Protect the work
Heal clean.
Heal smart.
Hour zero to month three
The healing timeline.
HR 00–04
Leave the wrap alone
The covering goes on before you leave the chair. Leave it in place for the window we give you at the end of your session — it is protecting an open wound in the dirtiest few hours of its life.
HR 04–06
First wash
Clean hands, lukewarm water, fragrance-free liquid soap. Wash the plasma and excess ink off with your fingertips only, rinse, then pat dry with a clean paper towel. No cloth towel.
DAY 01–03
Weeping stage
Expect plasma, ink and some swelling. Wash twice a day and apply a thin layer of fragrance-free aftercare ointment — thin enough that the skin still looks matte, not shiny.
DAY 04–07
Tight and dry
The surface closes and starts to feel tight. Switch from ointment to a plain fragrance-free lotion. Keep moisturising after every wash and do not let it crack.
DAY 08–14
Peeling and flaking
Sheets of coloured skin come away. This is normal and it is not your tattoo leaving. Do not pick, scratch or exfoliate — pulling a flake early pulls pigment with it.
WK 03–04
The cloudy stage
A milky, dull layer sits over the piece as the deeper skin finishes healing. It looks like the work has gone flat. It has not; keep moisturising and it clears.
MO 01–03
Settled — healed check-in
The piece has settled into its final value. This is when we look at it together: any softening that genuinely needs a touch-up is identified now, not at week two.
Do
The routine.
Wash it twice a day with clean hands
Fingertips only, lukewarm water, fragrance-free liquid soap. Hands are the applicator — wash those first.Pat dry with a clean paper towel
Cloth towels hold bacteria and catch on healing skin. Paper, once, then bin it.Moisturise thin
A thin fragrance-free layer after every wash. If it looks wet or shiny, that is too much and it will trap moisture.Sleep on clean sheets
Fresh bedding for the first week, and keep the piece off the mattress where you can.Wear loose clothing over it
Anything that rubs the surface during the first fortnight will lift pigment out of it.Block it from the sun once it is healed
UV is what fades a finished tattoo. Sunscreen on healed work, every time it is exposed.Call us if something looks wrong
Reception hours are below. We would far rather look at a photo on day three than a problem on day ten.
Don't
No shortcuts.
Do not pick, scratch or peel it
A flake pulled early takes pigment with it and leaves a light patch that needs a touch-up.Do not soak it
No baths, pools, hot tubs, lakes or ocean until it is fully closed. Showers are fine.Do not put it in the sun
No sunbathing and no tanning beds on a healing tattoo. None, not briefly.Do not re-wrap it overnight
Unless we specifically gave you a second-skin film and told you how long to leave it, the piece heals uncovered and dry.Do not use scented products on it
No perfumed soap, no scented lotion, no petroleum jelly. Fragrance-free only.Do not shave over it
Leave the area alone until the peeling has finished completely.Do not let anyone else touch it
Including pets. Especially pets.
Call the shop and a doctor
Warning signs.
- Redness that keeps spreading outward after day three instead of settling
- Red streaks running away from the tattoo
- Heat, hardness or swelling that is getting worse rather than better
- Thick, coloured or foul-smelling discharge — plasma is clear and thin, pus is not
- Fever, chills or feeling generally unwell after a session
- A rash, blistering or intense itching that appears after a bandage or product change
- Pain that increases after day three rather than decreasing
What to have at home
Supplies.
- Fragrance-free liquid soap
- Antibacterial not required. Unscented is.
- Fragrance-free aftercare ointment
- Days 1–4 only, applied thin.
- Fragrance-free lotion
- Day 4 onward, until the peeling is finished.
- Clean paper towels
- One per wash. Never a cloth towel.
- Loose clothing
- Over the placement for the first two weeks.
- Broad-spectrum sunscreen
- Once healed, for the life of the piece.
Questions