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Traditional Healing

What to Expect

A fresh tattoo may feel a lot like a sunburn. It’s normal to experience redness, warmth, swelling and sensitivity in the initial days of healing. 

If after a few days you don’t feel it has started to improve please feel free to reach out to your artist with any concerns.

 

After several days the tattoo will begin to dry out and flake. It’s normal for the flakes to take on the color of the tattoo. Black/grey tattoos tend to heal much faster than color tattoos.

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 SUPPLIES

  • Soap: Dial Liquid Antibacterial is ideal for a fresh tattoo. A plain soap like Dove, Ivory, or Aveeno are also good options after the initial healing if you find antibacterial soap to be too drying/irritating. Liquid soap is strongly preferred over bar soap.

  • Lotion: A thin, unscented, un-dyed, boring lotion like Lubriderm, Eucerine, Cetephil, or Aveeno are ideal. Aquaphor is popular but we only recommend using it on mostly healed tattoos that need some extra moisture. Don’t apply to a very fresh tattoo. Because it’s a petroleum based ointment (not a lotion) it smothers healing skin, is easy to over-apply and attracts grime and bacteria to stick to it.

  • Paper towels for drying. Don’t use a cloth towel on a fresh tattoo because they harbor more bacteria.

  • Clean pajamas you are ok with getting stained by blood/ink. Full-color tattoos tend to “seep” a lot in the first 24 hours and may stick to fabric overnight.

  • Fresh, clean sheets, especially if you sleep with pets in your bed.

 

 

FIRST GETING HOME

  • Leave on the absorbent bandage applied by your tattoo artist for 2-6 hours. (In some cases you might like to leave it on overnight: if you’re seeping a lot of blood/plasma, or your tattoo appointment finishes late in the afternoon.) Wash immediately after removal.

 

  • Once you take off the bandage no not apply any further coverings! It’s ok for your tattoo to come into contact with loose, clean clothing. Avoid tight-fitting clothing, animal-hair or linty fabrics. 

 

  • You do not need to lotion in the first 24 hours while it’s still seeping blood/plasma/ink, it’s lubricating itself.

 

 

HOW TO WASH

  • Wash 2-3 times a day.Use as warm of water as you can stand with soap and your fingertips.

 

  • Let your tattoo FULLY DRY before applying any lotion. If you apply lotion before your tattoo has fully dried you may trap too much moisture in the “fresh wound" and increase the risk of infection. Let it air dry completely and/or pat-dry with paper towels.

 

  • Check in the light that there’s no remaining spots of shiny dried-on plasma/blood still on your tattoo. Dried fluids on the skin contribute to scabbing which we want to reduce as much as possible for optimal healed results. If you see shiny spots, wash again.

 

  • Apply a small amount of lotion 2-3 times a day to a DRY tattoo. It’s much better to apply a thin amount more frequently rather than a lot at once!

 

  • NEVER PICK at any scabs or flakes. It’s important to let any scabs fall off naturally when they are ready. Picking can result in color loss or even scarring in the area.

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