It’s very important to know How to Care for a Tattoo, since your tattoo aftercare affects how your tattoo ends up looking. Tattoos that are poorly cared for might end up with splotches of lighter color or, even worse, an infection. Tattoos, properly cared for, look vibrant and healthy when they finish healing.
The secret to caring for your tattoo lies in dedication. Your dedication and fervent care go a long way towards a timeless tattoo. The actions you take to protect your tattoo—especially in the first two months of healing—keeps your tattoo looking the same for decades. While tattoos are permanent, improper care leads to faded tattoos, tattoos with blurry edges, lost color, or distorted designs. Use this guide to prevent infection in the short-term and look excellent in the long-term.
Tattoo Aftercare Timeline
For those of you who just need the basics, this timeline sums it up for you. The tattoo healing process time varies depending on your type and size of tattoo, so this timeline represents the general average. Simply check what time matches your own and act accordingly. We explain each stage in much more detail later on in the article, so stay tuned!
| TIME | INSTRUCTIONS |
|---|---|
| Just After Inking | Your artist cleans and wraps it! You don't need to do anything besides choosing a good artist who knows what they’re doing. |
| After About 2 Hours | Remove your bandage/wrapping and gently wash it. |
| The First Night | Wear clean clothes that you can stain, use only clean sheets and towels, and let the tattoo breathe as much as possible. |
| The Day After | Repeat the gentle washing and apply a tattoo lotion, cream, or ointment to prevent infection. |
| After 2 Days | Large flakes, as if from a sunburn, form over the tattoo. Some people scab instead. Avoid scratching or itching the flakes. Instead, use a tattoo aftercare moisturizer. |
| Within 10 to 14 Days | Your tattoo completely heals. In that period, you still might see some redness and swelling. Continue using tattoo moisturizer and tattoo soaps. |
| The First 3 Months | Avoid the sun. Use a tattoo sunscreen whenever you go out! |
| Long-term Aftercare | Keep it moisturized (like you care for the rest of your skin) and protected from the sun—either by wearing sunscreen or protective clothing. |
First Few Hours
When you first get your tattoo, your artist will commonly treat it with an antibacterial ointment and bandage it with plastic wrap, paper towels, and sometimes tape. Warn them if you have an allergy to adhesive so that they can use a different kind of tape for you. Ultimately, how they bandage it doesn’t matter too much you’ll want to take off that bandage after two hours so that your tattoo can begin its healing process. Keeping it on any longer encourages bacteria to grow in the dark, moist area of your tattoo. Giving it some air prevents infection and speeds healing.
When you remove your bandage, make sure you clean, disinfect, and dry your hands. Bacteria cover hands, so hands easily spread infection. While your tattoo heals, make sure to wash your hands compulsively and avoid touching the tattoo unless you’re washing. If your bandage is stuck to the tattoo, worry not. Get a small spray bottle or cloth and rinse the bandage not your tattoo with water. As the bandage gets wet, it should stop sticking to your tattoo. Avoid getting any water on your tattoo for now, and slowly ease the bandage off.
As soon as you remove your bandage, you’ll notice that your tattoo feels kind of like a sunburn. If it hurts more than you expected, any over-the-counter pain medication will help with it. Ibuprofen seems to have the best effect. Once it’s off, you don’t have to bandage it again.
After taking off the bandage, you might be tempted to wash off all the grime. Well, good news—you can! But, you have to follow very specific instructions. Read on to learn how to wash a new tattoo.
