How to look after a new tattoo

A tattoo is an open wound. How you look after it for the first two weeks decides whether you end
up with crisp lines and saturated colour in a year, or a faded piece with patches missing.

Day 0: straight after the session

When we finish I clean the area and cover it. Depending on the size I use either ordinary film or
a second skin — a transparent adhesive film that stays on for several days.

• Ordinary film: leave it on for two to four hours, then take it off.
• Second skin: leave for 24 hours, then replace it with a fresh one and leave that for three to five days. Fluid and leftover ink collect under the film — that is normal, it is not pus.

When removing film, peel it under running lukewarm water, slowly and downwards.
Pulling it off dry hurts and can damage the healing skin.

Days 1 to 3: washing

1. Wash your hands.
2. Rinse the tattoo with lukewarm water and wash it gently with a clean palm — not a sponge, not a flannel.
3. Use unscented, uncoloured soap. It does not need to be antibacterial.
4. Rinse and let it air dry, or pat it gently with a paper towel. Not a bath towel — those hold bacteria and lint.
5. Give it ten minutes to breathe before you put on a thin layer of cream.

Wash it twice a day, morning and evening. If you sweat or get dirty during the
day, wash it then too.

Cream: thin, and not often

The commonest mistake is over-moisturising. A thick layer stops the skin
breathing, makes it sweat under the cream and slows the healing. The right amount is the amount
that absorbs in a few seconds and leaves no shine.

• Panthenol, or a cream made for tattoos.
• No fragrance, no alcohol, no dye.
• Two or three times a day, not every hour.

Days 4 to 14: peeling

Around the fourth day a thin layer forms and the tattoo starts to peel, much like sunburnt skin.
Flakes of coloured skin come away too. That is normal — the ink sits in the deeper layer.

Do not rub and do not pick. A scab pulled off takes ink with it and leaves a pale
patch that has to be touched up later.

Itching at this stage is common. If it becomes unbearable, pat the area gently with your palm or
put on a little cream. Do not scratch.

What to avoid for the first two weeks

• Sun and sunbeds. UV on a fresh tattoo is the fastest route to fading. Even later, use a high-factor sunscreen.
• Pools, the sea, baths, saunas. Soaking softens healing skin and the water is not sterile. Showers yes, baths no.
• Sport and sweating. Skip the gym for the first three or four days. Sweat irritates and movement stretches the skin.
• Tight clothing. It rubs and lets no air in.
• Alcohol on the first day. It dilates the blood vessels and increases bleeding.
• Pets in the bed. It sounds funny, but animal hair on a fresh tattoo is a real problem.

When something is not right

Mild redness, warmth and tenderness in the first days are normal. Contact me or a doctor if you get:

• Severe pain that gets worse after the third day instead of better.
• Yellow-green discharge or an unpleasant smell.
• Red streaks running away from the tattoo.
• Fever.
• A rash or intense itching over your whole body — that can be a reaction to the ink.

In the long run

The surface is healed in two to three weeks, the deeper layers in two to three months. For the
first few weeks the tattoo may look matt, as though under a milky film — that is the new layer of
skin over it. It clears within a month.

After that only one thing matters: sunscreen. The sun is every tattoo’s worst
enemy. Factor 30 or higher on the tattooed area whenever you are out in it for any length of time.

Touch-ups

If a patch of ink does not take despite proper aftercare, it is neither a disaster nor your fault —
it happens. Write to me, we will look at it and touch it up. The first touch-up within six months
of the session is free.

If you are planning something larger, have a look at the page on
Japanese tattooing as well — across several sessions the
healing matters even more, because you go through it repeatedly.