During healing do NOT: Wrap the tattoo after the first night (wearing breathable clothes over it is fine as long as they are not causing friction. (Keeping tattoos wrapped in plastic or bandages will stop air from getting to the tattoo, slow healing, and make gross stuff grow in there.)
How long to keep a tattoo wrapped in cling film. You'll need to keep your tattoo wrapped in cling film from one to three days. Depending on the size of your artwork this may be longer and your artist will let you know but a general rule of thumb is: Small line-work pieces – keep the cling film on for one to two days.
AFTER CARE 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 to thouroughly soak & wash your tattoo. -Pat dry with clean tissue or kitchen roll.
Ink is a pigment that can easily be stained, so it's important to keep the area around the tattoo clean while it's healing. Cling wrap or plastic wrap helps to protect the tattoo from dirt and debris, which can speeds up the healing process.
You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
Keep your tattoo wrapped in the cling film for up to 3 hours. Unwrap the cling film & wash your tattoo with warm water using a gentle soap. When clean pat dry with a clean towel or kitchen roll. Your tattoo will be a little bit sore after the first wash and redness/swelling is normal.
Keep it brief: Limit your showers to 5-10 minutes to avoid prolonged exposure to water, which can soften scabs and damage the healing tattoo. Lukewarm water: Use lukewarm water instead of hot water, as hot water can increase blood flow to the tattooed area and cause bleeding.
To prevent contamination, tattoo studios use polyurethane-acrylic adhesive medical bandages like Saniderm and Dermshield to wrap tattoos. "These products act as second skins that are completely sealed once applied correctly.
So what product should you use? You may have heard some rumours that Bepanthen shouldn't be used on new tattoos, but this absolutely isn't the case. Bepanthen is by far one of the most highly recommended tattoo aftercare products and is the go-to ointment for most tattoo artists and studios.
Hibler says the safest option is to use a gentle (aka fragrance- and preservative-free) cleanser, ointment, moisturizer, and sunscreen. He adds that many products safe for eczema-prone skin are also great options for tattoo aftercare because they have gentle formulas that retain moisture and restore the skin barrier.
The wrapping around the tattoo serves as protection as it heals, especially since the tattoo artist uses needles to apply it on your body, resulting in what feels like a fresh wound. The most common wrap tattoo artists use is Saran wraps.
Some tattoo artists recommend waiting between 24-48 hours before applying moisturizer, though others recommend doing so as soon as the first wash. A person with a fresh tattoo should follow their tattoo artist's instructions on when to start using moisturizer.
You can protect your new tattoo from water with a waterproof bandage. There are a variety of clear, waterproof bandages specifically designed for tattoos that will keep the area sealed and (mostly) free from water exposure. Ensure the entire tattoo is completely covered and sealed before getting it wet.
In order to heal your tattoo needs to breathe. Cling wrap prevents it from doing so and also can trap bacteria and increase the possibility of infection. Your tattoo artist might have cling wrapped it when they finished working on it, but once you take that off you should not cling wrap it again.
If the wrap begins to peel up, you can use surgical tape to keep it down, but if the tattoo is exposed, you will need to reapply Tegaderm (preferred), or switch to Conventional Aftercare - picking up on the day that the wrap came off. 5. Allow the wrap to stay applied for 3-7 days straight, the longer the better.
Do not use Savlon, Sudacrem, Bepanthen or any other creams that contain Lanolin or (Liquid)Paraffin on your new tattoo. These creams are not suitable for use on tattoos as they are too thick and can block the pores in the skin, potentially causing an infection.
However, we also recommend coconut oil and certain brands of tattoo healing creams such as Hustle Butter, but please do not use Bepanthen, as the ingredients have changed and its no longer beneficial for the tattoo healing process.
I'd say Cocoa Butter did an amazing job so I would highly recommend it for anyone. However more of my Twitter followers appear to still prefer Bepanthen. What do you prefer to use on healing tattoos? Click on the above Tweet to read some advice in the replies and a product that Lush would recommend.
Wrapping a tattoo at night is not a necessity and may pose more problems than solutions to the healing of a new tattoo. You should not rewrap your tattoo for bed for more than three nights in a row, and after the first 72 hours, your tattoo is already significantly less vulnerable to issues when sleeping.
During the first 48 hours of getting your tattoo, your skin will ooze blood and plasma, which is completely normal and part of the healing process. However, these fluids can make your skin itchy and cause the skin to become stuck to your bedsheets. All these scenarios can be avoided with night-wrapping.
Tattoo Aftercare Pointers
Your bandage (Saniderm, Tegaderm, or RxDerm) is waterproof and breathable, so you can leave it on for 2–3 days without worrying about it. You may see ink seepage and plasma building up underneath your bandage. Do not panic! It is part of the healing process.
Pressure can cause irritation and disrupt the healing process. Instead, try sleeping on your back or on the side opposite the tattoo!