Aftercare
DO NOT:
Swim/soak your tattoo for 3-4 weeks after the appointment.
Why? You can cause the tattoo to not properly produce and maintain a healthy white blood count. Leaving a longer healing time and increases your risk for infections and complications. Swimming/soaking can cause ink to reject and bacteria to spread. This means no baths, chlorinated pools, lake or ocean swimming!
Have direct sunlight on your tattoo for AT LEAST 2 weeks.
Why? You can cause ink rejection, premature fading, and discoloration. You are also creating a higher risk for melanoma (skin cancer).
Itch/scratch your tattoo.
Why? You can be picking out the unhealed ink sections and cause scarring and/or keloids that may not be able to be fixed. You can cause muscle and nerve damage as well. You can cause premature fading and a longer healing time because the wounds aren’t able to heal.
Use scented products on the tattoo until fully healed.
Why? Scented lotions and soaps have lab made chemicals that can enter your bloodstream and be cancer causing, infection causing and in some causes require emergency visits to the ER. Scented products most commonly don’t properly clean or heal an open wound and will cause a longer healing time and even infections.
Pick at the tattoo.
Why? You are not just picking at your skin you’re picking at the unhealed ink sections. Picking at these can cause them to reject and leave sections of the tattoo missing and scarred. In some cases nerve damage can occur and the tattoo cannot be fixed.
Wash it with hand/body towels.
Why? Fabric and reusable towels hold millions of bacteria and even mold in worse cases. Towels also have micro fibers that can get stuck in the healing tattoo. Putting these on a fresh tattoo can cause serious complications. Alongside that, you’re transferring blood, plasma, and other possible bloodborne diseases to a towel! Only use disposable paper towels or clean hands and the air dry method.
Touch your tattoo with unwashed hands.
Why? Your hands can be covered in dirt, bacteria, and even bloodborne diseases. Applying lotion or soap or even touching your open wound tattoo can cause serious risks, infections, and even diseases. Just wash your hands (with an unscented soap)!
Neglect of the healing process will change Belle touch up policy.
Neglect of the healing process will show in the healed tattoo and can even cause infection.
Please consult Belle if you fear a reaction/infection is occurring. Send a photo to either @Bobboinks on Instagram or bobboinksbooking@gmail..com
*These apply for every wrap method*
Please scroll to find your wrap/covering method.
Saniderm/Recovery Derm:
“Ink sacks” are common and encouraged in the healing process, especially with full color or full black and grey tattoos. Do not pop these. An “ink sack” is a build up of ink and plasma sitting between your skin and the saniderm.
Plasma is your body’s white blood cells, it is the key to healing tattoos!
Leave on for 3-4 days unless;
Water pools inside the adhesive (you can shower with this wrap on).
Large amount of ink/plasma start to leak out. Just a little leakage is fine.
Edges peel to expose any part of the tattoo. Make a judgement call, if you think bacteria could get inside take it off.
*If you must remove the adhesive within the first 6 hours please do the following:
-Gently remove the wrap underwater or in the shower.
-Clean the tattoo with paper towels and unscented soap.
-Re-wrap the tattoo with saran wrap and apply medical tape/self-adhesive tape along the edges.
-Remove the saran wrap in the morning, clean with paper towels and unscented soap and leave unwrapped.
-Wear loose fitted clothes.
Removing the Saniderm;
Remove in the shower or under hot/warm water. Water should not be overly hot, keep it to the warm side to not risk the adhesive melting.
Roll the adhesive off rather than pulling/ripping it off. Be gentle - your skin is already irritated from the tattoo process and does not need to be irritated more.
Cleaning the tattoo;
After removing adhesive, clean the tattoo with warm/hot water, paper towels (no cloth towels, they carry micro fibers and bacteria that can cause infection), and unscented soap (scented soaps have unnatural chemicals that can prolong the healing process and cause infection).
