M
M
E
E
N
N
U
U
How you look after it over the next few weeks matters as much as the work itself. Follow this and your tattoo will settle sharp and stay that way. If anything here is unclear, message me. I would much rather answer a question than fix a problem.
Eat something and drink plenty of water. A session takes more out of you than people expect, and the first evening is not the time to skip a meal.
Expect it to feel sore and a little hot for a day or two, similar to sunburn. Tylenol is fine if you need it. Avoid Advil, aspirin and ibuprofen, because they thin the blood and can make a fresh tattoo weep and bruise more than it needs to.
If it was a long sitting, rest. Your body heals faster when you let it.
That clear adhesive film stays on for one to two days. If you have worn it before and the piece is heavily saturated, you can stretch it to three.
Take it off early if any of these happen:
A failed seal traps bacteria against the tattoo, which is worse than having no bandage at all.
To remove it, get in a warm shower first. Peel from one edge and pull the film back flat against your skin rather than up and away, the same motion as taking off a Command strip. It comes away far more easily wet.
Showers are fine while it is on. Do not soak, swim or sit in a bath.
Wrap is only there to stop the tattoo sticking to your sheets and clothes on the first night. Once it comes off, it stays off. Do not re-wrap it.
Once the first bandage is off, this is the routine.
Do that two to three times a day for the first two to four days.
Once it starts flaking, switch to a plain unscented lotion and keep that going through weeks two and three. If it itches, use more lotion. Do not scratch.
For the first two to three weeks, avoid:
Peeling and itching around days three to seven are completely normal, and so is seeing a little ink come away on your hands during a wash. Picking is what causes patchy healing, not the flaking itself.
Sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher, every time it is going to be exposed. UV is the single biggest reason tattoos go soft and grey, and it is the one thing entirely within your control.
Keep your skin moisturized generally. Well-hydrated skin holds a tattoo better for decades.
Infections are rare when this routine is followed, but go and see a doctor promptly if you get swelling or redness that is still getting worse after day two or three, thick yellow or green pus, a fever or chills, red streaks spreading out from the tattoo, or a bad smell coming from the area. Clear or straw-colored weeping in the first day or two is normal and not a concern. Please let me know as well, so I know what happened.
The surface heals in about two to four weeks, which is when it stops feeling tender and looks normal again. Underneath, the deeper layers keep healing for three to six months.
During that deeper phase the tattoo can look slightly dull or hazy. That's expected. The true depth of the ink shows once it's fully settled.
Completely normal. Around days three to seven it will start flaking, a bit like a sunburn peeling. That's your skin shedding its damaged outer layer.
Do not pick it. Let it come away on its own. Picking pulls ink out with the skin and leaves patchy spots.
Itching is also part of it. Pat the area or put on a thin layer of moisturizer rather than scratching.
Keep it simple and fragrance free.
Avoid anything with alcohol, heavy fragrance, or whitening agents. Less is more here. Drowning it in lotion causes as many problems as letting it dry out.
Not until it's fully surface-healed, so give it at least two to four weeks. Pools, hot tubs, lakes and the ocean all carry bacteria, and pool chemicals are hard on fresh ink.
After that, wear SPF 50 or higher on it whenever it's exposed. Sun is the single biggest cause of fading. A tattoo that gets protected stays sharp for decades. One that doesn't goes soft and grey surprisingly fast.
Wait at least six to eight weeks. The tattoo has to be fully surface-healed before anything else goes into it, and working on skin that's still repairing does more harm than good.
For bigger pieces done over several sittings, wait until every section has healed before we look at touch-ups.
Infections are rare when aftercare is followed, but know what to look for:
If you see any of these, see a doctor promptly rather than waiting it out. Caught early they're straightforward to treat. Let me know too.