Aftercare

Tattoo Aftercare

Your tattoo will heal best if you keep it simple: keep it clean, keep it lightly moisturized, and leave it alone.

If you have any concerns, or something does not look right, reach out to me through the contact page or call Remington Tattoo. Do not try to fix it yourself with extra products.

The first few hours

If I covered your tattoo with a bandage or wrap, leave it on until I tell you to take it off. Usually that is a few hours for a standard bandage.

If I used a second skin film, leave it on for 3 to 5 days unless it leaks, lifts a lot, or fills with a lot of fluid. If that happens, take it off, wash gently, and switch to the regular wash and moisturize routine below. Do not reapply a new film unless I tell you to.

When you take the bandage off, wash your hands first, then wash the tattoo gently with lukewarm water and a mild, fragrance free soap. Pat dry with a clean paper towel. Do not scrub, do not use a washcloth, and do not let the shower hit it directly for a long time.

Days 1 to 3

Wash 2 times a day, morning and night, with lukewarm water and mild, fragrance free soap. Pat dry.

Apply a very thin layer of fragrance free, dye free lotion or tattoo aftercare ointment. Thin is key. You want the skin to breathe. If it looks shiny or greasy, you used too much. Blot the extra off.

Wear loose, clean clothing over the tattoo when you can. Tight clothing, waistbands, and bra straps rubbing on a fresh tattoo will irritate it.

It is normal for it to be red, sore, warm, and a little swollen for the first couple of days, especially on larger pieces like sleeves and back pieces. It is also normal to see a little ink, blood, or plasma on your bandage or sheets the first night.

Days 4 to 14

Your tattoo will start to peel and flake, like a sunburn. This is normal. Do not pick, scratch, or pull the flakes off. Let them fall off on their own.

Keep washing 1 to 2 times a day and moisturizing with a thin layer. As it peels, it may look cloudy, dull, or patchy. That is the top layer healing. The color will settle as the skin finishes healing.

Itching is normal. Do not scratch. Pat it lightly, or put a clean, cool, damp paper towel on it for a minute.

Weeks 2 to 4

Most tattoos look healed on the surface by week 2, but the skin underneath is still healing. Keep it moisturized and keep following the do and do not list below until it feels completely normal.

Large scale Japanese work, sleeves, back pieces, and chest pieces, can take longer to feel fully settled, especially if we are working in sessions. That is normal.

Do

  • Wash with clean hands, lukewarm water, and mild fragrance free soap

  • Pat dry with a clean paper towel

  • Use a thin layer of fragrance free lotion

  • Wear loose, clean clothing

  • Sleep on clean sheets, and try not to sleep directly on a fresh tattoo if you can avoid it

  • Let scabs and flakes fall off on their own

Do not

  • Do not pick, scratch, or peel your tattoo

  • Do not soak it. No baths, hot tubs, pools, ocean, or lakes for at least 2 weeks, or until it is fully healed

  • Do not go to the gym and soak it in sweat for the first few days, and do not let gym equipment rub on it

  • Do not put Neosporin, Vaseline, coconut oil, or scented lotion on it

  • Do not cover it with plastic wrap after the first bandage, unless I tell you to

  • Do not expose it to direct sun while it is healing

Sun, beach, and San Diego life

Once your tattoo is fully healed, sunscreen is your best friend. Japanese tattoos, especially color work, will fade faster with a lot of sun.

While it is healing, keep it covered with loose clothing if you are outside. No beach, no pool, no hot tub until it is fully healed, even if it looks healed on the surface. Salt water and chlorine are not your friend during healing.

What is normal, and what is not

Normal: redness and swelling for a couple of days, light peeling, itching, a cloudy look while it heals, and some ink on your sheets the first night.

Contact me, or see a doctor, if you have: spreading redness, increasing pain after the first few days, heat that gets worse, pus, red streaks, fever, or swelling that does not go down. Do not wait it out if you are worried.

Touch ups

Small touch ups are part of tattooing, especially on hands, feet, elbows, and other high movement areas. If you think you need a touch up, wait until the tattoo is fully healed, then send me a clear photo in good light through the contact page. We will look at it together and decide if it needs one.

Still have questions?

Send me a message through the contact page with a photo and a short description of what is going on. If it is urgent, call Remington Tattoo Parlor in North Park.

Remington Tattoo Parlor
3009 Myrtle Ave, San Diego, CA 92104