Essential Care for a Perfect Tattoo

Essential guide to avoid infections, keloids, fading, and deformations

You don't want your new tattoo getting infected or faded, or maybe your black tattoos turning green with blown out lines, do you? To avoid these and other problems, it's crucial that you follow all the recommendations listed below:

Pre-Tattoo Care

Pre-tattoo care can begin about 1 week (or more) before your session, ensuring better pigmentation, greater skin and body resistance, a better healing process, and higher quality/durability of the final art:

• Moisturize the skin daily on the placement where you'll be getting your tattoo.

• Drink plenty of water and maintain a healthy and balanced diet.

• Avoid consuming alcoholic beverages and other drugs at least 48 hours before tattooing.

• Avoid sunburn in the area to be tattooed.

• Do not use anesthetics, analgesics, or ointments from 48 hours before tattooing.

• On the day of your session, go to the studio wearing light and comfortable clothing that does not squeeze the area to be tattooed.

• Make sure to eat well before your session. You should never go to a tattoo session without eating within the prior three hours, to guarantee that your body will endure the pain properly.

Post-Tattoo Care

Post-tattoo care is crucial not only to avoid infections and keloids, but also to keep the colors vibrant and the lines thin, ensuring greater durability of the artwork.

Aftercare during healing:

The healing process lasts from 15 days to 2 months. During this period, it is necessary to follow all the following recommendations:

• Do NOT expose your new tattoo to the sun until it's 100% healed.

• Do NOT immerse your tattoo in water (unless for showers and tattoo cleaning). So NO ocean, rivers, swimming pools, waterfalls, saunas or bathtubs until the tattoo is 100% healed.

• Do NOT consume alcoholic beverages in the first 48 hours after getting your tattoo.

• Avoid very hot water during the showers.

• Avoid physical exercise, as intense movement and sweat affect the pigment fixation.

• During the first 24 hours, the tattoo should be protected by the second skin, applied after your session. After this period, you should gently remove it and wash the area with a mild, neutral, or pH-balanced liquid soap, using your clean hands gently. Then, dry the area with paper towel (or a super clean cloth towel).

  • Note: Do NOT apply any cream, oil or ointment in the first 3 days

• After removing the second skin, you'll be cleaning your tattoo twice a day, as mentioned above.

• From the fourth day you'll start moisturizing your skin every time after cleaning (also twice a day), with ointments specific for tattoo. You'll apply only a thin layer, not more than 3 times a day.

  • Notes:

    • Do NOT apply sunscreen, body lotions, conventional healing ointments (like  Bepanthen) or antibiotic ointments (such as Nebacetin) during the healing process.

    • Recently, Bepanthen has launched a new line specific for tattoos (Bepanthen Tattoo), with ointments and cleansing gels. It works great for the tattoo healing process and it's an option of product you can easily find around pharmacies, but be aware it's not vegan, since it contains lanolin.

• Prioritize a rich balanced diet to make your tattoo heal faster, avoiding fat, sweet or processed food.

• Do not scratch or peel off scabs

• Do not touch the tattoo (unless for cleaning).

• Keep yourself hydrated.

• Do not wear tight clothing in the tattoo area.

Post-Healing Care:

Attention: the following aftercare should only start when your tattoo is 100% healed (about 30 days after the procedure), and it's recommended for life:

• Always use sunscreen after the tattoo heals.

• Moisturize the skin regularly.

• In some people, keloids and skin irritation can be a natural reaction of the body. In these cases, constant moisturizing is a must!