Tattoo Aftercare
You now have a fresh tattoo, and you want it to look good, so take good care of it! From this point on, your artist is not responsible for any problems you may have with your tattoo if you don't take proper care of it. It is very important that you follow these guidelines.
Leave That Bandage Alone! Your artist took the care to cover up your new tattoo for a very good reason - to keep airborne bacteria from invading your wound. Yes, as pretty as your new tattoo is, it is still a wound. Open flesh is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection.
Leave the bandage on for one to two hours. After you remove the bandage, wash your tattoo. Use warm water and mild, liquid antibacterial, or antimicrobial soap to gently wash away any ointment, blood and/or plasma and to completely clean the area. Do not use a sponge or anything abrasive. If your tattoo feels slimy and slippery, you have probably been oozing plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible - when the plasma dries on the skin surface, it creates scabs.
Then pat the area firmly with a CLEAN towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a light application of Bepanthen Ointment. Repeat this 2-3 times a day, or when you think it needs cleaning. If you prefer, you can also use a specialty product such as Tattoo Goo. Try not to leave the tattoo dry, especially for long periods.
During the healing process you may get some scabbing and/or skin peeling, this is natural but you must resist the temptation, don't pick, and don't scratch! You may also start to itch, just like a sunburn when it begins to heal. The advice here again is to resist, don't pick, and don't scratch! Your tattoo is almost healed, and now is not the time to ruin it!
**We do not recommend Savlon, E45 or Sudocrem**
Bath and shower as normal, remember do not scrub your new tattoo with any sponge or abrasive pads/towels, use your hands on your new tattoo and make sure all soap is rinsed off
Swimming - whether it is in a pool, in fresh water or salt water this should be avoided for at least 2/3 weeks, or until your tattoo has healed.
Sun and Summer - The summer is the most popular time to be tattooed, although probably not the best time of year, whilst your tattoo is healing try to keep it out of direct sunlight.
Tip. If you experience any problems with your tattoo and think its ok to say, “yeah my mate said to put this on it and going on a sun-bed would be fine…” you are very much mistaken!
We hope you enjoyed your experience at Nifty’s and look forward to seeing you again.
