Do not bandage the tattoo if you can avoid it. All wounds need to breathe if they are to heal properly.
Wash the tattoo using your fingertips or hands only. Make sure to use a mild antibacterial soap and warm water. Take care to remove all traces of blood as this will cause scabbing. Do not scrub the tattoo with a washcloth during the two week healing period. Always gently pat the tattoo dry with a clean, soft cloth or just let it air dry.
Apply a thin coat of moisturizer to the tattoo. Jergens, Keri Lotion, Weber’s, Tattoo Goo, Cherry Balm all work well. (Just enough to make it shine; a little goes a long way) Work it in well—dab off all the excess with a paper towel. You should barely be able to tell that it’s there… This is just enough to keep the tattoo moist and to keep it from scabbing. Your body heat will liquefy the ointment, and it may become glossy looking or runny. If this happens, there’s too much on there. Dab more off. Too much ointment will only suffocate the tattoo and liquefy any scabs that may have formed, causing the ink to fall out and look blotchy. Do not use lotions that contain colour or fragrance, or sparkles until the healing is complete. (Usually anywhere from ten days to two weeks; Possibly longer for slower healers.)
Your skin will form a protective layer no matter what you do. If you do not keep it moist or keep it too moist (it’s a personal balance, different for each individual), it will form a thick, hard scab that may crack when you move. When you form this kind of a scab, the ink sits within it and slowly heals into the skin. When the tattoo is kept moist, it doesn’t have a chance to form a scab but does form a thin membrane to protect the tattoo while it heals. This layer peels off very similar to a sunburn (Do not peel your tattoo. You will pull the ink out!), and it is normal to see small flakes of coloured skin falling off during this stage of healing.
You must keep your tattoo clean; however, long showers or baths must be avoided for two weeks. Prolonged soaking can and will loosen scabs if any have formed or will soak through the soft tissue and cause your ink to flow down the drain. This includes Swimming in the Ocean or a Pool, Hot Tubs, and Saunas. Short showers are best, under ten minutes, if possible.
Please refrain from scratching or picking at the tattoo. Scrubbing with a washcloth can be very harsh on a tattoo and will cause your colours to fade. It is normal for the tattoo to become very itchy during the healing time. To relieve this, scratch around the tattoo, or slap it with your hand (this will sting it and take away the itch).
No, but’s about it. The sun is BAD for your tattoo, even if you have had it for a long time. A sunburn on a new tattoo can cause a lot of problems. It will dry out your tattoo and cause it to form a horrendous scab much of the time, causing the tattoo to fade before it is even healed. It will take much longer to heal completely. It promotes scarring in a new tattoo. Wait until it is fully healed to go back in the sun or a tanning bed, and make sure you put on a high-quality SUNBLOCK. (Do not apply sunblock while the tattoo is healing.) The tattoo is under your skin, and your tan will form above it. If you get too dark, some colours (white, yellow, pink, and orange) may not show up as brightly as they could. Over time, excessive exposure to sunlight will cause your tattoo to fade no matter what colours are used.
Remember that hands and feet reproduce skin cells much faster than other parts of the body. A tattoo in these areas will sometimes take an extra two weeks to heal. During this time, refrain from washing dishes, wearing gloves, or wearing socks and shoes (sandals must not rub the tattoo). Any friction of this type WILL quickly wear away the tattoo within a brief period of time.
Always wash your hands thoroughly and immediately before touching your jewelry or pierced area. Contaminated hands and dirty fingers are the most common cause of infection. Waterless hand antiseptics may also be used for hand hygiene, but if hands are visibly dirty, they must be washed with soap and water before using waterless hand antiseptics. Never touch, turn or move your jewelry when the wound is dry (only when wet – during cleaning).
A good quality, mild, fragrance-free liquid antibacterial or anti-microbial soap may be used to wash your hands (especially your hands), the piercing and pierced area during healing but is not recommended for long-term use, as repeated use of harsher soaps can lead to dry, chapped skin (creating open wounds).
If hands or skin around the pierced area becomes dry and cracked, discontinue antibacterial soap, switch to a milder soap, and/or always use a moisturizer on hands after having cleaned and dried the piercing and pierced area.
