IMMEDIATE AFTERCARE:

1. Leave your bandage or tattoo covering on for one to three hours after your tattoo is finished. Your artist will instruct you on exactly how long to keep the bandage there.  This process is collecting a lot of the goop, blood, and even ink from the fresh tattoo, so keep it on! You don’t want to ruin any new clothes or overly expose it at first.

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2. Make sure to wash your new tattoo several times a day with a soft, non-scented, antibacterial soap (Dial Soap Gold is a great brand to use) to keep it clean and avoid potential infection. Make sure to do this for two to three weeks or until the tattoo is more or less healed.  Remember, never touch your tattoo unless you have just washed your hands!

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3. For the first few days (we suggest three days) after washing the tattoo make sure to apply an ointment to keep it hydrated. Great ointments to use that can be picked up at a drug store are A+D or Aquaphor. Use this sparingly! A thin layer is better than drowning the tattoo in goo and will help it heal faster.

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4. After the first few days of using ointment switch to a non-scented lotion after you wash your tattoo. Aveeno is a great brand available at drug stores and comes in both large bottles as well as convenient travel sizes, which are perfectly sized to fit in your pocket or purse.

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5. For the first two weeks, avoid wearing tight clothing. Otherwise you run the risk of scabbing and ink loss when clothes rub up against your tattoo. If possible, avoid sleeping on your tattoo so you don’t agitate the healing process.

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6. While the tattoo is healing avoid going into large bodies of water (pool, ocean, hot tubs, etc.), the gym or activities that lead to excessive amounts of sweating, and exposure to the sun for the first two weeks. This could damage the tattoo in the healing process. Showers are fine as long as they are quick and not overly hot. You don’t want to burn your new ink!

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7. Continue this process until the tattoo is healed. And remember, don’t pick, peal or scratch any scabbing or hard layers. These hard layers are normal and picking them off could damage or remove color.