Tattoo Aftercare Protocols Are Our Specialty
TATTOO AFTERCARE
A tattoo is a wound before it’s art.
How you treat it for the next few weeks decides how it heals and how it looks in ten years.
Here’s what actually matters.
THE FIRST FEW DAYS
Healing time varies by tattoo, but plan on roughly 10 to 27 days depending on size, placement, and how much trauma the skin took during the session.
Bigger, more detailed pieces take longer to heal.
The outer layer will scab and peel. That’s normal.
Let it happen on its own.
● Don’t pick, scratch, or peel loose skin, even when it itches!
● Keep it clean, but don’t over-wash it. Once to twice a day is enough. Keep it in line with your showering or bathing schedule.
● Watch for early signs it’s not healing right. These signs include: excess redness spreading outward, heat, or pus. If you see these it is worth a call to a doctor.
CLEANING & MOISTURIZING
Keep the tattoo clean with mild, unscented soap, and moisturize once it’s dry. Use thin layers of moisturizer, not thick ones. A tattoo that’s over-moisturized heals just as poorly as one that’s neglected.
We don’t push specific product brands here — ask your artist what they recommend day-of, since preferences vary shop to shop.
What matters more than the brand is the habit: clean, thin layers, consistently, for the first two weeks.
WATER: SHOWERS, POOLS, AND HOT TUBS
Showers are fine! Be sure to keep the water lukewarm and don’t let the spray hit the tattoo directly, especially if you have a low-flow shower head (those hit hard).
Pools, hot tubs, and open water are a different story.
Stay out of standing water (pools, hot tubs, lakes, the ocean) until the tattoo is fully healed. Submerging a healing tattoo raises infection risk and can pull pigment out before it’s set.
SUN EXPOSURE
Keep a new tattoo out of direct sun entirely while it heals. If you’re traveling somewhere sunny right after your appointment, plan for it:
● Avoid getting tattooed right before a sunny trip if you can help it
● If you can’t avoid it, give the tattoo an extra 2–3 weeks after you’re back before regular sun exposure, regardless of how much sunblock you use.
● Never put sunblock directly on a tattoo that’s still healing. It is better to keep the tattoo safe from products that will induce weeping. If you are3-5 days out from the tattoo appointment, and the tattoo is dry (not weeping), you are free to use sunblock on the tattoo.
ACTIVITY & EXERCISE
Normal daily activities such as: walking, errands, a regular gym routine, is fine. Listen to your body!
● If something hurts, stop doing that specific movement
● Don’t shower at the gym. Public showers are a real infection risk on healing skin
● Bringing a friend to your appointment is fine. Having one or two people is chill. DON’T bring an entourage! (we have a story about that). Check with your artist first to ensure they are cool with how ever many folks you plan on bringing.
SAUNAS
Don’t use sauna, hot tubs, or other hot/wet spaces while your tattoo is healing.
IF SOMETHING FEELS WRONG
Most healing tattoos go through a normal, sometimes uncomfortable process. Feelings include: itching, peeling, mild redness. That’s expected. Spreading redness, heat, swelling, or discharge is not, and is worth a call to a doctor.
We’re not medical professionals and can’t diagnose an infection over the phone, but we’d rather you check and be wrong than wait and be right.
More About This Subject…
Here are a few articles that discuss the aftercare routines and its history ini detail: