You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
It is generally not recommended to submerge a new tattoo in water, including taking a bath, for at least 2-3 weeks after getting the tattoo. This is because a new tattoo is essentially an open wound that needs time to heal and seal.
Prob fine just clean it really well. Just keep an eye for signs of infection like redness, swelling, feeling really warm, oozing etc. I think it will probably be okay though.
You should wait 4 to 6 weeks before jumping into any body of water. The chlorine in pools can irritate the tattoo and lead to color loss or possibly infection, and the bacteria in natural bodies of water have easier access to your bloodstream through your decorative, puncture wound.
Agree with what other's have said: leave it alone for 3-5 days and then gently peel it off in the shower. After that, it's just gentle soap and lotion as usual.
You'll want to avoid washing your tattoo too soon or waiting too long. Generally, you'll want to wait for no less than five hours and no more than 24 hours. And of course, not washing your tattoo at all is a bad idea. Be aware of the importance of only washing or touching your tattoo when your hands are clean.
Swimming in a chlorinated pool after getting tattooed is not recommended. Chlorine can irritate the healing skin and increase the risk of infection, so it's best to wait at least 2-4 weeks for your tattoo to fully heal before swimming.
Don't worry, this is completely natural. It happens because the old skin, damaged during the tattooing process, forms a thin layer over your tattoo and masks its true appearance. In time this old skin will naturally exfoliate itself, revealing your tattoo underneath in all its vibrant glory.
So, when can you shower with hot water after a tattoo? After the initial healing period (usually about two weeks), you can start showering with lukewarm water for five to 10 minutes at a time. Just be sure to pat your tattoo dry afterward.
It is possible to over-moisturize a new tattoo, which can actually delay the healing process. Excess moisture in the skin can create the perfect environment for bacteria and germ growth, potentially causing side effects like inflammation, breakouts, infection, and tattoo blurring or fading.
Is it OK to wear clothes over a new tattoo? Yes, but try not to after the few initial days after application. If you do, make sure you change your clothes frequently. In our experience, tattoos can weep onto the clothes and if you don't change them, it can cause infection.
Tattoos typically take two to four weeks to heal on the surface, but it can take three to six months to fully heal. The tattoo healing process typically involves a week of redness and oozing, followed by two to three weeks of itchiness and peeling. After about a month, the skin still internally heals.
Just a heads up water touching your tattoo is fine, you just don't want to be soaking it in a bath tub or similar. 2 weeks is a pretty safe time frame, unless it is clearly still flaking or you're having a difficult heal.
Black ink tends to outlast any other color because it is super pigmented. Other darker colors like dark blue, dark green, gray, and dark purple will have a similar lifespan to black ink. Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks.
You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
Sun Protection for New Tattoos
New tattoos fade very quickly when exposed to sunlight. In addition, if your tattoo has not completely healed yet, exposing the area to sunlight could result in blistering. In general, you should keep a new tattoo completely protected from the sun for at least three to four weeks.
A minimum of two days and as much as a few weeks are generally recommended to hold off on more moderate and intense activity. Yet even yoga and other low-intensity exercises could be in risky territory if they lead to friction, sweating, or stretching the tattoo.
Aftercare & Aging
Fine line tattoos are applied with less ink. While the ink is still embedded in the second layer of skin, the single needle does not penetrate as deeply or deposit as much ink. As a result, it is common for fine line tattoos to fade with age.
While a new tattoo can push out ink, along with blood and plasma, it typically does no harm and doesn't lead to a tattoo blowout. This leaking typically lasts no more than 48 hours. However, bruising from a new tattoo can make it look a little blurred or smudged as it goes through the healing process.