Aftercare

Always ask your artist for their aftercare recommendations. Artists may have different aftercare instructions due to their experience with how their tattoos heal. The instructions on this page are my recommendations based on my experience and may not be the best for every individual. Always contact your artist with any question/concerns.

Tegaderm Bandage

Leave bandage on for at least 8 hours. Max 5 days unless otherwise directed by your artist. Average is 2-3 days for most people. If your skin feels good, the longer you can leave it on, the better.

If your skin ever feels burny, remove the bandage as soon as possible. If your tattoo or the bandage feels itchy in the first two days, remove the bandage as soon as possible.

Feel free to peel back the edges to relieve pressure on the skin and decrease the chance of redness/irritation forming around the edge of the bandage. If any outside air or water, gets under the bandage and touches your tattoo, remove and wash your tattoo as soon as possible.

Trust your skin and ask it “how are you feeling?” multiple times a day if possible. It sounds silly, but this directs your attention to the area and your skin will respond w sensations. If your skin says to take the bandage off, I’m irritated, take it off.

I do NOT recommend showering w super hot water while using this bandage. Hold off on those steamy showers for now. It can decrease its stickiness to the skin, or act like a sauna inside the bandage and this can aggravate the healing process. I recommend going easy on exercise at least for the first few days after getting tattooed. Avoid activities where the tattoo might get hit the first few weeks if possible. This can cause damage and your tattoo and cause it to not heal well.

Some ink, blood and other healing juices may accumulate under the bandage. This is perfectly normal. The bandage is acting like a scab, allowing oxygen to pass through and inhibiting liquid from leaving or entering the area. This keeps your tattoo healthy during the most critical part of the healing process.

When you remove your bandage, please do so under running warm water. Start removing from the most tender area first (example: near armpit, inside of arm, any softer skin area) and pull across to the opposite side of bandage. Go slowly and steadily. I recommend letting the water hit near where the bandage is being removed to distract your nerves.

After you remove your bandage, use your CLEAN, washed hand to wash the area w UNSCENTED soap. I prefer a pump soap to minimize the chances of bacteria getting into your tattoo. Wash w a firm hand until you can feel the friction of your skin. Wash your tattoo last, right before you get out of the shower. We don’t want shampoo running into it!

Once done washing your fresh tattoo, I recommend patting dry w a paper towel (bath towels have particles that can get on your tattoo). Then, allow the tattoo to dry out for 3-5 minutes before applying your aftercare or another tegaderm bandage.

There are multiple products you can use to heal your tattoo. I’ll list a few here:

• Lubriderm - unscented

• Vanicream - lotion or cream

• Coconut oil - super super light and thin, a little bit goes a long way, if it’s shiny, rub some off

• After Inked - contains grapeseed oil

• Hustle butter - contains aloe vera, shea, coconut, mango

• Any other white, fragrance free lotion

Your tattoo will take approximately 6-8 weeks to fully heal. It may feel healed around 2-3 weeks. Avoid submerging your tattoo in any type of standing body of water (bathtubs, hot tubs, pools, lakes, toilets) for the first 2-3 weeks. We want your tattoo to feel like normal skin before any type of submersion. Showers are totally fine throughout the entire healing process.

Three tenets of taking care of ANY tattoo (and your skin in general):

• Drink water (this is one of the most important things for your tattoo during the healing process)

• Avoid sunlight (the sun is your tattoo’s worst enemy. Your tattoo ages w you, so take care of your skin, and your tattoo will age well w it. Get into a daily sunblock habit or wear clothes that cover your tattoo! This will keep your ink bright and beautiful)

• Apply lotion (critical during the aftercare process, this is also, just a good habit to get into. We use loads of products that zap the moisture from our skin, so it’s important to rehydrate. I suggest turning this into a daily habit as well!)

If you have any aftercare questions, please feel free to text or send images to (507) 571-2881. Make sure any images sent are clear and in good lighting. This number is for healing questions or emergencies only. This way, I can respond quicker than through email.

Tattoo inquiries to this number will be ignored.