Aftercare — BJ Ford Tattoo

Tattoo artist working at Cloak and Dagger Tattoo in London, UK specializing in traditional style tattoos.

LOOKING AFTER YOUR TATTOO

Your new tattoo is essentially a wound, and should be treated with care. Here is a step-by-step guide to looking after your tattoo:

Leave the protective cover on your tattoo for roughly 4 to 5 hours. It is normal for the tattoo to weep or bleed underneath the cover.
Remove the wrap. The easiest way to do this is in the shower - the water will soften the micropore tape, making it easier to peel off. Dispose of the used wrapping.
Clean your tattoo. You can use some gentle antibacterial soap to do this, or alternatively just warm water will work fine. Avoid using fragranced soap.
Dry your tattoo. Pat (don’t wipe) the tattoo dry using a clean towel or paper towel. After this, leave the tattoo to air dry.
Leave your tattoo to heal naturally. Your tattoo is a wound, so you should treat it like one. Keep it clean, don’t pick at it, leave it alone! Your body will do the work.

Cream or moisturiser is not necessary to heal a tattoo. The purpose of using this is to relieve the dry, itchy and tight feeling of the healing tattoo. If you want to moisturise, I would recommend waiting around 4 or 5 days. This is to avoid the potential of introducing dirt or bacteria to the healing tattoo. You can use an unscented moisturiser like cocoa butter or coconut oil.

Your tattoo should take roughly 3 to 4 weeks to heal (although this can vary). During that time you should avoid swimming, bathing, submerging your tattoo in water. Keep the tattoo out of the sun as much as possible while it is healing. You should not pick the scab. You can resume exercise after a day or two, but be gentle with the area of the tattoo, and make sure to keep it clean.

Occasionally tattoos may loose a bit of ink during the healing process. This can happen for a number of reasons, but it is very rare and can usually be fixed. If you have any trouble with the healing of your tattoo, or any other questions about the process, please don’t hesitate to email me and I’ll be happy to help!

bjfordtattoo@gmail.com