TATTOO AFTERCARE
**For adhesive bandages like saniderm, dermshield, etc:**
Leave the adhesive bandage on for 2-3 days if possible. If it starts peeling back close to the tattoo, leaking plasma out of the bandage, or begins to irritate your skin around the edges of the bandage, you’ll want to take it off early. When you do take it off, make sure you have clean hands, and doing it under running warm water will help with the adhesion. Wash the tattoo with a mild, unscented soap, with your clean hands (not a wash cloth). Rinse with cool water, and then pat it dry with a paper towel or freshly cleaned towel.
If it’s been three days, you can go ahead and put a little bit of lotion on it and then just keep it clean (wash once a day) and apply a thin layer of lotion until the tattoo is fully healed. It can be easy to overdo the lotion, so just use a little bit!
If it's been less than three days, you'll want to wash the tattoo three times per day for the first three days of healing, and put a small amount of ointment (like A&D ointment or Aquaphor) on the tattoo after each wash.
Keep the tattoo out of the sun and don’t take a bath, swim, or go in a sauna until the tattoo is fully healed (usually around 3-4 weeks).
**For non-adhesive bandages:**
Leave the bandage on for up to 8 hours. Make sure you have clean hands when you take it off, then wash the tattoo with a mild, unscented soap, with your clean hands (not a wash cloth). Rinse with cool water, and then pat it dry with a paper towel or freshly cleaned towel.
For the first three days, you'll want to wash the tattoo three times per day, and whenever your tattoo gets visibly dirty. Put a small amount of ointment (like A&D ointment or Aquaphor -this product is not vegan-) on the tattoo after each wash.
After the first three days, you can switch over to a mild, unscented lotion instead of the ointment, and you can go down to washing it just twice a day for a couple of days, and then once a day until the tattoo is fully healed.
Keep the tattoo out of the sun and don’t take a bath, swim, or go in a sauna until the tattoo is fully healed (usually around 3-4 weeks).