Tattoo Care

Tattoo Aftercare Instructions

Please completely read and follow these aftercare instructions to ensure your tattoo heals properly!

Bandage

Leave the bandage on for a minimum of two hours! No matter HOW MANY TIMES your friends ask to see it, Please, LEAVE YOUR bandage on! Your artist took the care to cover up your new tattoo for a very good reason – to keep air-born bacteria from invading your wound. Yes, as pretty as your new tattoo is, it is still a wound. Open flesh is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Your tattoo will STILL be there when your friends want to see it later.

Cleansing Your Tattoo

After you remove the bandage, wash your tattoo. Use lukewarm water and mild, liquid antibacterial or antimicrobial soap (Dr.Bronnor’s Organic Soap, Satin, or Provon are my highest recommendations. Anything fragrance-free and designed for gentle skin to wash away any ointment, blood and/or plasma and to completely clean the area. Do not use a washcloth or anything abrasive. Your hand is your best tool in this case. (If your tattoo feels slimy and slippery, you have probably been oozing plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible – when the plasma dries on the skin surface, it creates scabs.)

Then pat,(do not rub) the area firmly with a CLEAN towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a very light application of your choice of ointment. A&D vitamin enriched ointment would be my first choice, but if you don’t have any. **Do not use Neosporin or Bacitracin!!!!. They are both wonderful products for cuts and scrapes, but not for tattoos. Some can have an allergic reaction to the antiobiotics in Neosporin or Bacitracin, which causes little red bumps or may also attack the new Ink as if it were an “infection”. When the bumps go away, so does the ink, and you end up with a splotchy tattoo.**

Lotions

We recommend Aquaphor, Eucerin or Lubriderm Unscented Lotion. Cocoa Butter lotion is also an acceptable option. If you prefer, you can use a specialty product such as Tattoo Goo. I do not recommend H2O Ocean’s after care products, ESPECIALLY for those with Seafood Allergies!  It’s not necessary, as many over the counter products work just fine, but it’s your choice. Use the products as directed and continue for 3-5 days. After that, continue to keep it clean, use lotion when needed instead of ointment, to keep the skin soft. Whatever lotion you use, make sure it is dye and fragrance free.

Bathing

Yes, you can (and should!) shower with a new tattoo. It’s OK to get your tattoo wet – just don’t soak it. Submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub can cause serious damage, so you’ll want to avoid those for 2-3 weeks, but showering is perfectly fine as long as you don’t saturate your tattoo. If you get soap or shampoo on your tattoo, just remove it quickly with water. Swimming – whether it be a pool, fresh water or salt water – swimming should be avoided for at least 2 weeks. Hot tubs and swimming in lakes is also highly discouraged as the bacteria present in both can be damaging to your new tattoo and could potentially result in infection.

Environment

You should keep your surroundings as clean as possible while healing your new tattoo. Infections can occur when proper care and cleanliness are not factors in the healing process. We suggest starting with clean bedding, so… wash those sheets! Make sure you have paper towels on hand for drying the tattoo for the first few days, then use clean towels. If you have pets, make sure they don’t scratch or jump on you near the tattooed area, try to avoid pet hair sticking to the tattoo ointment / lotion also. You may re bandage the tattoo on the first day of getting your tattoo, if you are still experiencing some oozing or plasma discharge for a period of no longer than 7 hours.  Be sure to use a non-stick bandage (Telfa or Saran wrap with a thin layer of A & D ointment or one of the other recommended products noted above). Some artists recommend taking “Zinc” supplements (or a daily multi-vitamin containing Zinc) for faster healing. Just try to relax and take it easy for the first few days and make the healing of your new ink priority # 1 !!

Peeling & Scabbing

After a few days, you will notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. Let your tattoo peel on it’s on, DO NOT PICK AT IT! DO NOT SCRATCH IT! A little scabbing is sometimes normal and there is no need to panic. Apply warm moist compresses to the scabs for about 5 minutes 2-3 times a day to soften them and they will eventually come off on their own. (Do not apply ointment or lotion to a softened scab – wait for it to dry) You will also start to itch, just like sunburn when it begins to heal. The advice here is, don’t pick, and don’t scratch! If the skin itches, slap it. If it is peeling, put lotion on it. And if it is scabbing, just leave it alone. Your tattoo is almost healed, and now is not the time to ruin it!

Sun Protection

After your tattoo is healed, from now on, you will always want to protect it from the sun’s ultraviolet rays. The sun can fade and damage a brilliant tattoo very fast. Before spending a lot of time in excessive heat, protect your tattoo with a minimum 30SPF sun block. This will keep your tattoo vibrant for many years, and it will continue to be a source of great pride.

* Some of this material was sourced from About.com, however it was reviewed and vetted by Conspiracy Ink Tattoos lead artist, Libby Mitchell, who has six years experience as a tattoo artist and a previous 15 years working as a Registered Nurse.

Any Questions or concerns about your new tattoo that cannot be answered in this aftercare sheet, please contact the shop directly, at (919) 526-6581 or e-mail your tattoo artist at: ConspiracyInkTattoos@yahoo.com