Tattoo After-Care

After Care for Tattoos & Piercings

Tattoo After Care

Leave the bandage alone

Leave your bandage on for a minimum of one hour.
No longer than two, if possible.
Wash and Treat

After you remove the bandage, you need to wash your new tattoo.

Wash your hands FIRST for at least 30 with liquid antibacterial soap and a water temperature of ne less than 100 degrees. Antibacterial soap in the pump is best. Refrain from using bar soap for at least 4 weeks. Wash your tattoo using only your fingertips in a circular motion. No loofahs, wash clothes, etc. Gently wash away any ointment, blood, or plasma from the area. If your tattoo feels slimy and slick, that is residual plasma remaining on the surface and this needs to be removed with the antibacterial soap. If plasma is allowed to dry on the skin, this can create thick scabbing. Scabbing should be avoided, and is preventable by removing all plasma every few hours. It is necessary to wash the tattoo whenever pooling of body fluids is evident, especially in the first few days. After rinsing well, blot the area dry with a clean, low lint towel, or paper towel. After your initial wash, wait 24 hours before administering any lotions or tattoo healing products. This period of time should be spent keeping your tattoo clean, dry, and free of plasma. After this 24 hour period, begin applying a small amount of light, unscented hand lotion, or specialty tattoo aftercare product. You should only use a very small amount, just enough to rub completely into the tattoo. Never apply thick or heavy amounts of product. This can suffocate your tattoo and contribute to scabbing. You want your tattoo to breathe to facilitate proper healing. NEVER USE A&D OINTMENT OR NEOSPORIN. Always wash your tattoo in between lotion applications and anytime pooling is evident. Never touch your tattoo with unwashed hands during the healing process, which is generally 4-5 weeks. AnNever allow others to poke at or slap your new and/or healing tattoo.
Water

YES, you can shower with a new tattoo, in fact, it is encouraged. It is fine to get your tattoo wet, but soaking should be avoided for 2–3 weeks. Submerging your tattoo in a bathtub or hot tub can cause serious damage. So don’t. Swimming, whether it be a pool, fresh water, or salt water should be avoided for at least 2 weeks.
Scabbing and peeling

After a few days, you will notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. Excessive scabbing could indicate a poorly care for tattoo. A little is sometimes normal and there is no need to panic. Do not apply lotion to a softened scab. You must wait for it to dry. You will also notice that the area may become itchy, similar to a sunburn as it begins to heal ABSOLUTLY DO NOT PICK AT or SCRATCH YOUR TATTOO!
Protection from UV rays

Any exposure to the sun and tanning beds must be avoided during the healing process. This means NO TANNING for 3–4 weeks. After your tattoo is healed, you will always want to protect it from the sun and tanning beds’ UV rays. These can and WILL damage a brilliant tattoo very quickly. The necessity for a touch up of a tattoo after healing is a possibility. We at No Regrets Tattoos want your tattoo to look as good as you wanted to! But this touch up is to repair any damage incurred from the healing process, and in no way is to be used to repair a tattoo that has been negligently exposed to the sun or tanning beds. It is also not guaranteed if you do not take care of your tattoo as directed by your tattoo artist. Follow aftercare instructions to the T and protect your healed tattoo from UV rays with a minimum 30 SPF sunblock. Using a sunblock will only help. If you repeatedly darken your skin’s pigment through the process of tanning, it WILL result in a faded tattoo. If you want your tattoo to remain beautiful and bright, then DO NOT TAN THE AREA.

Suggested After Care Guidelines for Body Piercings

Cleaning Solutions
Use one or both of the following solutions for healing piercings:
- packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label), or a non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine-free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz.) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better; a saline solution that is too strong can irritate the piercing.
- A mild, fragrance – free liquid soap – preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.
Cleaning Instructions for Body Piercings
- Wash your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
- Saline soak for five to ten minutes once or more per day. Invert a cup of warm saline solution over the area form a vacuum. For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using clean gauze or paper towels saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.
- Soap no more than once or twice a day. While showering, lather up a pearl size drop of the soap to clean the jewelry and the piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than thirty seconds.
- Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.
- Dry by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.
What To Do

Wash your hands prior to touching the piercing; LEAVE IT ALONE except when cleaning. During healing, it is not necessary to rotate your jewelry.
What To Avoid
- Avoid cleaning with Betadine®, Hibiciens®, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Dial® or other harsh soaps, as these can damage cells. Also avoid ointments as they prevent necessary air circulation.
- Avoid Bactine®, pierced ear care solutions and other products containing Benzalkonium Chloride (BZK). These can be irritating and are not intended for long-term wound care.
- Avoid over-cleaning. This can delay your healing and irritate your piercing.
- Avoid undue trauma such as friction from clothing, excessive motion of the area, playing with the jewelry, and vigorous cleaning. These activities can cause the formation of unsightly and uncomfortable scar tissue, migration, prolonged healing and other complications.
- Avoid all oral contact, rough play, and contact with others’ bodily fluids on or near your piercing during healing.
- Avoid stress and recreational drug use, including excessive caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol.
- Avoid submerging the piercing in unhygienic bodies of water such as lakes, pools, hot tubs, etc. Or, protect your piercing using a waterproof wound-sealant bandage (such as 3M™ Nexcare™ Clean seals). These are available at most drug stores.
- Avoid all beauty and personal care products on or around the piercing including cosmetics, lotions, and sprays, etc.
- Don’t hang charms or any object from your jewelry until the piercing is fully healed.
Hints & Tips
Jewelry:
- Unless there is a problem with the size, style, or material of the initial jewelry, leave it in the place for the entire healing period. See a qualified piercer to perform any jewelry change that becomes necessary during healing. See the APP website to locate an APP member, or to request a copy of our Picking Your Piercer brochure.
- Contact your piercer if your jewelry must be removed (such as for a medical procedure). There are non-metallic jewelry alternatives available.
- Leave jewelry in at all times. Even old or well-healed piercing can shrink or close in minutes even after having been there for years. If removed, re-insertion can be difficult or impossible.
- With clean hands or paper product, be sure to regularly check threaded ends on your jewelry for tightness. (“Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.”)
- Carry a clean spare ball in case of loss or breakage.
- Should you decide you no longer want the piercing, simply remove the jewelry (or have a professional piercer remove it) and continue cleaning the piercing until the hole closes. In most cases only a small mark will remain.
- In the event an infection is suspected, quality jewelry or an inert alternative should be left in place to allow for drainage of the infection. If the jewelry is removed, the surface cells can close up, which can seal the infection inside the piercing channel and result in an abscess. Do not remove jewelry unless instructed by a medical professional.