Aftercare

Tattoo Aftercare

Saniderm
  • The bandage you are wearing is a breathable, “water resistant”*** bandage. This wrap helps with less scabbing, quicker heal time, and a protective barrier from bacteria and other harmful substances. The one we apply here in the studio you wear for 48 hours.
  • When taking off the wrap, water will help it be removed. Once removed, wash with a pump anti-bacterial soap such as Soft Soap Clear brand or Dial Gold. You want an anti-bacterial that is fragrance and dye free. Rinse all the soap off and let the tattoo and skin around the tattoo dry for about 15 mins (either air dry or pat dry with clean paper towel). After this, start regular aftercare (steps provided below with standard aftercare without Saniderm).
  • ***Water resistant means that a light amount of water won’t affect the bandage being removed prematurely, such as walking around, routine showers, etc. However, if the bandage is soaking in water for extended periods of time, the adhesive wears down. When showering, turn away from the running water where the tattoo is located to help keep the bandage on longer.

Allergy alert: If your skin gets really beat red or develops a rash around the bandage, take of the Sainderm wrap early or do not reapply wrap. This is very rare but can happen. With this, the tattoo will heal, just follow standard aftercare. If you have any questions, please reach out to the studio or your artist.

Aftercare
  • After 2 hours (except for saniderm wraps), take off the cling wrap and wash off with pump (NOT BAR) anti-bacterial, fragrance free, and dye free soap. We recommend Soft Soap Clear or Dial Gold brands. Wash hands first before washing off your tattoo. Reminder, it is still a fresh wound and needs to be touched only when necessary and with clean hands. Wash tattoo off with the antibacterial pump soap and rinse thoroughly. There should be no soap residue or adhesive left.
  • If adhesive is still stuck to skin, use light amount of coconut oil on the area. It’ll help get it off your skin. After the adhesive is off, wash tattoo with the pump anti-bacterial fragrance and dye free soap to remove bacteria and oil off your skin.
  • Let fully dry (either air dry for about 15 mins or pat dry with clean paper towel).
    Apply very light amount of aftercare ointment to your tattoo, either aquaphor or aquatat (we sell in the studio). LITTLE BIT GOES A LONG WAY! Do not apply too much. It’ll clog up your pores and not let your tattoo breathe (necessary for proper tattoo healing). Also, only apply to dry tattoos! If the tattoo is still damp when applying the aftercare ointment, it can trap moisture in your tattoo and make the tattoo not heal well, making it sticky.
  • Do this 2-3 times a day for the first week. Morning and night are the most important times to do this! We don’t always know what we touch throughout the day or bump into. Keep your tattoo clean!
  • After 1 week of using the aquatat or aquaphor, switch to unscented/fragrance free, dye free lotion, such as Lubriderm, Aveeno, or Eucerin. Do not use perfumed lotions. This will irritate your fresh tattoo and could cause an infection. Continue to lotion your tattoo lightly throughout til the end of the month. Again, little goes a long way. Wash each time before applying a new layer of lotion. You want to get the bacteria off your skin to keep you tattoo safe, clean, and healthy!
What to avoid

PLEASE BE SURE TO ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS BEFORE HANDLING YOUR TATTOO!!!

  • No swimming!
  • No tanning!
  • No submerged baths. These all have a bountiful amount of bacteria that can be harmful to your tattoo and could cause an infection.
  • Do not wash your tattoo off with Luffas, wash cloths, or towels. All these trap bacteria and will get into your fresh tattoo. These too can cause infections.
  • This is a great time to wash all towels and bedding to get off bacteria, dander, pet hair, etc.
  • After your tattoo is healed completely and you desire to go tanning or swimming, just put a little sunscreen on your healed tattoo. This will help protect it from the sun’s harmful rays and will help the longevity of your tattoo.
  • Avoid tight clothing on your tattoo. It is a fresh wound. The tight clothing will rub on and irritate your tattoo. It can also pull out scabs and ink out prematurely. Loose clothing or no clothing on your tattoo is necessary for your tattoo to heal properly.
  • DO NOT pull, pick, or scratch at your tattoo or scabbing. The scabs will fall off naturally. Otherwise, you can pull out ink from your tattoo and won’t heal properly.

Biggest tip: just me mindful with your new tattoo and keep it clean! That is the most important part to have your tattoo staying healthy and heal properly! 🙂

Piercing Aftercare

  • Use sterile saline (with no additives) or Steri-Wash piercing aftercare to clean your piercing.
  • Apply your cleaning solution to a Q-tip or gauze pad and gently clean around your piercing, along with the jewelry, 3-4 times a day. Gently pat with clean disposable paper towel to dry.
Normal healing worries:
  • Initially some bleeding, tenderness, bruising, and swelling in the area is normal for any piercing.
  • During your healing you can experience some discoloration (redness), discharge of whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) this will form crust around your body jewelry.
  • Be patient with your healing progress. Even if the piercing seems healed on the outside, the inside can take more time to heal.
Avoid:
  • Touching your piercing, unless you are cleaning it.
  • Do not apply hydrogen peroxide, alcohol or dial soap. These can cause unnecessary irritation to your piercing and prolong your healing.
  • Do not submerge your piercing in water such as pools, baths, hot tubs, etc.
  • Avoid any recreational drug use (oral and nostril piercings) such as nicotine, caffeine, salty foods. These can cause your piercing to take longer to heal.

Always WASH your hands thoroughly before cleaning your piercing!

Oral Piercing Aftercare:

Things to use for healthy healing of your piercing includes antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth wash.

Rinse your mouth with cleaning solution for about 30 seconds after you eat, smoke, or drink anything besides water, and also before bed. Rinsing about 4-5 times a day. Continue cleaning through the healing period. Cleaning too often or with strong rinse can cause discoloration and irritation to your mouth and piercing.

Lip Piercings:

Rinse the inside of your piercing with mouth wash. WASH your hands thoroughly before touching your piercing! Apply your cleaning solution to a Q-tip and gently clean around your piercing, along with the jewelry. Clean your piercing 3-4 times a day. To dry your piercing, gently pat with clean, disposable paper towel. Cloth can harbor bacteria and can snag your body jewelry causing irritation.

Normal healing worries:

Initially some bleeding, tenderness, bruising, and swelling in the area is normal for any piercing.

During your healing you can experience some discoloration (redness), discharge of whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) the will form crustiest around your body jewelry. Make sure to keep clean!

Be patient with your healing progress. Even if the piercing seems healed on the outside, the inside can take more time to heal.

Things that can help soreness and swelling include a small piece of ice to rest in your mouth, avoid excessive talking, taking over the counter, anti-inflammatory such as naproxen and ibuprofen.

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