading redness that gets worse after day three
- Heat radiating from the area, or a fever
- Green or yellow discharge, or a bad smell
- Pain that increases instead of fading
Infections are rare and very treatable early. Message me too, so I know — but see a doctor first.
Take it with you
Scan to keep these instructions on your phone. I print this code on a card in the same stock as my business card.