Belles recommended unscented soaps: Aveeno Baby Soap, Gold Dial Pump Soap, Dr.Bronners Baby Soap, Plain Dove Bar Soap. All these can be found at most Targets, Walmarts, and Walgreens. Each soap is link with a price from Target.
Leave tattoo unwrapped.
Wash 2-3 times a day, or whenever you feel sweaty/dirty for one week after removing adhesive.
Applying lotion;
Apply unscented all natural lotion only. No Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Old Spice…ect.
Belles recommended unscented lotions: Aveeno Baby Eczema Lotion, Aquaphor, Lubriderm. All these can be found at most Targets, Walmarts, and Walgreens. Each lotion is link with a price from Target.
Only apply lotion when your tattoo gets to a dry/peeling stage. If your tattoo is not dry do not apply lotion, your body is naturally healing the tattoo. Some tattoos do not need lotion until day 7+.
Only apply a small amount of lotion/ointment to the tattoo. Larger tattoos will require more lotion but use it sparingly. Do not smother your tattoo. Smothering leads to clogged pores and a lack of oxygen to your white blood cells that heal the tattoo.
Saran Wrap/ Meat Pads:
Day 1-2;
Leave the wrap/pads on overnight. (If leakage is occurring or the bandage is falling off remove the bandage before going to bed, thoroughly wash the tattoo, leave it dry (no lotion) and re-wrap in saran wrap well before going to bed.)
In the morning remove the coverings and clean with warm/hot water, paper towels, and unscented soap (recommended soaps listed above under Saniderm method).
Keep your tattoo unwrapped and dry. Wear loose fitted clothes around the tattoo.
Cleaning the tattoo;
Clean the tattoo with warm/hot water, paper towels (no cloth towels, they carry micro fibers and bacteria that can cause infection), and unscented soap (scented soaps have unnatural chemicals that can prolong the healing process and cause infection).
Wash 2-3 times a day, or whenever you feel sweaty/dirty for 7-9 days after removing coverings.
Applying lotion;
Apply unscented all natural lotion only. No Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, Old Spice…ect.
Belles recommended lotions are listed above under the “Saniderm” aftercare.
Only apply lotion when your tattoo gets to a dry/peeling stage. If your tattoo is not dry do not apply lotion, your body is naturally healing the tattoo.
Only apply a small portion of lotion/ointment to the tattoo. Larger tattoos will require more lotion but use it sparingly. Do not smother your tattoo. Smothering leads to clogged pores and a lack of oxygen to your white blood cells that heal the tattoo.
Tattoos are, on average, fully healed within 2.5-4 weeks when following instructions correctly.
Handpoked:
Ears-
Days 1-2;
Leave unwrapped and do not touch the area.
Use warm water soaked Q-tips to clean any plasma/blood off the ear every 2-4 hours if any appears. No soap is needed but can be used if unscented.
Do not sleep on the side that was tattooed. If both ears are tattooed try your best to sleep on your back/stomach.
Be cautious of hair. Do not let hair sit on your ear. Keep hair pinned/slicked away from your ear(s). Hair can get stuck to access plasma/blood that may seep and dry over a 24 hour period.
Days 3-7;
Leave the tattoo alone and keep clean.
Apply lotion only if dryness occurs, each person is different. Most people do not get dryness.
Non-Ears-
Days 1-2;
Leave the wrap/pads on overnight.
In the morning remove the coverings and clean with warm/hot water, paper towels, and unscented soap (recommended soaps listed above).
Keep your tattoo unwrapped and dry. Wear loose fitted clothes around the tattoo.
Days 3-7;
Leave the tattoo alone and keep it clean.
Apply lotion only if dryness occurs, each person is different. Slight to no dryness is common.
Handpoked tattoos heal faster than machine tattoos. Here’s why:
Machine tattoos create thousands and sometimes hundreds of thousands micro-wounds that your body has to heal. Handpoked tattoos only create maybe a hundred micro-wounds. Your white blood cells are able to heal less wounds lending to a shorted healing period.
Handpoked tattoos should be fully healed in 7-10 days.