HOW TO CARE FOR YOUR TATTOO

A. The length of time tattooed skin takes to heal is dependent on:

• Your general health. Certain medical conditions can affect your healing experience.
• The position of the tattoo on the body.
• The size of the tattoo.
• The ink colours
• The skill of the artist
• How the skin was cared for afterwards.
• The aftercare used.

The top layer of skin can appear to be healed in 4-7 days. The layers of skin underneath can take a few weeks and sometimes longer to heal fully. The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is also the most versatile.

A. We recommend that you do not use any soap. Warm, plain water is sufficient. Repeated or prolonged washing with soaps will remove the protective sebum layer and cause the skin to lose its natural barrier protection.

A. Cling film (Plastic wrap) should only be kept on until you get home and go to wash your skin for the first time. Loose clothing should be sufficient covering for your Tattoo. If you recover with plastic wrap be mindful that:

A. Treat the area gently. Lightly clean the area with warm water. Dab dry using a clean towel or tissue, do not rub, and allow to air dry for a few minutes. Repeat the process very gently if required. Apply a light film of aftercare, (less is more!). If you need to apply a dressing, choose a non-stick dressing. If the dressing sticks when you go to remove it, use warm water to gently soak the dressing off. Repeat the above process.

The excretions will stop as the healing progresses. If the secretions continue leave the skin for a day without any aftercare and allow it to dry out. Then follow the above.

A. It is fluid leaving the body from the glands – it should not affect the ink.

A. The razor can be brought against the skin a number of times when shaving to this can irritate the skin before the tattooing process begins.

When the hairs grow back sometimes, they can turn back on themselves and other times grow squint. This can cause pimples about 2-5 days after tattooing. Many areas need to be shaved before tattooing so if the area of skin to be tattooed is very hairy discuss with your tattooist about preparing this area beforehand.

OTHER COMMON PROBLEMS THAT CAN BE AVOIDED:

Over cleaning, vigorous cleaning, or using a cleanser that is too strong.
Over application of aftercare, thick layers of aftercare applied making the skin sweat,
and trapping lymph fluid that needs to be exuded – this can cause a “bubbling” effect on the skin. It can also cause pimples.
Friction caused by tight restrictive clothing.
Poor general health i.e. having a tattoo when you are ill.
Work environment not conductive to keeping your tattoo clean

A. An aftercare product should soothe the skin. The skin has been traumatized during the tattooing process and can be sensitive. There may be an initial stinging when you apply the aftercare, but you would expect it to stop shortly after application and the skin begin to feel soothed.

If the redness gets worse each time you apply the aftercare product stop using the product. You may have had an allergic or irritant reaction to cleaning products or your aftercare.

TREATMENT

• Stop using any product you are applying to your skin.
• Avoid using any soap or cleanser.
• An over the counter painkiller and antihistamine tablets can help ease the irritated skin.
• Use ice cubes wrapped in a cotton cover to ease swelling and redness (do not apply ice cubes direct onto the skin)
• As redness subsides start using an aftercare product which contains skin soothing agents.
• Do not squeeze or pick any blisters. If irritation is prolonged or worsens your doctor will advise best treatment.

Allergic Reaction to Tattoo Inks – are exceedingly rare but can happen. If you were allergic to the tattoo ink, then that area would never fully heal. Certain hues of red, blue and greens seem to be the most common colours for allergies and black ink the least.

Sometimes, years later certain areas of your tattooed skin can become itchy, quite often with direct sunlight. Applying a dry skin moisturiser seems to help and the area goes back to normal after a time.

Your inkwork is unique to you. You may have a different healing experience to others. The information provided is based on the collective experience. Most people have a trouble-free healing process and the only thing they are thinking about is how great their tattoo is and what tattoo to get next.