Aftercare instructions:
There are two types of bandages you might leave with. The type depends on your preference and sensitivities, as well as the practicality of each option for your tattoo.
Second skin:
Leave the bandage on for three or four days (unless it aggravates the skin and gets red around the edges of the bandage, but try to keep it on for at least 24 hours.) It’s normal for blood, plasma and ink to pool under the bandage, more so with larger areas of solid ink. Your tattoo is not falling out, it will be fine, it just looks a bit gross. If fluid is able to leak out of the edge of the bandage, remove it after 24 hours (if fluid can get out, germs can get in).
While the bandage is on, avoid workouts or anything that might make you sweat profusely. If you work in an industry where you sweat a lot, remove the bandage at the end of your first shift. You can still (and should still) shower, but avoid baths, swimming or generally soaking the tattoo for the first couple weeks.
When you remove the bandage, go slow. It sometimes helps to remove it under running water, either under a tap or in the shower. Once the bandage is removed, clean the tattoo with unscented soap and water, and keep using that soap for the next couple weeks.
12-24 hours after removing the bandage, apply a small amount of water-based moisturizer a few times a day. This will help both with the healing process and with minimizing itchiness while healing. If you plan to work out, wait until the bandage is off. Apply moisturizer 15-30 minutes before a workout, so the scabbing/peeling will not be damaged from your movements. Clean the tattoo as soon as possible after finishing your workout.
When the tattoo starts peeling, leave it alone! Those little peely bits are scabs, and if you pull them off, it is possible your tattoo will be patchy looking when healed. Continue to keep the tattoo clean and moisturized, but do not scratch or pick at it. Seriously, LEAVE IT ALONE!
Your tattoo should be healed enough to go back to normal life, including swimming or having a nice bath, in 1 to 2 weeks — basically once the peeling is done, and the tattoo starts to look shiny.
Traditional bandage:
Remove the bandage pads either before you go to bed, or first thing the next morning (go with the following morning if you want to minimize the chance of staining your bedding with blood and ink).
Wash off all the vaseline from the tattoo with an unscented soap, and don’t apply any more vaseline or other petroleum-based products while healing. Use unscented soap when cleaning the tattoo for the next couple weeks.
12-24 hours after removing the bandage, start applying a small amount of water-based moisturizer a few times a day. This will help both with the healing process and with minimizing itchiness while healing. If you plan to work out, apply moisturizer 15-30 minutes before you start, so the scabbing/peeling will not be damaged from your movements. Clean the tattoo as soon as possible after finishing your workout.
When the tattoo starts peeling, leave it alone! Those little peely bits are scabs, and if you pull them off, it is possible your tattoo will be patchy looking when healed. Continue to keep the tattoo clean and moisturized, but do not scratch or pick at it. Seriously, LEAVE IT ALONE!
Your tattoo should be healed enough to go back to normal life, including swimming or having a nice bath, in 2 to 3 weeks — basically once the peeling is done, and the tattoo starts to look shiny.