aftercare
saran wrap:
When you are settled for the day, gently remove the wrap and, with clean hands, wash the tattoo and any excess fluid off with unscented antibacterial soap.
For the first 3-6 days, wash the tattoo daily. Make sure you are wearing clean loose clothes, your sheets are clean, and keep an overall cleanliness around the tattoo to avoid infection.
derm shield:
Leave the wrap on for 3-5 days, then peel it off slowly in the shower. If it begins leaking or becoming more irritated, peel it off early.
Once removed, wash off the excess fluid (blood ink and plasma) with an unscented antibacterial soap. Gently wash the tattoo daily for a few days if you took it off earlier.
for both healing processes:
begin moisturizing several days to a week after your appointment – moisturize twice a day with a gentle unscented lotion. I know it’s not uncommon to use an ointment such as aquaphor, but I advise against it.
Do not expose the tattoo to direct sunlight for extended periods of time for 3 weeks. After it is healed (3-4 weeks), always protect with a high spf sunscreen!
Do not submerge the tattoo in still water for 3 weeks (bath/pool/lake/etc).
Picking tattoo scabs will deeply affect the way the tattoo heals. It’s going to get itchy into the healing process but do NOT SCRATCH IT!
The way a tattoo heals/how much it may naturally fade is dependent on the ink, the body part it’s on, how you healed it, and how I tattooed it, especially in areas that I have less experience with. Touch ups are always free!