Wash your tattoo once or twice a day for the duration of the healing time. Too much washing can wash away your body's natural bacteria which helps your skin to heal. Washing the tattoo in the morning and at night before you go to bed is sufficient. For the first day, the tattoo will “ooze” clear plasma.
Overwashing can dry out the tattoo and surrounding skin which can cause bacteria to develop on the surface of the skin and lead to infection. How you clean your tattoo is important as being too rough can cause irritation that could permanently damage the tattoo.
Worse, soaking your tattoo can cause infection, flaking, itching, and scabbing, so don't soak your tattoo. After waiting a month for healing, you can soak your new tattoo in a bath or swimming pool without causing the ink to fade.
Over-Cleansing or Exfoliating Your Skin
Scrubbing off layers of skin from your tattoo routinely will not keep it looking fresh and can make it fade faster. If you over-cleanse, you are removing the protective layer of skin away too much, which can cause a lot of irritation.
A good sign is if you start to see a rash, pimples, or the tattoo is bubbling from trapped moisture. Also, when putting lotion/moisturizer on, if your skin is looking shiny or wet, then you are over moisturizing. You only need a thin layer and you can pat, don't rub, away excess with a clean paper towel.
A thin layer is strongly suggested, too much aquaphor can pull out the ink and damage the quality of the tattoo, which results in a higher chance the tattoo will need a touch-up.
You should continue washing your tattoo until it is fully healed. It is considered fully healed when all scabs have fallen off, and the skin has regenerated and closed up. This process generally takes between 2 to 4 weeks.
If you are worried about tattoo blowouts, avoid areas where the skin is particularly thin – such as the wrist or the top of your foot. And go for a tattoo location with thicker skin – like the upper thighs or the calves. Finally, be sure to continue a thorough aftercare routine.
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.
It's generally recommended to wait at least 24 hours before jumping into the shower. This initial waiting period gives your skin time to begin healing.
Use lukewarm water, not hot, and get your tattoo wet using your hands. Gentle rubbing with your fingers is all the abrasion your new ink needs. Pat dry with a paper towel or let air dry to keep things clean.
Your first night sleeping, your artist might recommend you re-wrap the tattoo with plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap) to sleep without the tattoo sticking to your sheets. This is generally for larger or solid-color tattoos. If your artist did not recommend re-wrapping, just let the tattoo stay exposed to air overnight.
You can pat the tattoo gently with a clean paper towel, but you must let the tattoo dry, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes after each cleaning. Any extra moisture trapped by immediately covering the tattoo is an invitation for bacteria to multiply.
If you've recently gotten a tattoo, but it appears blurry and smudged during and after the healing process, you may be experiencing tattoo blowout. "A blowout is when a tattoo expands below the skin layer when it hits fat [and] veins or when scarring occurs," says Crys.
A: Tattoo ink bleeding, often referred to as a blowout, does not go away on its own. This occurs when the ink spreads into the surrounding tissue, causing a blurred or smudged appearance.
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.
Until the surface of the tattoo is healed (at a minimum of two to three weeks), wash the area gently 2-3 times per day. After cleaning the tattoo during this two to three week period, gently apply a thin coat of a lotion-based care product. We recommend After Inked tattoo moisturizer and aftercare lotion.
Use the Aquaphor for the first 2-3 days then switch to a regular FRAGRANCE-FREE lotion such as Lubriderm, or any other fragrance-free brand. 5. Fresh tattoos sometimes “weep” during the first couple of days, meaning that plasma and ink form a thin moist coating on the skin. This can be DABBED with a clean paper towel.
Over-moisturising can lead to inflamed tattoos and potentially infection. Excess moisture can clog your skin's pores which prevents it from breathing, something that's important for your skin to heal. This can lead to breakouts on the skin that can damage the tattoo.
Top of Hand - The tougher skin in this area tends to push ink out, is prone to blowouts and is difficult to heal. Back - This area typically has stretchy skin with multiple curves, including the boney spine. Ribs - Much slower to tattoo typically, the ribs have stretchy skin and are prone to blowouts.