Aftercare

day 1

  1. Leave the bandage on for the allotted amount of time, as instructed by your artist.

  2. Remove and discard the bandage. DO NOT REUSE.

  3. Begin the wash/care routine immediately after removing and discarding the bandage.

  4. Wash your hands first. Using warm water and a pea-sized amount of Dial antibacterial soap, gently lather the soap and begin washing your tattoo with clean hands, carefully removing excess ink, ointment and plasma build up. The slimy texture coming from your tattoo is normal.

  5. Once you’ve adequately washed your tattoo, take a clean paper towel and gently PAT (do NOT rub, scrape, or wipe the tattoo) your tattoo until it’s dry. Pat, peel, pat, peel, etc.

  6. After you’ve dried the tattoo off, take your Aquaphor and dispense the amount as instructed by your artist.

  7. Begin by dabbing the ointment all around the tattoo to make spreading it easier and less painful.

  8. After you’ve dabbed it, using circular motions, begin massaging the ointment into your skin. The desired appearance should be a slight glow when light shines on it. If it appears wet and shiny, you’ve applied too much. To remove excess aquaphor, simply continue spreading it across your skin, or wipe off the extra ointment with a clean, bare hand and discard it onto a paper towel.

  9. Repeat this process 2 to 4 times a day for the first 7 days.

  10. No bandage is needed during your aftercare (unless you’ve been provided special instructions by your artist). Allow the tattoo to “breathe”, uncovered and untouched as often as possible throughout the healing process.

after you leave the studio

Day 2-7

week 1 of your new tattoo

  1. Repeat steps 3-10

  2. For the first few days, you will notice your tattoo expelling ink-colored “goo” or “flakes”. This is a NORMAL part of the process as your tattoo heals. In response to the trauma on your skin, your body will produce and expel excess plasma to heal your tattoo. The black goo you see is plasma stained with tattoo ink. This process should dissipate after a few days.

  3. Depending on the saturation of your tattoo, you may form scabs, which is a normal part of the process. DO NOT pick these off or remove them. They will dislodge on their on while washing or applying aquaphor. Removing them prematurely may result in damaging the tattoo and scarring your skin.

  4. After those first few days, your tattoo will enter a phase called “silver skin” where the tattoo appears to have a silver shine over top of it, like fish scales. This is also normal as the surface of your skin is still regenerating.

day 8-14

last week, home stretch!

  1. You may now stop washing the tattoo, as the surface of the skin should be closed and healed over by this point.

  2. Apply aquaphor (as instructed in step 7) for the remaining 7 days to keep your tattoo moisturized.

Do’s and Don’t’s

NO: picking, scraping, scratching, pinching, popping, shaving, or pulling the skin
NO: soaking, saunas, hot tubs, pools, lakes, oceans, rivers, tanning, spray tanning, makeup, working out (unless discussed with your artist), activities that expose your tattoo to toxic chemicals, dirt or other harmful materials, or applying any creams or substances unless specifically instructed by your artist
NO: dirty hands/fingers/paws (pets/children)
NO: sunscreen for the first 2 weeks
YES: shower as normal, avoid the sun

troubleshooting


If your tattoo has any of the following symptoms: foul odor, HOT to the touch/radiating excessive heat (your tattoo will generate a moderate amount of warmth when it’s first done, as a normal reaction to the trauma of the tattoo but excessive HEAT is not normal), extreme pain (intense, noticeable pain. Your tattoo will be sore to the touch and tender the first few days, but it should not be excruciating), green or yellow puss, extreme redness and scabbing that persists after the first few days (mild to moderate redness is normal depending on your skin type), fever, or any other concerning symptoms, contact me via email ASAP and I will walk you through it.

If you have any questions, feel free to email me at emrtt.studio@gmail.com


Disclaimer

Please note that these instructions are only suggestions and not to be taken as medical advice. If you have medical concerns, please contact a doctor