Looking after your new tattoo
Traditional Healing Method
After your tattoo session your artist will cover your new tattoo with cling film or another form of dressing.
After 1 - 2 hours remove the dressing with clean hands in a clean environment and wash the fresh tattoo with warm running water in the shower and non-scented liquid soap. It is best not use hot water on your fresh tattoo as the area will be extra sensitive and will feel similar to sunburn.
DO NOT use bar soap as it can contaminate and dry out the fresh tattoo. DO NOT use a wash cloth or sponge.
After showering gently pat dry the fresh tattoo with clean freshly laundered towels or paper towel and allow to air dry for 40-60 minutes so that excess water in the tattoo can evaporate.
You do not need to use aftercare cream on the first night.
If you wish to you can rewrap the tattoo in cling film for the first night. If you choose to do so, rewash and wrap the tattoo immediately before bedtime and remove the wrap and wash the tattoo thoroughly first thing in the morning.
After the first night, begin gently applying small amounts of cream 3-4 times a day after washing the tattoo. Only apply as much cream as the tattoo can fully absorb. DO NOT leave a thick film on the surface of the tattoo.
Always wash your hands before applying cream or touching your new tattoo.
For the first 2 days wash your tattoo morning, midday and night time. Wash the tattoo immediately if it becomes dirty for any reason (eg from sweat, being outdoors, coming into contact with animals/animal fur etc)
Always wear clean clothes over your new tattoo. Avoid close fitting clothing or clothes that rub on the tattoo.
Your new tattoo is an open wound. Keep it out of direct sunlight, chemicals (including perfumes) animals, children and dirt.
Around day 4-5 your tattoo will start to scab over and flake away dead skin. This is a normal part of the healing process, the skin that comes away from the tattoo will be in the colours of the tattoo itself. This is not the ink leaving the skin.
Itching is a normal part of the healing process. DO NOT pick or scratch the tattoo as it is healing. Allow the dead skin to fall away naturally. DO NOT “help” the skin to come away from the tattoo.
During the first two weeks of healing avoid fulling submerging your tattoo in water, no swimming, baths or hot tubs. Avoid workout out, activities that cause excessive sweating and sunbathing until all flaking and scabbing has finished.
If for any reason your tattoo becomes stuck to either clothing or bedsheets DO NOT tear the fabric away. Wet both the fabric and the tattoo until you can gently lift the fabric away from the tattoo.
Most of your new tattoo will be healed in the first 2 weeks but it takes 4-6 weeks for the tattoo to be fully healed and the skin to settle completely. (This may also take a little longer depending on the area of the body.)
After 2 weeks moisturise and use sunscreen regularly to protect the tattoo and avoid fading.
Discontinue use of any product if irritation occurs.
Please follow all instructions given to you by your artist, failing to do so may lead to a poor heal or an infection.
If you experience what you feel is not part of the normal healing process or have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me
Second Skin Method /Tegaderm / Dermalise/opsite
Day One (Day of Tattoo): Prior to leaving the studio your artist will apply a dressing of Dermalise or Second Skin to your new tattoo.As the day and evening progress this dressing will begin to fill up with liquid. This liquid is mixture of blood, plasma and excess ink, and is almost always a dark brownish colour no matter what the colour of the tattoo. This is completely normal. Do not attempt to drain the liquid out of the dressing. Leave the dressing completely intact. If the edges of the dressing begin to lift off the skin and become annoying you may carefully trim them with shard scissors as long as you are not trimming so much of the dressing away that it compromises the integrity of the seal.Leave this first dressing on overnight.Sometimes the amount of liquid build up can become too heavy for the dressing to hold causing the wrap to open up and leak. If the opening is only small, clean and dry the area and seal the opening with a small piece of Dermalise or Second Skin. If the opening is too large and the tattoo is exposed remove the wrap early and reapply, following the steps below.
