Aftercare

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1.  Leave your bandage or tattoo covering on for one to three hours after your tattoo is finished. Your artist will instruct you on exactly how long to keep the bandage on. This process is to collect a lot of goop, blood, and even ink from the fresh tattoo, so keep it on! You do not want to ruin any new clothes or overly expose your tattoo at first.

2.  Make sure to wash your new tattoo 3 to 4 times a day with a soft, unscented, antibacterial soap (Dial Soap Gold is a great brand to use) to keep it clean and avoid potential infection. Make sure to do this for 2 to 3 weeks or until the tattoo is more or less healed. Remember, never touch your tattoo unless you have just washed your hands!

3.  For the first few days (we suggest 4 to 5 days) after washing the tattoo make sure to apply an ointment to keep it hydrated. A great ointment to use, that can be picked up at any drug store, is Aquaphor. Use this sparingly! A thin layer is better than drowning the tattoo in goo and will help it heal faster.

4.  After a few days of using ointment the skin will begin to peel. At this point switch to a non-scented lotion after you wash your tattoo. Aveeno and Lubriderm are great brands available at drug stores and come in both large bottles as well as convenient travel sizes, which are perfectly sized to fit in your pocket or purse.

5.  For the first 2 weeks, avoid wearing tight clothing. Otherwise, you run the risk of scabbing and in loss when clothes rub up against your tattoo. If possible, avoid sleeping on your tattoo so you do not agitate the healing process.

6.  While the tattoo is healing avoid going into large bodies of water (pool, ocean, hot tubs, etc.), the gym, or activities that lead to excessive amounts of sweat and exposure to the sun for at least the first 2 weeks. This could damage the tattoo in the healing process. Showers are fine as long as they are quick and not overly hot. You do no not want to burn your new ink! Do not use washcloths or loofahs on the tattoo.

7.  Continue this process until the tattoo is healed. And remember, do not pick, peel, or scratch any scabbing or hard layers. These hard layers are normal and picking the off could damage your tattoo or remove color.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to call the shop.

Long-term aftercare is just as important as short-term. The more you care about how you treat your skin, the longer your tattoo will uphold its sheen.

1.  Your tattoos will lighten up after they have fully healed. That is normal as the layers of skin are growing back over the ink and accepting it within your skin. But, to keep a solid coloring, always make sure to put on sunscreen when going outside, especially in the summer. SPF 45 or higher and sunscreen for children are always great at protecting your skin. Several tattoo aftercare brands make sun blockers designed especially for tattoos. 

2.  Always keep your tattoos moisturized, especially in areas prone to fading like hands, feet, elbows, etc. This will help keep the tattoo intact longer and less prone to fading over the years.

There are many brands out there that offer tattoo aftercare products such as Hustle Butter. If you do not want to go the drug store route, these brands are available for you and your ink online! You paid a lot for a quality tattoo, so treat it like the fine peace of art that it is and make it last!

If you have any questions or concerns feel free to call the shop.

We look forward to seeing you again soon!