Aftercare
DO'S
- Leave the cling film on for 1-2 hours, or until you get to a clean environment in which to wash your new tattoo.
- Take the cling film off and have a hot bath or shower & wash your tattoo.
- Pat dry with clean tissue or kitchen roll. Don't use a towel.
- DO NOT RE-COVER YOUR TATTOO. The cling film is there to protect it from the elements on the way back from the tattoo studio. After you have washed it, you need to let the tattoo 'breathe' and form its own natural barrier.
- Put on clean clothing and ensure your bed sheets are clean when you sleep.
- Should your skin become overly dry or itchy, use a SMALL amount of Palmer's Cocoa Butter and rub into the skin well - do not leave a 'cover' of cream on your new tattoo.
*WE DO NOT ADVISE ANY OTHER CREAM UNLESS YOU ARE ALLERGIC TO PALMERS*
DONT'S
- DO NOT pick or scratch your tattoo while it's healing. Scabbing is a normal part of the healing process but picking scabs off prematurely will result in ink being pulled out.
- DO NOT use any product other than the ones we recommend.
- DO NOT share after-care products with anyone else.
- DO NOT submerge your tattoo in water (bath, sauna, swimming pool etc) until the tattoo is fully healed.
- DO NOT use bubble bath, shower gel or attempt to cleanse or tone your new tattoo until fully healed.
- DO NOT wax your tattoo area until fully healed.
- DO NOT sunbathe, use a tanning bed or otherwise expose your tattoo to sunlight while your tattoo is healing. When the tattoo Is fully healed, always use factor 50+ on the tattoo to stop it fading.
- DO NOT let any household pets attempt to lick the tattoo. If your pets sleep in your bed with you, please wash your bed sheets and refrain from letting them sleep in your bed until fully healed.
- DO NOT wear clothing/jewelry that will excessively rub on the tattooed area.
DO NOT TAKE YOUR FRIENDS' ADVICE!!!!
If you are worried about how your tattoo is healing, please call us or come into the studio. No question is stupid and we will always take the time to talk to you, put your mind at rest and give you the best professional advice available.
We are professionals, we have been doing this all day every day for an extremely long time, your friends have not!
GENERAL ADVICE
A little bit of bleeding, weeping, swelling, and bruising is normal within the first 48 hours of getting tattooed. If the swelling bothers you, try to keep the area raised when possible. Ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatory as well as a painkiller that will help. Please only take this if you do not have an allergy!!
The tattoo will scab, look shiny and patchy while your tattoo heals. It goes through several stages of healing which can look quite worrying, especially if you've never been tattooed before. Try not to worry, 99% of the time the tattoo heals fine, If it doesn't, we offer a free touch-up service provided our after-care instructions have been followed exactly.
Black and grey tattoos will look quite dark and have a brown tint to them to begin with. This is just where your skin is sore underneath. When healed, the tattoo will lighten up and gain a more silver tone to it.
During the first few nights after getting tattooed, we recommend you sleep in an old, clean item of clothing. When the tattoo is healing there is a risk of getting 'stuck' to any surrounding material. If you wake up stuck to an item of clothing, get in a shower with the clothing still on and the water will help separate it from the skin.
We recommend staying away from dirty/dusty environments while your tattoo is healing. If this is not a possibility (for work etc), we recommend keeping it covered with loose clothing or if you feel it will need a protective barrier then we recommend using cohesive bandage (“pet wrap”) and loosely wrapping it as the bandage will only stick to itself and not the tattoo. Once you're home then wash the tattoo with clean water only, no soap and discard the bandage - Never reuse the same piece twice.
Any tattoo below the knee has a tendency to take a little longer to heal than tattoos anywhere else on the body.
TOUCH UPS - On the rare occasions in which a touch up is necessary, we offer a free touch-up session providing you have looked after the tattoo according to our exact instructions, and you come to see us within 3 months of being tattooed.