TATTOO AFTERCARE

---

I recommend and use Saniderm to heal my tattoos. You can purchase it directly through me or feel free to bring your own! Purchasing it yourself is preferred because then a bandage change can be done after the tattoo is done ‘weeping’ usually at 48 hours or so. 

If you replace the bandage wash the tattoo with antibacterial soap and make sure your hands are clean. This is wound, it’s important to remember that. If you aren't doing a bandage change you will remove the bandage when it starts to leak or at the the three to five day mark. 

You might be able to go straight to a good healthy lotion at this point. The way you can tell is by washing it with antibacterial soap, (after washing your own hands first) then pat it dry with a paper towel. If there is any scabbing or pitting or it appears to still be a wound you must treat it like one. Please follow the steps outlined below. But if it is instead in the dry, peely stage, where it’s flaking like a sunburn does, then you can go straight to a good healthy lotion. One without chemicals or fragrance is best. Like Eucerin or Aveeno, or often baby lotions are good options. Do NOT pick or scratch at the tattoo. You can damage it in this stage! Itchiness is a sign of healing and is to be expected. Slapping the tattoo can bring relief as well as soothing it with the lotion. No hot tubs, pools,  soaking or submerging the tattoo (other than showers) until it is fully healed. (Minimum of two weeks) The Saniderm should hold a sterile seal, so no fluids should be getting inside. Alternatively the excess ink, blood or plasma that ‘weeps’ from the tattoo should stay inside the bandage and should not be leaking out. This is considered a ‘wet heal’. It does not damage the tattoo, in fact it creates the perfect environment for the tattoo to heal in. It is not uncommon for there to be a small sac of fluid buildup in the bandage. Again this is normal and fine to leave. However if this bothers you, you can do a bandage change after 48 hrs, the second bandage is good for another 3-5 days, getting you through the first week of the heal. 

No hot tubs or pools or soaking the tattoo for two weeks. Showers are fine. The Saniderm should not let water in or out while showering, if so remove. If the bandage comes off early and it is still in the ‘wound’ phase wash with antibacterial soap and use a very small amount of A&D or Aquaphor. Less is more. 

Aftercare: When the bandage comes off you need to keep it clean and moisturized. Things you will need: Antibacterial soap, like dial, the pump kind, paper towels, an ointment and a good healthy lotion free from chemicals and fragrance. Like aveeno or eucerin, or baby lotions are usually good too. Wash your hands first, then gently wash the tattoo. Pat it dry with a paper towel. (Not a reusable terry cloth) everything you use on it should be throw away or one time use. It’s a wound so you need to treat it like one. Then apply a very thin layer of ointment like aquaphor or a & d. Less is more. The tattoo needs to be able to breathe. Petroleum based products can suffocate a tattoo. So it shouldn’t be overly shiny. Rub it in very gently until it almost disappears. Follow those steps 3-5 times a day until it reaches the dry peely stage, where it’s flaking like a sunburn. Then it’s out of the wound stage and you can stop washing it constantly and switch to a good healthy lotion. Lotion it up several times a day or whenever it feels dry or tight. No scratching or picking. If you have any questions or concerns reach out to me immediately with a photo. Thanks and good luck!