Good Aftercare is always important.
There 3 different methods of aftercare you can follow.
*All the methods require a strict hygiene routine*
Ensuring that your hands are washed/cleaned before washing the tattoo & applying balm is very important.
Do not use any old balm (pot/tub that has been opened for a while), as it may contain bacteria & remember do not share balms with others.
The 'Wet Healing' & Adhesive Film healing methods
are in the leaflet below:
If you'd like more info on any of the methods of healing there is more info further down the page.
Adhesive bandage: Or as I call it 'sticky film'
Yayo: How to apply Instructions.
We stock the film at the studio, but you can also purchase it Here. Please keep in mind that delivery can take a while.
Balm Method of Tattoo Healing:
Apply a perfume free moisturiser to the tattoo 3-4 times daily,
for 1-2 weeks.
Between all the artists here at Tengu, we personally use El Gato Negro, Coconut oil or Yayo which we stock at the studio.
1. After 2-4 hours of the dressing going on at the studio, making sure your hands are clean remove it.
If the tape is very sticky, soak it in water and leave for a minute or two
and then peel off. Don't ever rip it off.
*It's worth noting, that if you're washing the tattoo in the shower and you are showering the rest of you, washing your hair etc. do all that first. Then lastly wash the tattoo, using the instructions below as a guide. This way it ensure any contaminants (shampoo/soap/bacteria/dirt etc) are all thoroughly washed off the tattoo.*
2. Rinse the tattoo in gently flowing warm water, best to wash in the shower, not in the bath.
3. Then making sure your hands are clean, using a perfume free soap, ideally antibacterial soap, Hibiscrub is a strong antibacterial, antifungal etc soap and highly recommended for people who have manual jobs.
Give the tattoo a thorough but gentle wash. You might need to do this a couple of times as you need to make sure to clean off all fluid (blood plasma and ink)
Where possible, please use either a shower gel or soap that is in a bottle, Not a bar of soap.
If you can only use a bar of soap, please use a new bar and keep store it somewhere clean
and only use it for the tattoo until it has healed.
4. With gently flowing warm water rinse the tattoo, ensuring to clean off all traces of soap and fluids from the tattoo.
5. Air dry the tattoo. You can towel dry the rest of you. but it's best to air dry the tattoo.
It reduces the chance of cross contamination from towels/tissue etc, it also prevents aggravating the tattoo too.
6. Once the tattoo is dry, with clean hands if possible use a clean spoon to take around a pea sized amount of balm from the pot.
If you need more balm, please use another clean spoon to get more balm from the pot. This helps prevent cross contamination from 'double dipping' in the pot.
If you don't have access to clean spoons you need to ensure you use clean hands to get balm out of the pot. If you need more balm, you need to use another clean finger to get more balm out of the pot.
Do not 'double dip'.
7. Make sure to wear clean & loose fitting clothes.
On the subject of clothes best not wear any of your best clothes or put down your best bedding for a few days as the tattoo will produce some fluid within 24-48 hours (it's blood plasma & ink)
It is important to wash the tattoo at least 2-3 times a day until the scabs/flakes naturally fall off. Never pick the scabs!
Like any wound, the tattoo will develop a scab. If picked/agitated enough it will become an open wound again & will become susceptible to infection.
It also pulls the ink out & will require a touch-up.
So as tempting as it is, please do not pick your tattoo.
*Common sense is essential, do not touch or let anything touch your tattoo that isn't clean.
Do not let other people touch your tattoo whilst healing unless they're helping care for it and have clean hands. Don't let dust, dirt, pet fur etc come in contact with the tattoo whilst healing.*
If you are concerned your tattoo is not healing correctly, using Hibiscrub to clean it is the first step you can take at home. Then you will need to contact your GP.
They will put you on a course of antibiotics even just as a precaution.
As Tattoo Artists we can instruct you how to safely & successfully heal your tattoo.
If it is not healing correctly we can only instruct you to contact your GP. We can not prescribe antibiotics or provide medical advice.
But please do notify your tattoo artist, as future sessions may need to be rescheduled to allow for a longer healing time