The Champion's Guide to Aftercare

Thank you for being tattooed by me, or thank you for thinking of having me do so!

However remember I am an artist, not a dermatologist! If in your aftercare process, something seems wrong, painful or uncomfortable that is not addressed here, please let me know immediately as well as contact your doctor and/or dermatologist. Now, onto my free advice!

Aftercare for a "Second Skin" or Adhesive Style Bandage

DAY 1-3: STICK IT & FORGET IT!


-Leave your adhesive bandage on for about 48 - 72 hours after receiving your tattoo (remove sooner if your skin appears to be increasingly red or irritated, or if you know you are sensitive to adhesives)

I’d suggest not to leave it on longer than three days.

-Within the first 12 hours of receiving your tattoo, you’ll likely notice some pooling of ink, blood and plasma below the bandage. This is normal! But if the bandage begins to leak, take off immediately and proceed to bandage removal.

-After 36 hours, some of the pooling ink, blood and plasma may begin to dry under the bandage and look kinda crusty. This is normal! But it’s probably approaching the time to take off the bandage.

-Do not submerge your tattoo and avoid getting overly sweaty while wearing the bandage.



DAY 3: REMOVE BANDAGE


-I recommend taking this off with clean dry hands, or at the end of a hot shower.

-Peel bandage off (along the hair grain) in a downward direction, close to the skin, like a command strip. Do not pull outwards away from your skin. (It may feel like pulling tape off of a sunburn.) Take nice deep breaths as you pull it off, or sit down on a bench in your shower area if possible.

-Once bandage is removed, gently wash with water diluted unscented soap and ensure all soap is rinsed completely off. I recommend Dr. Bronner’s unscented castile soap. Avoid direct water pressure and instead, splash water gently onto skin.

-Pat dry with a paper towel (I like to leave some prepared pieces ready before I get in the shower) and let air dry for 10 minutes.

(OPTIONAL): REPLACING BANDAGE

Occasionally I may send you home with a second bandage to apply at home. This is typically due to environmental factors (heat and weather = sweaty skin = bandages don’t stick well) or the amount of color packing we did (lots of liquid building up under the bandage). You’ll only leave the second bandage on for up to the initial 3-4 days of our appointment, so you may only have the second piece on for 24-48 hours.

-Remove bandage as normal, wash well, rinse well and pat dry. (Please rinse well as soap residue can cause rashy irritated skin under the bandage). Do not apply moisturizer!

-Apply second bandage to clean dry skin by removing the white backing paper (like a sticker!), and applying directly to the skin. Try to apply to the center of the tattoo first and smooth outwards— it’s ok if there are air bubbles! Along the outside of the bandage is an orange line which you can then pinch to lift and remove, peeling off close to the skin.

-Remove the second bandage 3-4 days after receiving your tattoo



DAY 3: APPLY LOTION


Not gonna lie, you’ve probably heard conflicting information about what to do from here. But this is my personal method…

-Apply a thin layer of lotion on your tattoo. I recommend unscented “white” lotion (Lubriderm, Cerave, etc.) or shea and coconut butter. On myself, I am currently using Tattoo Care aftercare cream for the first week or so. if you choose to follow my steps, here’s how to use it:

Using clean hands, squeeze to dispense a generous amount of cream to cover the new tattoo area.

Swipe on and gently massage in a circular motion until you’ve got a smooth layer on top of your skin.

Reapply at least twice a day for 14 days post-treatment while your ink is in repair mode, making sure to always keep your skin clean before application.

Do not over-moisturize or treat it any differently than you normally would. We want your skin to heal as naturally as possible.

Day 14+: Maintenance

After your brand new tattoo is all healed and healthy you are all done taking care of it right? Nope! To maintain a healthy beautiful tattoo you will have to, essentially, take care of it forever! Specially when you want to send a healed picture to your artist ;)

I recommend using lotion on your tattoos to keep them looking fresh and bright. Your skin will also benefit from this since it will get moisturized along with your tattoo. You can use any lotion of your liking but I would recommend using unscented formulas like the Tattoo Care aftercare cream.


Link to Tattoo Care products on Amazon