Tattoo Aftercare

There are several schools of thought when it comes to caring for your tattoo during the healing process. Every artist will likely give different advice as to the most appropriate products and timeline to facilitate a healing process that will best serve your health and the health of your tattoo; therefore, it is hard to say that there is any one right answer.

Some artists will advise using products specifically designed for tattooing such as “After Inked”. Others will prescribe the use of products not specifically designed for tattoos such as “A&D”, “Aquaphor” and/or “Lubriderm”. From my experience, the use of any one of these products is no better than the next and it completely depends on your skin. However, you do want to stay away from the products that are loaded with chemicals; natural is always best.

Everyone’s skin is a little different; some of us have more natural pigment than others and some of us have more sensitive skin than others. Some people’s skin will heal in under a week with the use of minimal skin product; others find the drying and scabbing process uncomfortable and utilize more product for longer. This makes tattoo aftercare very specific to your skin type.

The best advice I can give for general tattoo aftercare:

• Keep your tattoo covered for an hour or two immediately after it’s finished. Do not keep the wrap on longer than this, even if you’re still oozing or bleeding. I have seen disgusting staph infections sprout because the tattoo was left to fester in your own bodily fluids for a little too long. If you are still oozing, gently dab the tattoo with a clean piece of paper towel and do not apply skin product (and spread your fluids all over the tattoo) until it begins to dry up.
  
  
• For one day after you first get inked, apply either “Aquaphor” or “A&D” in a very thin layer over your tattoo to keep it slightly moist. Do not use these products after the first 24-48 hour period, they may increase ink loss and fading.
  
  
• After the first 24-48 hour period apply the product “After Inked” or regular, unscented skin lotion such as “Lubriderm”. It is incredibly important that you use unscented lotion; I have seen some horrific skin reactions to the perfumes companies put in their products so to avoid the possibility of a reaction, don’t take the risk. If you use something other than “Lubriderm” or “After Inked”, make sure it is majority water based and not oil based; you do not want an oily residue on your tattoo.
  
  
• As far as how long you should apply the skin lotion for is entirely up to the sensitivity of your skin. People with more sensitive skin will likely, but not definitely, feel the need to apply the lotion more often than those people that do not have as sensitive skin. My skin, and the skin of some of my most frequent customers, does perfectly well with less than a week of lotion application. As your tattoo dries out and scabs it may become tight and uncomfortable; this is the purpose for applying lotion. You do not want to let it get too dry because if you stretch it in the wrong way the skin will crack and bleed, creating flaws in the ink. Use your discretion as to when it is too dry and when it is uncomfortable.