• Avoid blood thinning medications and alcohol for 24-48 hours prior. (This includes Tylenol & Caffeine products)

• Hydrate well. The more dehydrated the body is the more it will swell and bleed. Hydrating improves skin elasticity and your healing process.

• Get a good night’s sleep. Tattooing sends adrenaline into the body and can cause tenseness. Not sleeping well weakens your immune system - that’s not a good way to start a day of endurance!

• Eat before you come in. This will help prevent you from dizziness / passing out due to surges or drops in blood sugar.

• Do not sunburn the area prior to your appointment. If you are sunburnt, please reach out to reschedule. If you come in with a sunburn you may be sent home. We cannot tattoo over burnt skin - it will push dead skin cells back into the healing layer, peel, and lose pigment. This can cause infection.

  
  

• If you have a derm shield on, leave it on for 2-3 days. You do not need to worry about washing or applying lotion until the bandage is removed. If you do not have derm on, skip this step.

  Blood, plasma, and ink from the tattoo will weep from the area for the first day or so depending on the size and area of the tattoo. You may look like a nasty “soy sauce” packet. This is normal.

  After 2 - 3 days, you should notice the bandage is becoming dry, crusty and itchy. Remove the bandage by pulling down on it like a command strip. (It stretches - but yes, it’s a bit like taking off a BandAid)

• Wash the tattoo with antibacterial, fragrance free soap. No perfume or dyes as you are applying this product to an open wound.

• Do not use rags or loofahs as this may cause damage to the skin barrier. Scratching the skin before it has peeled can result in loss of pigment.

• Let the area air dry or pat dry with a paper towel.

• Once the tattoo is dry, apply a small layer of your preferred unscented lotion. We recommend Aveeno unscented or Goldbond Ultra Healing.

• Do not use petroleum based products such as Aquaphor or A&D. These products are not breathable and sit on the surface of the skin which can create irritation, heat rash, clogged pores and swelling.

• Wash 2-3 times daily and apply lotion as needed.

• Tattoos are typically fully peeled and healed by week 3 or 4.

Do not swim or submerge the tattooed area until it is fully healed.

Do not apply sunscreen or expose the area to sun until fully healed.

(Kick your leg up on a table or chair while you lay back. This evens circulation and relieves swelling from carrying body pressure/weight.)

If your tattoo is on a lower extremity (feet, legs, lower arms/ hands) you may experience more swelling and a pulse in the area. This is because these areas are further away from your heart and your heart has to work harder to circulate blood over that distance.

We see this most often in lower leg tattoos, but also frequently in thigh areas. Walking and putting weight / pressure on a healing area will cause prolonged healing.

When skin is irritated it tries to retain heat. Making an ice pack can help reduce heat and swelling. These symptoms go hand in hand calming it down in temperate or swelling may help your healing process. If you can elevate the area that may help. Make sure if you make an ice pack, it is put in a clean ziplock bag or paper towel. Wrapping ice packs in cotton towels can transfer fibers into your healing tattoo.

There are so many reasons a tattoo may scab more than usual. Skin elasticity, sun exposure, scar tissue or stretch marks, etc.

Even incidents after the appointment can cause heavier scabbing and pigment loss, like being scratched by a pet or child, to skin reactions like eczema.

Immediately trying to tattoo the skin would create more damage and scar tissue. Once the area has fully healed you can reinsert pigment without permanent damage to your skin barrier. Just email us for a touch up!

Antibiotics will fight an infection if present, but will also attack the tattoo as a foreign entity and can result in a poor heal over all.

Try these suggestions before beginning an antibiotic.

If your tattoo is still hot and swollen after an extended period of time, has not stopped weeping and is showing signs of green color in the weeping plasma, antibiotics may be helpful.

Keep the area clean with antibacterial soap until healed and reach out to us if needed!