How long you keep your tattoo covered will depend on what its covered with! Either way your body will be pushing out a little excess ink, plasma, maybe a bit of blood - so don’t be alarmed if the lines look a bit fuzzy or its a little juicy under the wrap!

SECOND SKIN

If using you are using second skin, I recommend keeping your tattoo covered for up to a couple of days -maximum 3. The minimum amount of time I recommend is overnight on the first night.

You can shower as normal while wearing second skin, but I do recommend taking it off at the end of a shower as the warm water helps it more malleable and easy to remove. Step out of the water, peel nice and slowly and rinse with warm water to remove any excess ink thats sat on the skin. Leave uncovered and air dry.

Occasionally some people’s skin does not agree with the second skin, the covered area will become hot and red - this is not to be confused with the tattoo feeling a little tender which is normal. If this happens remove and keep uncovered.

CLING FILM

When using cling film I recommend keeping your tattoo covered for the first 4 hours. If you are out and about the tattoo keep the tattoo covered until you get home. Once uncovered, clean with luke warm water and simple soap before recovering in cling film for the night. Clean again in the morning before keeping uncovered. Again it is good to air dry rather than rub - or dab with kitchen roll if in a hurry.

This is mainly focussed on the initial 2 weeks of healing while the tattoo goes through the scabbing phase.

Do’s:

Ensure your hands are clean when handling the new tattoo.

Keep your tattoo clean using simple soap (unscented) such as Dove or Sanex. Especially if sweaty after exercise or dirty in any way.

Moisturise your tattoo - a good practice is to moisturise with a thin layer twice a day (although feel free to top up again if its feeling particularly dry and itchy. It will help with the irritation. I recommend Palmer’s Coco Butter or Lush’s Dream Cream.

Don’ts:

Do not submerge your new tattoo in water - that means avoiding baths or swimming for the first couple of weeks. Showers are totally fine!

Also avoid saunas, steam rooms, tanning beds and massages.

Do not itch or pick your tattoo - allow the scabs to come off in their own time. This can cause the need for touch ups.

Avoid tight clothing or things that will rub - for the same reasons! E.g. tights or lycra.

Don’t expose your tattoo to direct or excessive UV light - so no sunbathing whilst it’s healing! This can cause blistering or fading.

Don’t use sunscreen until your tattoo is healed.

The main thing is to be gentle - your body knows how to heal itself but these are the things you can do to help it on its way.

As mentioned, the majority of the care comes in the firsy couple of weeks while the tattoo is initially healing. But there are a few longer term things to bear in mind!

After about 3 months the tattoo should have settled into your skin, which is how it will look for the longer term. At around 1 month we will know if your tattoo requires any retouches from areas that may have fallen out, send me over a good quality photo so I can give you my opinion & we can take it from there.

It’s also good to avoid excessive UV exposure - use SPF when in the sun to avoid fading.

Keep your skin moisturised (although you can relax the twice a day routine) as this will keep the skin and tattoo looking healthy.