After the Tattoo

Now what, what’s next: tattoo after care, healing and touch up.

After the tattoo appointment.

Our trained and licensed tattoo artists take every precaution to prevent infection. Contact the tattoo artist who did your tattoo if you have concerns during your healing process. See below for full aftercare instructions.

If you do not take proper care of your tattoo after leaving our tattoo shop, it can easily become irritated. Your tattoo is an open wound, keep it clean! An actual infection or allergic reaction is very rare. Scabbing, flaking, peeling, dryness and a hazy appearance are all natural parts of the healing process.

For the best outcome, keep your new tattoo out of the sun until it is healed, and then use sunscreen. Any form of tanning can damage and fade your tattoo. Don’t soak your tattoo in any water and keep it clean from sweat, dirt and pet dander while it’s healing. Absolutely no sauna’s!

Your aftercare affects the healing process and quality of your tattoo. Make sure to plan appropriate down/healing time after your tattoo. After 3-4 weeks it should be ok to resume your normal activities and continue working on a multiple session tattoo or get a touch up, if needed.

What not to do:

Don’t use bar soaps when washing the tattoo, they hold on to bacteria.
Don’t use aloe, neosporin, bacitracin, aquifor or A&D ointment on your new tattoo.
Don’t pick or scratch at your tattoo, it will itch, picking at it can ruin your tattoo.
Don’t submerge your new tattoo under water. Showers are fine, no pools, rivers, baths, etc. until healed.
Don’t let your tattoo bake in the sun! Keep it covered while it is healing.
No sauna or tanning for at least three weeks.
Avoid tight clothing, pet dander, scented soaps and lotion.

Tattoo Aftercare Bag

We have an aftercare bag available for purchase in the tattoo shop with researched, recommended and tested products (in earth friendly packaging) so you can leave with everything you need to properly care for your new tattoo. Ask your tattoo artist for details.

After Tattoo Care Instructions (English & Spanish)

For Regular (plastic wrapped):

Listen to your tattoo artists instructions. It can vary depending on the tattoos location or personal experience.
Leave bandage on for 2-3 HOURS. Do not re-bandage (cover) your tattoo!
Wash hands thoroughly before touching your tattoo.
Carefully take off bandage and gently wash the tattoo.
Gently pat dry the tattoo with a CLEAN towel or let it air dry.
After 24 hours start to apply a clean (new), unscented, uncolored, hypoallergenic salve/lotion after washing. Less is more, spread thinly across whole tattoo.
Wash tattoo approx. 2-4 times a day (especially if it comes in contact with dirt, sweat or germs) for the first week or until it starts peeling (peeling is totally normal).
Use salve/lotion sparingly after washing (or when it itches, feels or looks dry), be mindful of over moisturizing.

For Self Adhering/adhesive Bandage (“recovery/2nd skin/saniderm”):

Listen to your tattoo artists instructions, it can vary depending on the tattoos location or personal experience.
Leave bandage on for 2-3 DAYS. A build up of fluids and ink can pool under the bandage and look weird but that is perfectly normal. If there is an excessive amount of liquid under the bandage, it’s best to remove. Do not re-bandage (cover) your tattoo!
Wash hands thoroughly before touching your tattoo.
Carefully take off bandage (in the shower with hot soapy water is recommended for removal of adhesive bandages) and gently wash the tattoo.
Gently pat dry the tattoo with a CLEAN towel or let it air dry.
Wash tattoo approximately 2-4 times a day (especially if it comes in contact with dirt, sweat or germs) for the first week or until it starts peeling (peeling is totally normal).
After washing apply a clean (new), unscented, uncolored, hypoallergenic salve/lotion. Less is more, spread thinly across whole tattoo.
Use salve/lotion sparingly after washing (or when it itches, feels or looks dry), be mindful of over moisturizing.

