Once you finish washing, use a paper towel to pat your tattoo dry. Paper towels are better than regular towels because there's a smaller risk of infection. Plus, if any of the colored scuds is still on your skin, it won't stain your regular towels. If necessary, you may use clean towels to lightly dab the tattoo dry.
TRADITIONAL TATTOO HEALING METHOD
Pat dry with a clean paper towel — do not use a hand towel or bath towel to dry your tattoo as they can harbor bacteria that could cause infection.
Rinse the tattoo gently until the skin is clean. Pat dry with a clean towel or paper towel then allow to fully air dry for a minimum of 10 minutes. DO NOT SCRUB. Once the tattoo is dry, apply a very small amount of Aquaphor or Bacitracin.
Do not scrub the tattoo with a washcloth or other abrasive material during the healing period. Pat it with a clean soft cloth or paper towel and let it air dry for 10-20 minutes or until the skin begins to feel tight. This allows for excess moisture to evaporate out. It is very important to let the tattoo "breathe".
Only use clean towels or fabrics if you can use to pat dry your tattoo. A bath towel that has been hanging up for a week and had multiple people's hands handling it has all sorts of germs and bacteria growing on its surface. This is the LAST thing you want in that open wound, so be mindful of only using fresh linens.
Many tattoo shop owners and artists recommend using baby wipes to remove tattoo ink from your skin, as they are gentle and won't cause irritation. Plus, they're super convenient and easy to use - grab a wipe, wipe away the ink, and voila! Your tattoo is clean and fresh.
It's preferred practice to dry your tattoo with a paper towel but if you must opt for a regular towel, please dedicate a clean towel to use exclusively for your tattoo. If your skin is extra sensitive and hurts to pat dry after washing, you can use a hair dryer on a cool setting to dry your tattoo instead.
Signs of an over-moisturised tattoo include irritated, inflamed skin; scabs may appear on the tattoo, or the skin may look redder on and around the tattooed area. What's more, the ink could appear slightly blurred.
Once you finish washing, use a paper towel to pat your tattoo dry. Paper towels are better than regular towels because there's a smaller risk of infection. Plus, if any of the colored scuds is still on your skin, it won't stain your regular towels. If necessary, you may use clean towels to lightly dab the tattoo dry.
Without moisturiser, there's a risk that healing skin will get very dry, tight and itchy, and itchy skin that you can't scratch - that in fact you shouldn't touch at all - is not much fun! If you do itch then you risk damaging the new tattoo.
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.
Once you've removed the wrapping on your fresh tattoo, keep it off! It's time to let the healing process begin and let your tattoo breathe. If you rewrap it, you'll be trapping in moisture, which leads to bacteria growth, which leads to infection.
While advice might vary per artist, we highly advise against dry healing your new tattoo. Those who prefer dry healing are often concerned that lotions and creams will cause reactions in the healing process, and prefer to keep things as natural as possible.
"During the healing process, you should moisturize your tattoo three to six times a day," Ladna says. "Keeping your tattoo hydrated during the initial days is especially critical. If your tattoo becomes too dry, the healing may actually take longer, and you may risk losing color saturation."
Yes. Washing any part of your body too much can lead the skin to be dry and to crack, especially when using antibacterial soap. Your new tattoo is healing, so avoid over-washing and apply fragrance-free, tattoo-approved moisturizer if that tattoo looks dry or the skin feels uncomfortably dry and itchy.
When you over moisturize your tattoo, you can actually delay the healing process. Excess moisture in the skin creates the perfect environment for bacteria and germ growth, so one of the key signs is irritated, inflamed skin. Another key sign of over moisturizing is clogged skin.
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.
Peeling usually occurs a few days after getting the tattoo, as the skin begins to heal and regenerate itself . The regeneration process involves the skin removing dead and damaged cells. As the skin exfoliates itself, a layer of dead skin cells and ink pigment peels off, allowing new cells to grow.
Avoid sleeping directly on your new tattoo, at least the first 4 days. The goal is to try your best not to put any pressure on your tattoo and to keep it from touching anything, at least as much as possible. A healing tattoo needs lots of fresh air and oxygen, so try not to smother it while sleeping.
Coconut oil offers many health benefits that aid in the healing process of a tattoo. For example, coconut oil is made up of a number of nutrients that are natural antiseptics, meaning they can help keep the skin safe from microbial infections—a big potential risk with tattoos.
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.