Healing Your Tattoo

     Everyone’s tattoos heal differently.  Healing is dependent on many factors, your overall health, the strength of your immune system, your emotional/physical stress level etc. Sensitive skin may take longer to heal & may experience scabbing &/or pealing more than others. Location of a tattoo can also affect the healing time.  In general, a tattoo is completely healed in 4-6 weeks. The most important thing to remember is to keep your new tattoo clean & free of germs.
A tattoo is a open wound until the scab or flaking skin comes and goes. Because the needles scrape & scratch the skin, it is considered more of an abrasion than a cut or puncture wound.

Day 1
1.)    Remove and discard the bandage 1 hour after receiving your tattoo.  You can leave your bandage on longer but your tattoo needs to breathe so do not leave it on longer than 12 hours.  Never re-bandage.
2.)    Wash with warm water and mild soap. Do not use soaps containing heavy dyes or perfumes. Gently wash with lathered hands… do not use a wash rag, loofah or anything abrasive. Rinse very well and make sure the slimy feeling is gone.
3.)    Using a Clean towel or a paper towel, dry your tattoo by patting Do Not Rub!  Air dry 10 minutes!
4.)    Re-wash your hands only! Apply a very thin coat of Non Scented Cream or Pure Vitamin E oil Or our in house Step 1. Not a thick layer, your skin can only breathe through a thin layer.

Do not use any products with petroleum or lanolin in them, as they can clog the pores!
Also, antibiotic ointments are not good for healing tattoos!  We do not recommend using antibiotic ointments, such as Neosporin, A&D or Aquaphor, as they are formulated to pull out infection, sometimes pulling ink out of the skin and causing your tattoo to heal unevenly.
Repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 twice daily (morning and night) for 3 weeks!!!

What To Expect
Week 1:  Your tattoo will more than likely be a bit sore and red immediately after your procedure. It is also common for your tattoo to ooze some ink, blood and plasma for about24 hours. It is also common for your tattoo to feel like a sunburn to ooze, itch etc.  Proper tattoo aftercare must be started immediately following your tattoo to ensure healthy healing.
Week 2:  Your tattoo may begin to peel or flake and may become itchy. Do not Pick, Rub or Scratch it! The scab or flakes must come off naturally, so that you so not lose any color or cause any irritation to your tattoo.  The scabs/flakes will be the same color as your tattoo.  It looks like your tattoo is coming off, but it is not!
Week 3: The scabs/flakes are just about gone by now, but your tattoo is not yet completely healed!  It may appear shiny or still a bit milky.  It is important to continue keeping it out of the sun and keep it moisturized.  If you are a slow healer or your tattoo has gotten irritated for some reason expect your skin to take several more weeks to heal.  If you are a fast healer, then it should take about another week.

If you have any concerns or questions during your healing process, it is best to call the studio.  Do not ask your friends or a doctor, as they will all have a very different and often conflicting or wrong advice of a professional artist who has years of experience.

Other Things You Should Know
~Only touch your tattoo with clean hands
~Do not let others touch your healing tattoo
~It is fine to work out or go to the gym after getting a tattoo, but make sure to cover your tattoo for at least the first 2 weeks. Gyms and Yoga mats can harbor nasty germs and bacteria!  Most infections in new tattoos are contracted in publicly used places!
~The sun will fade your tattoo! No Sun exposure for the first 3 weeks of healing. After you are healed, keeping sunscreen on your tattoo will keep it from fading.
~During the first 3-4 weeks of healing your new tattoo , no soaking in a bath, swimming, saunas, or Jacuzzis!  The salt and chlorine can fade or blur your tattoo.  These are also all breeding grounds for bacteria!
~Everyone’s body holds ink differently and the overall healing of your tattoo can affect the outcome!  If you have some ink fallout, which will look like blotchy areas or places where there was ink, but now there is not, this is all normal. I offer a free touch up!  Your touch up must be scheduled and completed within 3 months of the date of your tattoo session!
After your tattoo is healed (4-6 weeks), you can go back to your regular routine.  Keep in mind that repeated exposure to the sun is what can age and fade a tattoo.  Use Sunblock or Sunscreen often!