The Scabbing Stage (Days 4-6) The tattoo often takes on a cloudy appearance as scabs start to form over the ink. Scab formation is an essential part of the wound-healing process and means that a healthy, fresh skin layer is forming – a key sign your skin is on the path to recovery.
Days 4 to 6:
The redness should start to fade, and light new skin will be noticeable over the tattoo.
Totally normal. Your Tattoo is basically a graze/abrasion with some ink in it. As you heal (and grow new skin, thus sealing the color underneath it), the remains of your old, damaged skin will be peeling.
You can use Aquaphor (ointment with 43% petroleum jelly), any other ointments, creams or lotions to help for healing. Don't use Vaseline bc it's too much petroleum jelly (which is 100%) can caused your tattoo to smear and it can ruin your design. Trust me. I used it on my 1st, new tattoo and it was smearing like crazy.
You will know that your tattoo is completely healed when there are no scabs, the texture of your skin where the tattoo was placed is the same as a similar surface of skin, and the colors on your tattoo are no longer faded.
Do not take a bath and fully submerge your tattoo for 3-4 weeks after getting a tattoo. The larger the tattoo, the longer we recommend you wait to fully submerge your tattoo in water. You should never submerge a new tattoo in water for any length of time directly following a tattoo.
Signs of a tattoo infection may appear across the entire tattoo or only within specific colors. They can include: Bumps on your skin (papules) that sometimes contain pus (pustules). Nodules, bumps on or below your skin that are larger than papules.
You've got fresh new ink, and within days (up to a week), you notice your new tattoo has begun to scab. At first, this may seem really alarming. And you may worry that it's a sign of infection or that your tattoo will get damaged. Fortunately, tattoo scabbing is completely normal.
² So, you can rest easy knowing that peeling doesn't mean you're losing ink or that your new tattoo is going to end up looking faded. Think of it as a snake shedding its skin. The replacement skin will be healthy and your art will be able to shine through.
DAYS 3-14 (or until healed):
After the first 2-3 days, your tattoo should begin to feel dry and tight. At this point DISCONTINUE APPLYING OINTMENT AND SWITCH TO REGULAR FRAGRANCE-FREE HAND LOTION such as Eucerin, Lubriderm, Curel, or any other over the counter mild "Fragrance Free" moisterizer.
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.
A 2016 study that looked at the risk of infection with tattoos found that 0.5–6% of adults who had a tattoo experienced infectious complications. If a tattoo causes severe symptoms or pain that lasts for more than a few days, it can be a sign that there is an infection that needs medical attention.
When Can I Stop Washing My New Tattoo? 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.
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.
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.
A blowout is a noticeable place where tattoo ink has been placed incorrectly in the skin. This is is caused when a less experienced tattoo artist presses the needle too deep into the skin. This delivers ink into the fat tissue of the skin, where the ink spreads, leading to a blown out tattoo.
Unfortunately, there's no way to control what your body does while you sleep, but keeping your new tattoo covered during the night will help mitigate the risk of causing any injuries by scratching it.
Week one. Some tattoo artists recommend waiting between 24-48 hours before applying moisturizer, though others recommend doing so as soon as the first wash. A person with a fresh tattoo should follow their tattoo artist's instructions on when to start using moisturizer.
However, if it's been more than three or four days and you're still noticing a lot of leaking, you might be putting too much ointment on your tattoo. Certain ointments tend to cause more leakage in some people than others. As long as the fluid still seems clear and the tattoo doesn't feel hot or look red, don't panic.
2-6 Days After Your New Tattoo
Now you'll start to notice that your tattoo looks a bit dull, perhaps even have a 'cloudy-looking' appearance. It may also look red, swollen and still ooze blood, plasma, lymphatic fluid and ink. Not to worry! This is normal.