Tattoo Care

Day 0

It’s the day of your appointment and there are few important things to know:

• DO NOT drink alcohol. Alcohol thins the blood which equals more bleeding. Also, excess bleeding can thin the ink so the design of your tattoo may be compromised.

• DO NOT take blood thinners, aspirin or ibuprofen. Thin blood = excess bleeding = bad tattoos. Trust the logic. If you’re using other medications, talk to your doc before getting a tattoo.

• DO NOT come in with a sunburn. If you’re hitting the beach the day before, take a rain check and stay in. Good healthy skin is best for getting a tattoo. So for once, go ahead and throw that sun some shade.

• DO get a good night of sleep the day before. Don’t go partying all night and expect to be a steady canvas for the artist to put down clean lines, that doesn’t work if you’re jittery. So get a good night’s sleep.

• DO take a rest day from your workout schedule. Exercising causes swelling and damage to your skin and muscle. We need you in prime shape of doing nothing. So make this your rest day.

• DO stay hydrated. Drink water and electrolytes to hydrate yourself leading up to your appointment. Hydrated skin takes the tattoo better than dry skin. So get your h2o on.

• DO moisturize the skin. A few days leading up to your appointment use your normal moisturizer if you have dry skin. Hydrated healthy skin is the best canvas.

• DO shave the tattoo area on the day of your appointment. We can do it in the studio, but if you like your shaver and your steady hand, do us a favor and take care of it at home.

• DO eat before your appointment. A full stomach regulates your blood sugar and helps you manage the pain of getting a tattoo. If it’s going to be a long session, bring a snack.

• DO ASK QUESTIONS. We’re professionals and we want to make sure you’re comfortable with us and with the tattoo you’re going to get. It’s going to be there forever (unless you have big bucks for laser removal) so let’s make sure you’re happy before the ink even touches the skin.

Day 1 - 3

Now you’ve got a fresh tattoo you love and were probably so excited about it that you forgot about aftercare. Well here’s a reminder of what we said:

• DO NOT expose yourself to too much sun. Keep it protected to prevent fading.

• DO NOT wear tight clothing that will rub on the tattoo.

• Adhesive bandage care:

  • Keep the bandage on for at least 3 days. The bandage will help accelerate the healing time if properly taken care of.

  • DO NOT sweat excessively or do any activities that will make you sweat a lot. Sweating can irritate the tattoo and affect the healing process. Also, gyms are dirty and that only invites bad bacteria into your body. Stay away from those types of activities for at least 48 hours.

  • DO NOT submerge your tattoo in water. If you plan a beach day, pool party, hot tub time, or a soothing bubble bath with candles, absolutely do not submerge your tattoo in the water. Submerging your tattoo may loosen the bandage and let bacteria in. Remember your tattoo needs to heal.

  • DO take short showers. You can shower with the bandage, just be careful not to scrub too hard along the edges of the bandage causing it to loosen away from the skin.

Day 4

By this time, you may see some liquid plasma and ink developing on the bandage, don’t worry it’s part of the healing process so keep it clean.

• Adhesive bandage care:

  • Today is the day you can remove the bandage. To remove, first wash your hands then carefully peel the bandage from the edge down and away from your skin. There may be some residue left on the skin from bandage which will go away after a few showers.

  • You can take a shower like normal now, but be gentle with the area around your new tattoo. It’s still healing. Use a mild antibacterial soap to clean it and only pat dry. Do not scrub too hard or rub it to dry it.

  • KEEP IT CLEAN. Wash the area with mild antibacterial soap if you get it dirty from working in a dusty area or rubbing up too much on your furry family member. It’s still healing.

As we said, keep your fresh tattoo clean by using a mild antibacterial soap to clean it and only pat dry. Do not rub. When you take showers, be sure to be gentle cleaning your tattoo. Don’t even think about using that natural coral sponge loofah.