Any crusted matter (dead white blood cells / dried lymphatic fluid) which collects at the piercing site and creates tightness around the jewelry is part of routine healing. It may be softened, loosened, and removed by soaking the piercing in warm water (cupping with clean hands in the shower or using a clean, disposable plastic cup). A weakly diluted solution of non-iodized sea salt/Epsom salts and warm to hot water or a saline solution may also be used to soak the piercing. A clean swab may be used to gently remove the loose, softened, crusted matter after washing. Do not pick at it when it is dry, as this can tear the skin inside your piercing. Once the crusted case is no longer present, switch to a mild liquid soap.
After removing any crusted matter, lather soap in your hands, and then gently lather soap onto jewelry and work through the piercing by rotating or sliding back and forth so that the soap is worked into the piercing. Ensure that the portion of jewelry contacting the inside and outside of the piercing is thoroughly cleaned. Allow the soap a minute of contact time before rinsing with running water while moving jewelry through piercing to ensure any soap residue is rinsed off (showering is preferable to bathing). Pat dry with a disposable paper towel.
Do not over clean the piercing as this may irritate the pierced area. Since your body does most of its healing while you sleep, cleaning the piercing twice a day is sufficient (morning and night). If you are athletic or physically active, a third cleaning may be required if the area has become contaminated with sweat, etc. (sometimes thoroughly rinsing the piercing to remove sweat is sufficient following physical activity).
Never use alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, ointments, creams or moisturizers on your piercing, and avoid using personal care products, hair sprays, heavily perfumed soaps, cosmetic products, make-up, etc. near the area of the piercing.
For any ear piercing, ensure telephone receivers, headphones, glasses, etc. are always kept clean, and beware of irritating any piercing with clothing, hairbrushes, hats, etc. A head piercing suggestion is to dress your pillow in a large t-shirt and turn it nightly (provides four clean surfaces).
Ensure clean bedding is used during the healing period (sheets and pillowcases, etc.), and clean, breathable clothing are always worn during the healing period for piercings on the body. Keep pets out of your bed.
Other than regular bathing and showering, or when washing piercing, keep the pierced area dry. Avoid swimming in lakes, rivers, pools, hot tubs, etc., until your piercing is completely healed.
Avoid exposing the pierced area to sunlight, sand, suntan lotion, etc. during the initial healing phase.
Do not closely cover piercing (with a bandage, for example). Allow access to air to promote healing. Do not use any moisturizers or ointments on the piercing or pierced area, as these products will block oxygen from accessing the piercing site.
A piercing may take from one to six months to heal, and some may take as long as one year to heal completely (cartilage, for example). Your piercer will have more specific information on healing times. On average, it takes 4 to 12 weeks but depends on the area pierced, lifestyle factors and the individual’s healing ability.
A healthier lifestyle will help your piercing heal better. To decrease healing time, get plenty of rest, avoid caffeine, alcohol, smoking and aspirin (Ibuprofen is recommended over aspirin if required). Drink plenty of fluids and have a well-balanced diet (some vitamins and supplements may be helpful as well). A piercing may seem healed before healing is complete, so continue to clean the piercing and pierced area for the recommended period of time.
Piercings that may be contacted during sexual activity will require the use of barriers such as condoms and dental dams to prevent contact with bodily fluids. For oral piercing, remember that you have an open wound in your mouth that puts you at a higher risk of contracting an STD infection.
People heal differently. You may experience some swelling, itching, burning and tightness during healing. Tightness may remain after recovery. Odours from secretions in the area of the new piercing are not uncommon. Bleeding, bruising, tenderness, discoloration and/or swelling are not uncommon at first, but prolonged soreness, excessive swelling or redness, or purulent discharge (pus) may indicate an infection. If these symptoms persist, contact your piercer and consult your physician (bring this aftercare information with you when seeing a physician).
Never remove the jewelry from an apparently infected piercing. Contact your piercer and consult a physician. Removing your jewelry may lead to your hole(s) closing up, entrapping the infection, possibly resulting in an abscess. Smaller gauge jewelry (longer to accommodate swelling and thinner to leave space) will act as a shunt, allowing the infection to drain. Since certain sized jewelry is appropriate for the healing phase, it can be changed to a preferred piece of jewelry after the healing period is complete.
