Choice of:

• One Hour of Tattooing
• Two Hours of Tattooing

Tattoo Aftercare: Protecting Your New Canvas

How you care for a new tattoo within the first few days can mean the difference between your body art properly healing and it coming to life as a cartoon. Though you should always follow the advice your specific artist gives you, here is a rundown of what to expect:

The First Day

• Keep the bandage on. Wearing gauze on your arm isn’t just the first step to looking cool—it’s there to keep bacteria out. Keep it on for at least two hours, or overnight if you got your tattoo in the evening.
• Keep it clean. Using clean hands, gently cleanse your tattoo with soap and water. Showering isn’t recommended for the first 48 hours—too much water can over-saturate the ink—but it might be the easiest way to clean a tattoo on some body areas.
• Use hot water. Tattoo expert John Reardon recommends gradually increasing the temperature of the water, as the heat will open up the pores to make the tattoo easier to clean and reduce irritation.

Day Two and Onward

• Moisturize. To heal properly and prevent scabbing, your tattoo has to stay moist. Using whatever moisturizer your artist recommends, reapply lotion or ointment every few hours for several days or as long as your tattoo needs it.
• Skip the gym. Working out causes a lot of irritation, and the sweat can make healing difficult.
• Don’t go swimming. Just like a shower, a pool can cause the ink to leach from the skin. The chlorine also reacts badly with tattoos, causing skin irritation. In fact, you’ll also want to avoid the sun for a few days. Besides drying out your skin, the rays can cause tattoo ink to fade.