Tattoo

So you have your tattoo. Your artist will tell you how to best care for your new art. “But I still have worries!”

“Why does my tattoo look weird?”

A new tattoo is going to be tender. It will be red. It will swell and be raised. This is all normal, but if these worsen as time goes by it’s not normal. Go to your doctor or urgent care.

“My tattoo looks gross and weird under the tegaderm bandage. Is this normal?”

The first 24 hours or so your tattoo is leaking a lot of plasma and ink that's collecting under the wrap. This is normal. When you' remove the tegaderm bandage, wash it with soap and water, you'll see your tattoo is fine.

Time to get “undressed” (!)

Three days later and its time to remove the dressing. Don’t remove it dry. The best method is to take a shower or a long soak in the tub and saturate the wrap with water. Peel the Saniderm from the corners slowly until you've removed it. Don’t peel it fast, and NEVER dry. This risks pulling out some of the ink.

“What do I wash with?”

Unscented anti-bacterial soap and wash gently. Any soap will do as long as it’s anti-bacterial and unscented.

Moisturize?

Yes! Use anything unscented. Keeping your piece lightly moisturized as it heals means you will have a perfect healing process.

Repeat this process gently gently with antibacterial soap & water 3 times a day. Apply a thin layer of unscented lotion 2 – 3 times a day for at least two weeks

“After I removed the tegaderm bandage I have a red square where it was!”

It means you had an allergic reaction to the tegaderm bandage. This is uncommon, but not the end of the world. Keep an eye on it and monitor to make sure it gets better. You should stop moisturizing until the redness goes down, but keep washing with antibacterial soap until the rash goes away.

“I want to protect my tattoo. Can I wear sunscreen?”

Not for one month. Sunscreen is great in the long run, but while you are healing it will block pores and keeps you from healing.

“I need to get back to the gym!”

If your workout involves you sweating a lot like heavy cardio, avoid this type of activity for a week or two.

If your weight lifting, it’s best to wait three to four days & it seems to be healing well. Please remember to be cautious and keep your tattoo away from any gym equipment. The best is to keep it covered until it is fully healed.

Looking after your work for the future.

Good skin care practices are the best. Washing with mild soaps and keeping good moisturizing practices are a good bit of advice for anyone but of course,the real killer is the sun. Sunscreen (50 SPF or higher) helps, but no direct sun at all is best. Moisturizing regularly also helps, and is a good idea in general, even if you don’t have tattoos.