For Regular (envueltura plástica):

Escuche las instrucciones de su artista del tatuaje, las mismas podrían variar dependiendo de la ubicación del tatuaje o la experiencia personal.
Deje el vendaje puesto por 2-3 HORAS.
Lávese bien las manos antes de tocar su tatuaje.
Retire su vendaje con cuidado y suavemente lave el tatuaje.
Suavemente seque el tatuaje con una toalla LIMPIA o déjelo secar al aire (recomendado).
Después de 24 horas, comience a aplicar una loción hipoalergénica limpia (nueva), sin perfume, sin color. Menos es mejor, distribuya una capa fina por todo el tatuaje.
Use la loción en moderación después de lavar su tatuaje (o cuando le pique, se sienta o se vea seca la piel), tenga cuidado de hidratar la piel excesivamente.
Continúe lavando su tatuaje aprox. 2-4 veces al día (especialmente si entra en contacto con sucio, sudor o gérmenes) durante la primera semana o hasta que empiece a pelarse.

Para Vendaje Autoadherente (2da piel/saniderm):

Mantenga el vendaje durante 2-3 DÍAS.

Lávese bien las manos antes de tocar su tatuaje.
Retire el vendaje con cuidado (se recomienda que lo haga en la ducha para el vendaje 2nd Skin / Saniderm) y lave su tatuaje con cuidado.
Seque suavemente su tatuaje con una toalla LIMPIA o déjelo secar al aire (recomendado).
Continúe lavando su tatuaje aproximadamente 2 a 4 veces al día (especialmente si entra en contacto con sucio, sudor o gérmenes) durante la primera semana o hasta que comience a pelarse.
Después del lavado, aplique una loción hipoalergénica limpia (nueva), sin perfume, sin color. Menos es mejor, distribuya una capa fina por todo el tatuaje.
Use la loción en moderación después de lavar su tatuaje (o cuando le pique, se sienta o se vea seca la piel), tenga cuidado de hidratar la piel excesivamente.

Tattoo touch up.

As your tattoo heals it may lose some ink, due to the natural way skin reacts or because of poor after care. Your tattoo must be completely healed before a touch up can be determined as needed (about 4 weeks). Not every tattoo needs a touch up. If you are not sure if one is needed, ask the tattoo artist who did the tattoo work.

If you do need a touch up and you cared for your tattoo properly and followed the after care instructions (above), the same tattoo artist who did your original work is happy to touch up your tattoo for free (once) within the first year.

Not every tattoo needs a touch up. It is generally your responsibility to contact the tattoo artist who did the work (or their scheduling person) to schedule a touch up.

What is not a “free touch up”- If you want a touch up by a different tattoo artist than who did the original tattoo, if it is after a year from the original tattoo or if you want to add new elements or new color to your tattoo, that is not a “free touch up” and you will need to pay the regular cost for tattoo work.

* There are no free touch up’s on hand tattoos. Compared to other parts of the body hands are washed and exposed to the elements more frequently, along with having lots of constantly moving parts. Hands also shed skin cells faster than other areas of the body. All of that causes the hands to be a very tough place to heal. Even in the best of circumstances hand tattoos may fall out (not stay) or not stay well and the ink tends to expand (bleed) under the thin skin of fingers and hands. We often see client expectations, not matching the results. Hand tattoos are an at your own risk type of situation, we will do them but we do not offer free touch up's on hand tattoos. They can be touched up and/or redone but at your own expense.

Free Touch Up:

Done by the same tattoo artist within a year of the original tattoo.
Generally takes 30 minutes or less on a small tattoo, max 2 hours on any tattoo (at the artists discretion).
Is only fixing faded lines or shading that had been there.

Not free- Touch Up:

The original tattoo was done by a different tattoo artist.
After a year from the tattoo appointment.
Any additional touch up’s after the first one.
Takes more than 2 hours (depending on the tattoo artist).
Adding more than the lines or shading that had already been there.
Adding any new color.
Hand tattoos.

Fully healed tattoo work by Tattoo 34 artists.

(These here and the ones above as well)

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