Tattoo Advice & Aftercare

 

Before Your Appointment:

Tattooing can be a lot for your body to go through; it activates your immune system, adrenaline, pain receptors, drops your blood sugar - all sorts! It’s important to prepare properly - that way you’ll sit better, heal and recover better, have the best possible experience on the day and the best possible tattoo afterwards.

  • Make sure you get a good night’s sleep the night before. Don’t have any alcohol, even if you think a drink or two won’t matter - it dehydrates you, messes with your sleep, and you’ll struggle with pain management the following day.

  • Eat substantially at least a couple hours or so before your appointment. (Slow-release carbs are great!) If you’re watching what you eat, please give yourself the morning/day off. Your body will need the energy.

    (Clients who don’t want to take a day off a very low-calorie diet, or don’t bother with breakfast at all before a tattoo, tend to be the ones who go nauseous & dizzy during their appointments - and even sometimes faint. Make sure you eat properly!)

  • Try to make sure you’re hydrated in the days leading up to your appointment - your skin will be more resilient and easier to tattoo.

  • You can prep the skin in the week leading up to the appointment by exfoliating, shaving the area, and keeping it moisturised - it’s not essential, but its helpful! (Don’t do any of this on the day though!)

  • Don’t use sunbeds or over-expose the skin to sun for at least two weeks beforehand. Don’t cover the skin in fake tan. If you wax or epilate, do it at least 3-5 days prior to give the area time to settle.

 

On The Day:

  • Wear comfortable clothing that’s appropriate for the area being tattooed. You can bring it with you and change when you get to the studio if that works better for you. Don’t wear anything new or expensive - I’m a messy worker and ink stains!

    If you’re unsure what clothing will make it easiest for me to get to the particular area you’re being tattooed, just drop me an email and ask.

  • As mentioned, tattooing drops your blood sugar - so sugary snacks and drinks help and are encouraged! Feel free to bring your own, or we have plenty for you to help yourself to at the studio (Vegan-friendly options too!)

  • If it’s a full day session you’ll need a lunch - you can bring food, or there’s plenty of places nearby to grab something! (Starbucks, Costa, Greenalghs etc.)

  • Relax! You’re making things harder for yourself if you work yourself up. The studio is a really calm, relaxing environment, we try our best to make you as comfortable as possible - I can promise it won’t be nearly as scary or bad as you think!

 

Aftercare: Dermalize

Our go-to aftercare is a product called Dermalize; it’s a self-adhesive film that acts as a breathable “second skin” over the tattoo, providing a closed environment for it to heal and protecting it from irritation and bacteria/contaminants.

After your tattoo I’ll apply the first layer of Dermalize; this stays on for the first 24 hours.

In this time the tattoo will still be weeping and pushing out excess ink, so it’s normal for there to be a build-up of fluid underneath the Dermalize; it’ll look a bit gross, but it’s nothing to worry about!

After 24 hours take the Dermalize into a shower, and whilst its under the running water, peel it carefully away from your skin. Rinse away the fluid and gunk (sometimes there’s sticky residue left from the adhesive; don’t worry too much about that) and let the skin air dry when you leave the shower. After about 10 mins when the skin is completely dry, re-apply a second layer of Dermalize (I’ll give you some after your appointment to take home.) This second layer stays on for up to 3 days.

Whilst the Dermalize is on, try to avoid anything tight sitting on the area; avoid strenuous exercise and don’t soak it in water (baths, swimming etc) as this will break down the adhesive - showers are fine though, its waterproof up to a point. You can otherwise pretty much leave it be - but remove it if you experience any sensitivity or reaction to the adhesive.

After removing the second layer of Dermalize, the skin may be a little flakey and/or itchy - this is normal. Keep moisturising it with a mild unscented moisturiser for a week or so after.

Drop me an email if there’s anything you wanna ask!

 

Aftercare: Clingfilm

If you have any allergies or sensitivity to plasters, medical tape, adhesives etc., or if you prefer not to use Dermalize, then the alternative is to use clingfilm. The aftercare advice for this isn’t as straightforward or foolproof, so apologies for the following essay!

For the first 24-48 hours, the open skin is at it's most vulnerable - you need to be extra careful about keeping it clean and free of contamination. Keep the tattoo covered until you get home, and once you're there, wash your hands with a fragrance-free, antibacterial soap and carefully peel off the wrapping. Your tattoo will have been weeping and leaking excess ink and plasma, so there will be a build-up of "gunk" - this is completely normal. Rinse your tattoo with luke-warm water and allow it to air-dry (don't pat it with a towel).

Once your tattoo is dry, put a thin layer of aftercare over the area - I recommend Butterluxe, and I’ll give you some to take home with you - and leave it to breathe for the rest of the day. Before bed, gently clean your tattoo again, air-dry and aftercare, then re-wrap the area with clingfilm and secure it with medical tape. Keeping your tattoo wrapped at night prevents fibres and bacteria getting into your tattoo during the night; your tattoo will still be weeping, so it prevents your bedsheets sticking to the area (or getting stained by excess ink.)

Continue to wrap your tattoo for bed for the next 3-5 nights, whilst the tattoo is sticky/weeping. In the morning, repeat the cleaning from the first time.

Your tattoo will take roughly 2-4 weeks to heal, depending on the size and saturation of the tattoo, the amount of skin trauma involved, and your own body and immune system. During this time you will need to:

⦁ avoid touching the area unless with clean hands

⦁ refrain from soaking the area in still water (i.e no baths/swimming - showers are fine)

⦁ keep the tattoo wrapped if you are dealing with anything that may splash onto and contaminate the open skin e.g. alcohol, cleaning chemicals, dyes, body fluids (if you work in nursing/with children) etc.

⦁ keep it clean and free of irritation; no make-up/fake tan, body sprays, perfumes, scented soaps etc. Watch out for pet hair. Avoid tight or restrictive clothing over the area, abrasive fabrics such as denim, or fabrics that have fibres that may come away, such as wool.

⦁ Avoid excess sun exposure to the area. (No sun beds)

⦁ Avoid itching the area (It will be itchy! It's a sign that it's healing.)

⦁ Let the skin breathe and be open to the air as often as possible. (Whilst at home/in a clean environment)

A tattoo that is healing well shouldn't "scab" - you will get a layer of skin on top that will start to wrinkle, then peel and flake away (similar to sunburnt skin.) Let it fall away on its own, picking and peeling at it can take away skin that isn't healed yet.

* I strongly advise against using things like sudocrem, dettol, vaseline, bepanthen etc. as these will likely have an adverse effect on your tattoo. *

Get in touch if you have any questions, or if there's anything you're worried about!