TATTOO AFTERCARE AND INFORMATION
Care instructions:
Your tattoo has been wrapped with ointment, a bandage and/or plastic wrap:
Leave wrap on for instructed amount of time, usually at least 2 hours or until you can get to a place where you can wash it.
Wash tattoo with warm water and LIQUID unscented hand soap such as soft-soap or dial.
Rinse soap completely off, making sure all topical plasma or any sort of seeping, shiny spots, build up of ink, or anything that isn’t your natural skin texture is completely washed off.
Only use your fingers/ hands to wash your tattoo, making sure they’re clean before washing your tattoo. Do NOT let tattoo soak in a body of water, bath, ocean, lake, river, pool, ect. Running water is fine. Avoid sun exposure on tattoo for at least 2 weeks.
Air dry your tattoo or pat gently with a clean, fresh paper towel. Air drying is preferred. If you have pets, please clean your sheets before sleeping in them with a fresh tattoo to avoid risk of infection.
If needed (tattoo feels dry and tight) apply small amount of unscented white lotion (NO OINTMENTS) to tattoo area. Make sure to rub lotion into the tattoo completely with clean dry hands. Do not apply so much lotion that your tattoo is soaking in it.
Repeat steps 2 through 5 at least 3 times daily for around 14 days. Wear soft non abrasive clothing over tattoo if needed.
On the 4th to 6th day after the tattoo application, your tattoo will start to peel and flake (kind of like a sunburn) do NOT pick, peel or scratch at you tattoo. Don’t apply too much lotion at this time or some flakes might get soggy and scab. In case of scabbing (rough thick hard pieces) apply topical vitamin E oil to area until healed.
Your tattoo should be completely healed in 2 weeks to 1 month as long as all the instructions above are followed.
Infections are rare and are not caused by application of the tattoo, but by the aftercare procedures. Sign of infection are:
fever
waves of heat and cold
abnormal shivering
swelling of the tattooed area
pus coming out of the area
red lesions around the area
red streaking from the area
areas of hard, raised tissue
Redness, swelling and irritation are common after tattoo application and should go away in a few days, these are not signs of infection.
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Your tattoo has Saniderm on it (adhesive, stick on plastic-like bandage)
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The ideal amount of time to leave this bandage on is around 6 to 7 days.
Plasma, blood and/or ink will potentially build up under bandage, this is normal.
If any liquid leaks out of the bandage onto your skin and the bandage remains compromised (it continues to leak or is now loose on the skin) you must remove bandage. Also if any part of the tattoo becomes exposed to the air in any way, you must remove bandage.
Although this bandage IS waterproof, if water from showering enters the bandage and is in contact with your tattoo, you must remove bandage. Even though this is waterproof, you must still avoid soaking in bodies of water like baths, rivers, oceans, lakes ect.
If and when you remove the bandage, remove it under running water to ease the removal, using unscented liquid antibacterial hand soap to wash it immediately after.
If bandage was removed before 6 to 7 days follow first set of instruction listed above.
After removal continue to wash tattoo 3 times daily and apply lotion when needed. All product information is listed in first set of instructions.
If redness, irritation, pain or bumps occur around the shape of the bandage, you might be having a slight allergic reaction. Remove bandage immediately and wash with very warm water and antibacterial hand soap and the irritation should go away within a couple hours. If irritation persists, consult your tattoo artist immediately.
If adhesive residue remains on the tattoo area after removing the Saniderm, use dish soap or some sort of body or cooking oil and gently rub over affected areas until removed.
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ATTN: Aftercare procedures are the sole responsibility of the clients. After each tattoo procedure, all artists follow up with complete verbal and/or written/dowloaded aftercare instructions. If these instructions are not followed and it results in scarring, color abnormalities, or any other issues with healing it is NOT the responsibility of the artists or shop. Each artist is usually willing to touch up tattoos, but if the inconsistencies are the fault of the client and are consistently problematic, Wholehearted tattoo and any of the artists working out of the shop have the right to refuse any future service to any individual.