NEVER itch or pick your tattoo: Picking off scabs or itching your tattoo will delay healing and may damage your ink. Drying your tattoo with washcloths or towels can also remove scabs and delay healing. Friction from wearing tight pants or shirts over your tattoo can also irritate the skin.
While it's healing, don't pick or scratch your tattoo — even if it's flaking, Wei says. Also, avoid submerging your tattoo, so stay out of pools, hot tubs, and any bodies of water for two weeks. Don't expose your tattoo to the sun either.
Apply a mild moisturizer to the tattooed skin several times a day. Avoid sun exposure. Keep the tattooed area out of the sun until it heals. Don't go swimming.
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. When you do shower, try to minimize direct contact with the tattooed area and limit its exposure to water.
Oozing. Another clear sign that a tattoo may not be healing properly is if the oozing around the tattoo continues after a week has passed. A tattoo healing normally also will ooze near the beginning of the healing process, but this should only take place within the first few days.
Excessive Sun Exposure. Excessive sun exposure can quickly ruin a new tattoo. Especially during the first 40 days, stay out of the sun as much as possible. If you have to go outside, then make sure to cover up your fresh tattoo with clothing.
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.
Avoiding Tight Clothing
Depending on the location of the tattoo, keeping it exposed to as much fresh air as possible is best. However, if you do cover it, wear loose-fitting clothing that won't rub or constrict your skin. Avoid anything tight around the tattooed area.
Apply a cold pack.
This can help reduce swelling, bruising or itching. Never apply ice directly to the skin as it can cause tissue damage. Instead, put a layer of fabric between the cold pack and the skin.
Sun Exposure
It's even more vital to stay out of the sun during the healing process. Sun on an exposed new tattoo is bad. No other way to put it. The ink rests in the dermis, your skin's second and thickest layer when you get tattooed.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), a group of chemicals which are known carcinogens, was found in a fifth of the samples tested and in 83% of the black inks tested by NICNAS. Other hazardous components included barium, copper, mercury, amines and various colourants.
In conclusion, you can shower after getting a tattoo, but don't submerge the tattoo in water for any prolonged period of time. Follow the instructions your tattoo artist gives you, and if you're bandaged with Saniderm, you can keep the covering on your tattoo while you shower because it is waterproof.
For these reasons, it's best to avoid alcohol for at least the first 24-48 hours after getting a tattoo, however, practitioners recommend longer for maximum results and health benefits. During this time, your body works hard to heal the tattoo, and any additional stress or strain can impede the healing process.
Does Smoking Affect Tattoo Healing? It is well known that smoking has a negative impact on wound healing. Cigarettes have countless pathogens in them that affect the tattoo removal healing process. Toxins like nicotine, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide have been shown to increase wound healing time.
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.
To aid the skin healing process, the tattoo needs to be kept moist. You can use a very thin layer of hypoallergenic ointment or fragrance-free lotion like Vaseline® Intensive Care™ Advanced Repair Unscented Lotion, or Vaseline® Healing Jelly Original. Repeat daily for 2-3 weeks to help wound healing.