• 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 this remove the dressing and wash your tattoo with warm water and a mild, fragrance-free soap. Gently remove all blood and lymph with your fingertips.
• 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 up to 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 this follow the instructions below:
• 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.
• While your tattoo is healing it will become flaky, dry and itchy. Do not pick or scratch the area as this can lead to infection. Use a fragrance-free, non-greasy lotion such as Aveeno or 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 soak or submerge your tattoo in pools, baths, hot tubs or natural bodies of water during the healing process, keep showers short.
• Avoid saunas, gyms, and sports for the first 2 weeks of healing.
• Do not expose your healing tattoo to direct sunlight. Sunscreen may be applied after two weeks and is recommended whenever you expose your tattoo to the sun.
• 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.