You did it! You got your new tattoo!
Step by step instructions are provided, but remember the overall goals. Keep your tattoo clean, keep it protected from dirt and sun, and don’t soak it in water or salve. Here we go.
- The saniderm is only as good as its seal. If the seal stays on properly and your skin agrees with it, please leave it on for up to 48 hours after your appointment.
- If your saniderm leaks, that’s okay don’t panic! Just take it off and clean it up following the instructions coming right up.
- If your skin reacts to the saniderm, you will know because the skin will be irritated in the shape of the saniderm, not the tattoo. The irritation can be difficult to tell apart because it most commonly will manifest as redness and tenderness, which will match what your tattoo is doing as it heals. If you’re not sure, just peel that sucker off and clean according to instructions. No stress.
- After 48 hours you’ll want to take the second skin off. Please do this under warm water, just because it feels bad if you try it dry, like a big ol’ bandaid, especially if it’s stuck to any body hair. In the shower is nice, less messy, but in the sink is good too.
- Now your tattoo is exposed, and you’ll want to wash it with soap that is unscented, and free from chemicals that can irritate the site. Remember, your tattoo is a wound. Please don’t put any lotions or oils on it that you wouldn’t on a cut or burn. Dr Bronner’s unscented liquid soap is a good option.
- When you dry your tattoo, please pat it dry. Rubbing can be a painful sensation. You’ll want to clean your tattoo about twice a day for the first week, once a day for the next week, and then as needed from there.
- If you find yourself excessively sweating, or if you accidentally got something yucky on your tattoo, please wash it promptly.
- Your tattoo is clean and dry, and now you want to put ointment on it. The ointment your artist uses is homemade and consists of beeswax and olive oil. Ointments with wax and oil bases are what she recommends, but A&D ointment and aquaphor are also completely acceptable.
- Please apply ointment twice a day for the first 5-7 days, and once a day for as long as needed but at least another week after that.
- The goal of ointment is to keep the tattoo moist and healthy as it heals. Normal parts of the healing process include some swelling and scabbing. Ointment serves to assist the scabs and sooth upset skin.
- You’ll want to avoid oversaturating the tattoo with ointment. If you oversaturate the ointment it soaks into the scab and creates an environment where the ink may heal more splotchy, and can trap bacteria close to the skin when our overall goal is to keep it clean.
Some normal things to expect during healing are: pain, some heat, swelling, scabbing, itchiness, excitement, doubt, anxiety, happiness, and regret. Some of these things are relatively easy to alleviate. Pain you know will come when you bump you tattoo against something, or if it’s exposed to the sun. We know that will pass and how to avoid it.
Swelling will go down, and when our tattoo is itchy or scabby we know we can apply a thin layer of ointment and wait for it to be over.
If you experience anxiety over your tattoo healing process, please email your artist and they will answer all questions, look at pictures with you, and if needed schedule another appointment if needed.
If you’re excited and happy about your tattoo, hooray! Tattoos are awesome, and so are you.
Sometimes folks do feel doubt or regret immediately following getting a new tattoo. While that’s never the goal, we would like to normalize it and acknowledge that for some people it’s not all burritos and strippers, my friend.
Some things you can do are to remember why you chose to get your tattoo in the first place, to try and notice where the doubt is coming from and if that doubt can live along with the parts of you that are still happy and excited about your tattoo. Giving yourself a few weeks/ months to adjust to your tattoo will also help you. Most of the time when people experience unease it’s because of the shock of newness of art to the body. Giving yourself time to breath and feel unsure without shame is the recommended way through.
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Thank you for coming to the Temple!