Tattoo Aftercare

You will be emailed a copy of this aftercare information after filling out your consent form on the day of your tattoo.

The most important thing with healing is avoiding infection! So if you only remember one thing from all of this, it's

keep it clean!

If you have symptoms of, or test positive for COVID-19 within a couple of days of our appointment, please let me know!

First things first:

If we used cling wrap, remove it when you get home, or at the latest the next morning. Wash your tattoo with gentle antibacterial soap like Sanex, and either air dry or pay dry gently using fresh kitchen roll. 

If we used second skin (the sticky stuff), you can leave it on the tattoo for 24 hours. 
If it starts to peel or comes off sooner, that's really not a problem, it's best to fully remove it if any of the tattoo is exposed. If it does get sweaty underneath the second skin, it's best to remove it and rinse with water.

Try to avoid heavy exercise in the first five days, as a build up of sweat will irritate the tattoo and can make the healing
process more complicated. 

Moisturising:

Once the tattoo is out in the open, keep it clean and dry for the first 24-48 hours to give your skin a chance to form the first protective barrier before you start touching/moisturising it. When you do start moisturising, do this a couple of times a day at least, until it's no longer dry and flakey (normally about 4 weeks).

You know your skin better than anyone else, so use a product that agrees with you but I would recommend something natural without perfume or chemicals, like cocoa butter or coconut oil. I usually use Palmers cocoa butter.

The most important thing with healing is avoiding infection! So wash/sanitise your hands well before
moisturising the tattoo, because otherwise you can trap bacteria against what is essentially a healing wound.
When you do moisturise, don't use so much that your tattoo sits with a layer of moisture over it. Use enough for your skin to absorb it, to avoid creating a moist and warm environment for bacteria.

Cleaning your tattoo

If you ever do think your tattoo has been exposed to bacteria - wash your hands with antibacterial soap or hand sanitiser,
and then rinse your tattoo under water and very gently wash the area with hand soap, ideally something that's low on
chemicals and fragrance free. The brands that are really good for most skin types are Sanex and Simple. Rinse with water
afterwards, and in the first couple of weeks, never dry your tattoo with a bath/hand towel — always dab gently with
something single use like kitchen towel.

Some do's and don'ts:

If your tattoo scabs, don't pick it off.

If it itches, don't scratch it.

Try to avoid submerging in water for two weeks and don't get
it in direct sunlight for 4 weeks.

Once it's healed you can get it out but please use sun screen otherwise the pigments will start to break down and it will age a lot faster.

Any other questions, please email me, and I always love seeing healing and healed pictures so feel free to
send them at any point to my email.