Tattoo Aftercare
Your new tattoo can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks for the skin to fully heal. Healing time depends on your skin and how you take care of the tattoo! The first few weeks are super important, but it’s actually pretty easy to follow some basic aftercare steps. :-)
The most important thing to make sure of is to keep your skin clean, and out of direct, prolonged exposure to sunlight. No fancy soaps are required – just some generic anti-bacterial soap will do just fine! Try to clean the tattoo at least twice a day, or as needed (if you got really sweaty or maybe something might have touched the tattoo that shouldn’t have.) All you need is a little bit of soap, and preferably paper towels to clean and dry the tattoo.
Make sure not to submerge your healing tattoo/skin underneath water. This is mainly a concern if you take baths or swim in a pool or open body of water. When your tattoo is healing it’s basically an open wound, so it’s easier at this time for germs and other gross unwanted stuff to get into your skin. Just be mindful as it is healing! Showers are totally okay – just try to limit the time the skin is spending under running water as much as possible.
Questions about what kinds of moisturizers to use during the healing process? It might be a surprise to hear this, but it’s recommended to let your tattoo dry heal for the majority of the healing time. If you feel that any moisturizer is needed, please be very minimal with using a non-scented lotion (Lubriderm, Eucerin, CeraVe, etc.) Rub into the skin with a very small amount of lotion until your skin feels dry. Over-moisturizing can be bad for the tattoo, so remember that less is more when it comes to the well-being of your tattoo!
Please don’t hesitiate to reach out to your tattoo artist with any questions – and if signs of infection occur, it may be best to reach out to a dermatologist for further instruction on how to proceed.
Art by Haylee Vroman, LLC
artbyhayleevroman.com