Aftercare

• Always wash your hands well with soap before touching your new tattoo.

• Leave the applied clingfilm dressing on for a minimum of 4 hours.

• After removing the dressing:

– Wash your tattoo with warm water and a mild, fragrance-free soap. Gently remove all blood and lymph with your fingertips. Excess lymph can lead to scabbing, so it’s important to minimize this as much as possible.

– Rinse and pat dry with a clean disposable paper towel. Do not use anything abrasive to clean the area, towels and washcloths can harbour bacteria that could risk infection.

• For linework only tattoos there is no need to re-wrap.

• For shaded tattoos keep wrapped for 48 hours, washing and drying your tattoo 2-3 times a day before re-wrapping it with fresh clingfilm. Do not apply lotion under the clingfilm.

After the dressing is removed:

• Wash your tattoo twice daily until fully healed. Healing takes a minimum of 2 weeks; some tattoos can take up to a month. Placement, size, and overall health can affect the healing time.

• Avoid soaking or submerging your tattoo in pools, baths, or natural bodies of water during the healing process, these put you at risk of infection. Keep showers short.

• While your tattoo is healing it will become flaky, dry and itchy. Use a fragrance-free, non-greasy lotion such as E45 Cream 3 times a day. Apply a thin layer and gently massage into your tattoo until it is fully absorbed. Do not over-moisturize, only a small amount is needed. Do not use Vaseline or Savlon.

• Do not pick or scratch the area as this will damage your tattoo and can cause infection.

• Avoid saunas, gyms, and sports for the first 2 weeks of healing.

• Wear loose cotton clothing over the area until healed.

Touch Ups

If your tattoo should require any touch ups after healing, please contact me within three months of your appointment – these are free of charge providing you have followed the aftercare instructions.

If you have any questions or concerns that haven’t been covered here, please don’t hesitate to contact me.