Aftercare
After the blood, sweat and tears you and your artist have put into your new tattoo, it makes sense to look after it properly.
Here's how.
Things to avoid
Throughout the full TWO WEEKS of healing, avoid:
✥ direct sunlight
✥ tanning beds
✥ soaking tattoo under water in pools/baths/wild swimming etc.
✥ picking flaky skin/scabs
✥ exercise/heavy sweating
✥ getting it dirty, letting your dog lick it etc.
✥ applying anything containing chemicals, sun cream, fake tan etc.
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Always consult your tattoo artist if you thinks your tattoo might be infected. Signs of infection are listed further down.
When you get home:
1. Remove clingfilm.
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2. With clean hands, wash tattoo with the Butterluxe soap bar provided in your aftercare pack (or any fragrance-free antibacterial soap), lukewarm/cool showers are fine, don’t soak in a bath, and pat dry with kitchen roll (regular towels leave fibres on your fresh tattoo.)
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3. Apply a thin layer of Butterluxe aftercare cream provided in your aftercare pack (or any fragrance free, natural body lotion, such as palmers cocoa butter.) If your tattoo is large, has heavy black or colour work, I advise not moisturising immediately and waiting until morning to moisturise (as your tattoo will likely be weeping plasma so you don’t need to add to the moisture at this point.
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4. Do not re-clingfilm your tattoo. (If you want to, cover your new tattoo the first night with clean clothing to avoid ink/plasma getting on your bedsheets)
5. Relax, eat and sleep.
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Days 1 to 3 - Clean and apply cream to your tattoo twice a day. At this stage your tattoo is most vulnerable to infection so ensure to keep it clean, don’t sweat excessively or get it dirty. Redness is normal at this stage, your skin may feel tender and may even be swollen. As long as you’re keeping it clean you shouldn’t have any problems.
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Days 4 to 14 - Continue to clean and apply cream to your tattoo twice a day. At this point your tattoo will start drying out, with skin starting to flake off. This is normal and a good sign of successful healing. Do not scratch or pick at your new tattoo. If you’re noticing scabs forming, this usually means your tattoo is getting dry and/or irritated by clothing. Apply cream more frequently throughout the day, still in thin layers. Do not pick the scabs.
Example of normal peeling on heavy black areas.
Signs of infection
Signs a wound has become infected include:
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✥ Increasing swelling, redness and pain
✥ Pus forming in or around the wound
✥ Feeling generally unwell
✥ A high temperature (fever) of 38C (100.4F) or above
✥ Swollen glands under the chin or in the neck, armpits or groin
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If you suspect your tattoo might be infected, continue cleaning your tattoo, stop moisturising and contact your tattoo artist as soon as you can.