Your tattoo will heal in about 2–4 weeks. How it heals depends on how you care for it — follow these steps closely and your ink will look its best for years.

The First Few Hours
- Leave the bandage or wrap on as long as your artist told you (usually 2–4 hours for a traditional bandage).
- Wash your hands before touching your tattoo.
- Remove the wrap and gently wash with lukewarm water and fragrance-free, antibacterial soap. Use your hands, not a washcloth.
- Pat dry with a clean paper towel (regular towels can harbor bacteria) and let it air dry for a few minutes.
- Apply a very thin layer of aftercare ointment (Aquaphor or a tattoo-specific balm). Thin is key — too much will suffocate the skin.

Days 1–7
- Wash 2–3 times a day with fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water, then pat dry.
- Keep a thin layer of ointment on for the first 3–4 days, then switch to a fragrance-free moisturizer.
- Wear loose, clean clothing over the area and keep your bedding clean.
- It's normal for the tattoo to feel tight, look shiny, or leak a little ink and plasma — that's part of the healing process.

Weeks 2–4
- Peeling and flaking is normal — do NOT pick, scratch, or peel the skin. Let it come off on its own.
- Keep moisturizing 2–3 times a day. The tattoo may look dull or cloudy while the top layer heals — that's normal and it will clear.
- Itching is normal. Pat or slap it lightly — never scratch.

What to Avoid
- No soaking: avoid baths, pools, hot tubs, saunas, and the ocean until fully healed (2–4 weeks). Quick showers are fine.
- No direct sun or tanning beds on a healing tattoo. Once healed, always use SPF 30+ sunscreen — the sun fades tattoos fast.
- Skip sweaty gym workouts for the first few days; sweat and shared equipment raise infection risk.
- Don't pick scabs or peel flaking skin — you'll pull ink out with it.
- Avoid scented lotions, petroleum-heavy products, and alcohol-based products on the tattoo.

When to Call Us
Contact your artist — or a doctor — if you notice: spreading redness, swelling, or heat around the tattoo, pus, red streaks, or fever. These can be signs of infection.

Questions about your healing tattoo? Reach out through our Contact page — we're happy to help.