TATTOO CARE
TATTOO CARE
Follow the instructions below to the best of your ability to give your tattoo the best chance of healing well :)
PRE-APPOINTMENT PREP
Do not have alcohol / caffeine / blood thinning painkillers at least 24 hours before your appointment
doing so will slow down the tattooing process due to bleeding and may result in patchy healing
Hydrate well 24 hours before appointment
Moisturize and exfoliate where the tattoo will be for 7 days before your appointment
if you know that your skin tends to be very dry, you can put moisturizer on your skin and wrap it with Saran Wrap overnight before your appointment
Avoid heavy exercising of the area of future tattoo 24 hours before appointment
Eat well before appointment and bring snacks
Wear comfortable clothing that allows the location of your future tattoo to be easily accessed
Do not apply numbing creams without consulting me first
POST-APPOINTMENT CARE
DON’T DO’s DURING HEALING
No alcohol or caffeine for 24 hours before/after getting tattoo
No sweating or heavy use of muscles under tattoo for 4-7 days
No contact with dirty surfaces for 4-7 days
No sun exposure
No submersion in water
DERM SHEILD SPECIFIC
Keep on bandage for 1-3 days
Take off under warm water or a shower
Peel gently from a corner and let the water do the work
pull it off parallel to your skin…not straight away from your skin
Avoid leaving it under hot water for long periods of time in the shower
this can make it more difficult for the adhesive to come off and cause sweating under the bandage
REMOVE DERM SHIELD IF…
it peels and exposes part of your tattoo
liquids from underneath the bandage leaks out
some inky liquid under the bandage is normal
sweat bubbles form underneath the bandage
you notice redness around the border of the bandage
POST DERM SHIELD / SARAN WRAP REMOVAL
Treat your tattoo like a wound! Your body needs to heal so take care of yourself and keep your tattoo clean!
Wash with unscented soap 1x/day
Pat dry with a paper towel after washing for first 10 days or until scab appears
Moisturize at least 2x/day with unscented lotion or aquaphor
use SMALL AMOUNTS at a time
take moisturizer between fingers and pat a thin layer onto tattoo
too much moisturizer will lead to slow healing and potential infection
if your tattoo gets dry/flaky you can put more moisturizer on to prevent scabs from cracking
Have clean sheets or wear clean clothes that cover your fresh tattoo during sleep for first 7 days
Treat scabs with care!
prematurely removed scabs usually will take ink with them
Keep tattoo out of the sun while healing
Do not use sunscreen until after 3-4 weeks of healing
After healing is complete, use sunscreen every day!
After 3-4 weeks of healing, please send healed photo in natural light!
first touch up is free!