The foil on your tattoo
After doing your tattoo, I place cling film on your skin, to protect it from dirt.
Did you get a small line tattoo? Then you can remove the foil after 4 hours.
Did you get a large tattoo with many coloured areas? Then you should change the foil every 4 hours. You should also leave it on at night. Don’t forget to apply new foil just before going to bed! The day after, you no longer have to wear it.
Bepanthen or other aftercare cream
Does your tattoo feel dry (meaning that all excess plasma is gone) and is there some scabbing? Then you can start applying an aftercare cream to your tattoo. This can be Bepanthen or Tattoo Regenerating Cream (‘Carl & Johan’ is the brand). An aftercare salve or moisturising cream prevents dehydration and may be applied 3 to 4 times a day.
Tattoo aftercare and hygiene
Make sure to thoroughly wash your hands before touching your tattoo, for example before applying salve. Meticulously rinse your tattoo when you’re in the shower to prevent dirt from entering the wound, which can cause a bacterial infection. You can use a ph-neutral soap or baby soap, such as Zwitsal. Always use a clean towel or clean tissues to pat your skin dry. Do not rub the tattoo with the towel. After you’ve washed and dried your tattoo, apply the salve or cream.
During the tattoo healing process
- Apply only a thin layer of cream so your skin can keep breathing.
- Be careful with your tattoo the first three days: make sure it doesn’t come into contact with dirt.
- The first 7 to 10 days, it’s best not to do sports or workouts. Be extra careful with contact sports and activities that make you sweat.
- Avoid baths, steam baths, saunas and swimming, especially in lakes, rivers and seas. Showering is recommended, though, up to two times a day, to thoroughly rinse your tattoo. Does your skin feel smooth when you rub it with your finger? Then you can go swimming again. This usually takes about 3 to 4 weeks.
- Don’t expose your tattoo to sunbeds.
- Avoid sunbathing and the beach. Cover your tattoo with clothes when you go out in the sun. If you do tan, you may get blisters and your tattoo will fade.
- Keep applying sunscreen, even after your tattoo is fully healed.
- The average healing process takes 3 to 4 weeks, but individual recovery times may vary.
- Keep applying aftercare cream until your tattoo feels smooth to the touch. When it does, it’s most likely healed.
- Stay away from dusty places like construction sites. If you can’t avoid them: cover your tattoo with clothing.
- Don’t scratch or pick at your tattoo, as this can cause scarring and white spots in the design. Let the skin fall off naturally. If you start peeling it, you risk removing the ink along with it.
- Itching is normal during the healing process. Regularly apply cream to your tattoo.
- Wear loose clothing and preferably no wool, to keep wool fibres from ending up in your tattoo.
- Don’t use someone else’s salve and don’t let others use yours to avoid painful infections and contaminations.
- Be careful with pets: don’t let them come near your tattoo because their hair and saliva can cause infections.
In short: pay extra attention to hygiene the first few days after you’ve gotten a tattoo.