Aftercare / Soins après-tattoo

Let’s look over the best practices to help your tattoo heal!

Do:

• Keep it clean

  Once you get home after your tattoo session, you should remove any wrap that was used and gently clean it, preferably using an unscented antibacterial soap. After that, it should still be cleaned daily.
  

• Hydrate

  Keep yourself hydrated! It’s an underrated step in the healing process. Your skin is greatly affected by your water intake. It helps skin regeneration and boosts your overall immune system.
  

• Moisturize

  Some let it “dry heal” (meaning they don’t moisturize it), and it can be good in the sense that your tattoo can breathe, which is something that it needs to heal well. But when the tattoo starts scabbing over, excessive dryness could cause it to peel prematurely, taking a part of the ink with it and resulting in missing spots and/or raised scar tissue. The tattoo should be moisturized daily, but not excessively. Read more about that in the related Don’t below.
  

• Monitor it

  Keep an eye out for any excessive or persisting redness, swelling/raised skin, oozing, excessive itchiness. Those are signs of infection, and you should consult a medical professional as soon as they appear. They can also be signs of an allergic reaction to ink. The latter is pretty uncommon, but red and white ink are the colours that most commonly cause allergic reactions.
  Redness and a bit of swelling around the tattoo is normal at first. Your skin just went through significant trauma. The redness should progressively be going down in the next few days with proper aftercare. On the contrary, any redness that spreads or amplifies, along with the skin being hotter around the tattoo are signs of infection.
  Weeping is also normal. Your skin reacts to trauma by secreting lymphatic fluid (that is clear, sometimes with a pink-ish hue because of the plasma), to help it heal. Pus (thicker white/yellow-ish fluid), on the other hand, is a clear sign of infection.
  In the latter days of the healing process, generally right before the scabs are ready to fall off, your skin will be itchy. That is a normal part of the healing process. It is only concerning when accompanied by one of the symptoms mentioned above. Read more on what not to do below.

Avoid:

• Sun exposure

  The sun can be damaging to the skin in general, but your fresh tattoo is considered an open wound. Direct sunlight should be avoided during your tattoo’s healing process, as it can add trauma and irritation to the skin, making that process longer and more difficult. In addition, it can affect how your tattoo heals, possibly creating scabs and scar tissue that would in turn affect how your tattoo looks. Right after your tattoo is healed, it is important to protect it with sunscreen, but before that, it should also be avoided entirely.
  

• Sweat

  Sweat is an irritant and a contaminant. A tattoo should be kept clean, dry and lightly moisturized. Sweat can enter the wound that is your tattoo and introduce bacteria that could cause it to get infected. Avoid the gym, strenuous efforts and sports activities that would cause an excessive amount of sweat for the first few days of the healing process. Your tattoo will thank you later, by looking the best it could possibly look!
  

• Alcohol

  Alcohol can be consumed in moderation, but keep in mind that it is considered a poison. It thins out the blood, dehydrates, thus making it harder for your immune system to focus on healing your tattoo. Excessive amounts of alcool should be avoided during the healing process, but especially during the first few days.
  

• Excessive moisturizing

  Somewhere during the first few days, your tattoo will start drying up and “scabbing over”. This is when you should start moisturizing it very lightly. It is suggested to moisturize at most twice a day using a cream that doesn’t contain petroleum/mineral oils or fragrance. Petroleum-based creams and ointments are comedogenic, which means it clogs the pores, and they prevent your tattoo from drying, which is a necessary part of the healing process. Furthermore, since it acts as a barrier, it can trap contaminants onto your skin, and its sticky consistence encourages them to flock to it. Creams that don’t leave residue, or don’t feel oily on the skin after application are what’s recommended.
  

• Excessive water exposure

  Your tattoo should be gently cleaned using lukewarm water and preferably an unscented antibacterial soap, but not exposed for too long in the shower. What’s recommended is taking a very short shower or keeping your tattoo out of the water after washing it. Baths, pools, and lakes - soaking in general - should be avoided entirely.

• Friction

  Friction is the most common and obvious irritant. Clothes that are too tight or too loose, depending on the tattoo’s location, should be avoided. Second-skins can be used to avoid that, but do be careful since allergic reactions tot he adhesive substance are pretty common.

• Picking at the scabs/scratching

  I know it’s tempting to pick at or peel off the scabs. Just don’t do it!
  Your tattoo will most likely be itchy towards the end of the healing process, as mentioned above. Do not scratch it, as it would cause the scabs to fall off prematurely, taking the ink with them and creating scar tissue. Keeping it moisturized according to the practices enumerated earlier will reduce itchiness in the long run. Instead of scratching your tattoo, gently tap it for relief.