Day Two: SLOWLY remove the initial dressing in the shower. Do this by starting at one corner of the dressing and slowly peel the dressing off staying close to the skin. If any part of the dressing feels “stuck” allow the warm shower water to run over the dressing to assist and continue to remove very slowly tiny section by tiny section.One the dressing is removed, thoroughly but gently wash the tattoo using cleansing foam or liquid soap with warm but not hot water. Make sure the “slimy feeling” is gone. DO NOT use bar soap as it can contaminate and dry out the fresh tattoo. DO NOT use a wash cloth or sponge. After showering gently pat dry the fresh tattoo with clean towels or paper towel. Making sure no towel fibres have been left on the tattoo.Apply a new Dermalise or Second Skin dressing to the tattoo using the film provided by your artist. Make sure the dressing covers at least 1-2 cms FURTHER than the tattoo. This will create the seal and keep the new liquid within the dressing and keep the tattoo within the clean environment.Leave this dressing on for 2 days/48hours. The dressing is waterproof so you can shower as normal but avoid fully submerging the dressing in any body of water, (bath, pool, ocean, hot tub etc)Whilst the second dressing is on liquid will most likely still continue to form. The amount of liquid varies from person to person depending on the individual and the size and style of the tattoo. Sometimes the amount of liquid build up can become too heavy for the dressing to hold causing the wrap to open up and leak. If the opening is only small, clean and dry the area and seal the opening with a small piece of Dermalise or Second Skin. If the opening is too large and the tattoo is exposed remove the wrap early and reapply, following the steps below.
Day Four: Remove the dressing and clean the tattoo in the shower as above with warm but not hot water.Pat dry as above.Apply new Dermalise or Second Skin dressing to the tattoo as above.Leave this dressing on for 3days/72hoursDuring the time this dressing is on the tattoo may not produce any more liquid, or you may notice the new liquid form and then dry out to look like a dark film over the tattoo. This is a normal part of the healing process.
Day Seven: Remove the dressing and clean the tattoo in the shower as above with warm but not hot water.If your tattoo has begun to dry out at this point you may notice some of the shedding skin coming off as you remove the dressing or stuck to the Dermalise or Second Skin itself as you remove it. This is a normal part of the healing process. However if the dressing is painful to remove, slow down the process and remove it tiny section by tiny section under the running water.Pat dry as above.You do not need to apply another dressing.
After Dermalise: For the following week wash your tattoo twice a day or it it become dirty for any reason.Apply a small amount of a gentle unscented moisturiser to the tattoo morning and night every day until the dryness of the tattoo is gone and skin feels like the surrounding skin again.After these 2 weeks the tattoo is mostly healed, however it takes a full 4-6 weeks for the tattoo to be completely healed and settled. This may take longer if the tattoo has experienced a rough heal.Once your tattoo is healed we recommend regular moisturising and sunscreen use over your tattoo when in the sun to protect it and avoid fading.
Fixomull (white DRESSING)
After your tattoo session your artist will cover your new tattoo with Fixomull, a white dressing resembling gauze.
After 1 - 2 hours wash the dressing with clean hands in a clean environment and with warm running water in the shower and non-scented liquid soap. concentrate on the area of the tattoo and avoid the corners and borders of the dressing. It is best not use hot water on your fresh tattoo as the area will be extra sensitive and will feel similar to sunburn.
Keep the dressings on for 7 days (unless your artist has instructed otherwise). Shower as normal for the week. and continue cleaning the dressing if soiled
After 7 days soak the dressing in the shower for 5-10 minutes, then remove very slowly and gently.
It can help to soak the dressing in coconut oil or baby oil before removal.
There will be ink transfer on the dressing, this is normal.
After removal keep your tattoo clean and moisturise with an aftercare cream as desired.
IMPORTANT NOTES
Discontinue use of any product if irritation occurs.
If any redness occurs around the outside of a Dermalise or Second Skin dressing discontinue use and resume the traditional healing method.
If you are allergic to Bandaids or adhesive on the skin do not use the Dermalise or Second Skin method of healing.
Please follow all instructions given to you by your artist, failing to do so may lead to a poor heal or an infection.
Tattoos are in essence an open wound and as such, although it is rare, there is always a chance that a tattoo may get an infection or that there may be an allergic reaction.
If you believe your tattoo may be infected, or that your healing process is out of the normal, please contact me.