Tattoo Aftercare 101

Congratulations on your new tattoo! First of all, my best advice for quick healing is to listen to your body, drink lots of water, rest, and eat some unprocessed food that came out of the ground.

  • Leave the Bandage on at least 2 hours. No Peeking! You may leave it on overnight and remove it in the morning.
  • Remove the Bandage under running water(the tape I use is super sticky, and letting the bandages get thoroughly soaked helps remove the gunk,) and wash the tattoo with a gentle soap. Don't use a washcloth, just use your hands.
  • Air or gently pat dry. Apply a small SMALL amount of A&D ointment to the tattoo, and massage into the skin.
  • Use the A&D 2 to 3 times a day for the first 3 days. Switch to a good quality non scented lotion after that.
  • Use the non-scented lotion as needed (usually morning and night at the minimum) for the next 2-3 weeks.
  • They Itch as they heal! Do not itch, pick or scratch at your tattoo! If it itches, gently slap it(the "weave tap" for those who have ever had extensions) or wash and lotion it, the tattoo might just need a little love.
  • Avoid pools, lakes, hot tubs, saunas, tanning, or fake tanning. You can bathe and shower normally, just don't soak the tattoo, it softens the skin too much, and can cause the ink to lift out. Also, swimming with a big, "scabby," open wound is totally icky.
  • The top layer of skin will slough off, just like a nasty sunburn. What I have done is gone ahead and killed off that top layer of skin, and your body will shed it as the new skin underneath is tough enough for the outside world. A small amount of ink is in that old skin, so if you see colored flakes coming off, don't worry! Its not the ink coming out of your tattoo, just your body protecting you!
  • Some areas "scab" up a little more than others. This is normal. Resist the urge to pull those hard little scabbies off, and let your body do the work. It knows what it's doing!
  • Come back in 3 weeks so I can take a look at it and make sure everything has healed well, and if it needs any tweaking!
If you experience anything that you feel is out of the ordinary, don't hesitate to contact me! We have seen it all, and have the solution to any problem. Contact me before you call the doctor! Doctors tend to hate tattoos, and will prescribe all sorts of unnecessary things to problems as simple as razor burn. If you think anything at all is wrong, call or email me, I like to know how my clients are getting along!

Above all, listen to your body. You are the sole end product of millions of years of evolution, and your body will tell you all sorts of interesting things about yourself if you listen to it!

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Hot Compress


Our Superfab Piercer, Jenny, swears by the hot compress. Judging by the way her tattoos heal, I will suggest its use to you as an option. It cuts healing time, but it totally hurts, so it is optional!

  • Remove your bandages and wash that ooky layer of serum, plasma, ink, body slime, and A&D ointment with a mild handsoap.
  • Prepare a clean washcloth or strong paper towel with water as hot as you can stand. Not burning, just hot, hot, hot.
  • Lay the cloth over the tattoo, and leave it on until it cools. Do this 2-3 times, then follow with a nice cool compress. That will feel awesome.
She lets her tattoos dry heal, meaning she adds no lotion or ointment into the healing process. I still like a thin layer or A&D ointment (the stuff I gave you, not the baby butt-cream you buy at the Big Box) 2-3 times a day for the first 3 days, then a non-scented lotion as needed for the next 2-3 weeks as all those little colored flakes fall off.

Don't stress if the tattoo doesn't look as bright as it should while it is healing. It will brighten and lighten up as it heals. And, as always, I expect to see you back in 3 weeks to I can take a look at it, and make sure it's healed well, and to decide if it needs any lowlighting or highlighting!
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10 comments:

  1. AnonymousMay 6, 2011 at 11:46 PM

    You're a dumbass. A hot compress will pull the ink out of the tattoo and require a touch up (or two) once it heals. I experienced this firsthand, and I'll never do it again. Oh yeah, and it hurts LIKE HELL on a fresh tatt. Way to give bad advice.

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  2. RWJuly 26, 2011 at 8:27 AM

    The point is that the hot compress pulls the ink out of the upper layers of skin, therefore leaving your body with less gunk to push out (in the form of scabs). A hot compress will in no way affect the ink underneath that. My artist recommended I try this and, so far, my tattoo is healing far nicer than any of my previous ones. So, uh...thanks for proving the point, I guess, Anonymous. >.>

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    Replies
    1. UnknownJanuary 11, 2016 at 6:48 AM

      This comment has been removed by the author.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 6, 2011 at 11:31 PM

    I was recommended this method by an artist who has been tattooing over 30 + years. My tattoo healed perfectly & required NO touchup. The colors stayed bright & vivid. Yeah it hurt, just like he said, but it was worth it & from now on the only way I'll do aftercare. btw - I never even scabbed up at all. Great healing method! ;) -J

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  4. AnonymousApril 4, 2012 at 2:29 PM

    do the hot compress two three times a day it hurts yeah dont be abitch its a tattoo.... and use aquaphor lotion 1 2 times a day it will heal better than any other tattoo you ever have had

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  5. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2013 at 2:03 PM

    I started with the "normal" method on my recent ankle tattoo, and it was stiff and uncomfortable. An artist I know who is extremely respected recommended the hot compress and HOT DAMN! After ONE application, that tattoo was MUCH better and immediately started sloughing off that gross top layer of skin and plasma. And honestly, it doesn't even hurt *that* much. In fact, it helps considerably when the tattoo itches. When it gets super itchy, I use the hot compress and it doesn't itch at all for a few hours. =)

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2013 at 2:03 PM

    I started with the "normal" method on my recent ankle tattoo, and it was stiff and uncomfortable. An artist I know who is extremely respected recommended the hot compress and HOT DAMN! After ONE application, that tattoo was MUCH better and immediately started sloughing off that gross top layer of skin and plasma. And honestly, it doesn't even hurt *that* much. In fact, it helps considerably when the tattoo itches. When it gets super itchy, I use the hot compress and it doesn't itch at all for a few hours. =)

    ReplyDelete
  7. EvJuly 25, 2015 at 10:54 PM

    I realize that this is a super-late comment, but my wife and I would love some clarification on how frequently to use this technique.

    Do you...
    1) Do this method 3x per day (hot-->cold, then cool)?
    2) Or, do you do it 3 times in a row (hot-->cold, hot-->cold, hot-->cold, then cool)?

    The way I read the instructions are as as #2. But she felt it was #1 after she read it.

    We just don't want to do it improperly, you know?

    Thanks a lot!

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  8. Chance's MomMarch 10, 2017 at 11:15 AM

    My artist swears by doing a hot compress immediately after the session before wrapping it up. He's been tattooing 30+ years, and started doing this in the last few years. so I've had both styles with the same artist. Best heal ups I've ever had, very little scabbing or flaking with the hot compress sessions. I'll try the additional hot compresses as suggested here with my next one.

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  9. AshholeJune 8, 2021 at 12:25 PM

    I love the hot compress! I learned it from my first tattoo when I was 18. Now at 34 all of my tattoos still look brand new!! I also agree with not completely dry healing and the thin layer of A&D.

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