AFTER YOUR TATTOO

Your artist took the care to cover up your new tattoo for a very good reason - to keep air-born bacteria from invading your wound. As cool as your tattoo is, it is still a wound. You can take the bandage off in about 2-3 hours after it has been bandaged. With clean hands, rinse your tattoo off with warm water and anibacterial soap. Wash away any blood, ointment, or plasma, and completely clean the area. DO NOT use a washcloth, your hands are best to use in this case. (If your tattoo feels slimy and slippery, you have probably been oozing plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible - when the plasma dries on the skin surface, it creates scabs.)

PRODUCTS & LOTIONS

After you clean your tattoo, apply a thin layer of ointment over your tattoo a few times a day for the next 3-5 days. You can use treatments like Lubriderm (unscented), Vitamen A & D Ointment, Aquaphor, and Vasoline.

After 5 days, you can start using unscented lotions such as Lubriderm, and apply it whenever you feel your tattoo is dry.

Scabbing & Peeling

After a few days, you will notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. A little scabbing is no need to panic. Apply warm moist compresses to the scabs for about 5 minutes 2-3 times a day to soften them and they will eventually come off on their own. (Do not apply ointment or lotion to a softened scab - wait for it to dry) You will also start to itch, just like a sunburn when it begins to heal. The advice here is, don't pick, and don't scratch! If the skin itches, slap it. If it is peeling, put lotion on it. And if it is scabbing, just leave it alone. Your tattoo is almost healed, and now is not the time to ruin it!

Bathing, Showering, Swimming, & Hot Tubs

Yes, you can (and should!) shower with a new tattoo. It's OK to get your tattoo wet - just don't soak it. Submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub can cause serious damage, so you'll want to avoid those for 2-3 weeks, but showering is perfectly fine as long as you don't saturate your tattoo. If you get soap or shampoo on your tattoo, just remove it quickly with water. Swimming - whether it be a pool, fresh water or salt water - should be avoided for at least 2 weeks.

Protection from the Sun

After your tattoo is healed, from now on, you will always want to protect it from the sun's ultraviolet rays. These can fade and damage a brilliant tattoo very fast. Before spending a lot of time in excessive heat, protect your tattoo with a minimum 30SPF sunblock. This will keep your tattoo vibrant for many years.