Tattoo Aftercare: The First 48 Hours

The first two days are the ones people get wrong, usually by doing too much rather than too little. Here is what generally happens, in order — with one instruction that comes before all of it.

The short answer: follow the aftercare instructions your artist gave you. They know the piece, the placement, the wrap they used and how they work. Where this guide and your studio disagree, your studio wins.

Why your artist's instructions come first

Aftercare advice varies between studios because the wrapping does. An artist using an adhesive second-skin film gives different instructions from one using cling film, and both differ again from a dry dressing. A guide that tells you to remove your wrap after two hours is useless to someone whose artist applied a film meant to stay on for days.

So: read what they gave you. If you have lost it, message the studio. They would far rather answer a question than see the result of a guess.

Hours 0 to 24 — the wrap

Your artist will have told you which of two situations you are in:

• A traditional wrap — usually removed after a few hours, on their timing, then the first wash.
• An adhesive second-skin film — usually left in place considerably longer, often several days. Fluid collecting under it is normal and does not mean something is wrong.

Whichever you have, wash your hands before you touch anything near it. That single habit matters more than any product in the routine.

The first wash

Once your artist's window has passed, the general routine is:

• Clean hands first, every time.
• Lukewarm water — not hot.
• A gentle, fragrance-free cleanser, worked with fingertips rather than a cloth, flannel or sponge.
• Rinse thoroughly so nothing is left on the skin.
• Pat dry with a clean paper towel rather than a bath towel, and let it air for a few minutes.
• A thin layer of whatever your artist recommended. Thin is the operative word — a thick layer traps moisture against the skin.

The Senseless Foaming Cleanser is an antibacterial cleanser, suitable for use before treatment and on freshly treated skin, and the Vitamin A & D Ointment is a simple barrier ointment for keeping freshly treated skin comfortable and protected. If your artist named a specific product, use theirs.

Hours 24 to 48

Repeat the wash routine, usually twice a day. Expect the area to feel warm, look a little red at the edges, and weep a small amount of plasma and ink — that is ordinary in the first couple of days. Tightness as it dries is also ordinary.

What to avoid

• Soaking. No baths, swimming pools, sea or hot tubs. Showers are fine; sitting in water is not.
• Sun. Keep it covered and out of direct sunlight. Sunscreen goes on later, once the skin has settled — not on fresh work.
• Picking and scratching. The itch arrives; nothing good comes of answering it.
• Tight clothing over the area, and anything abrasive.
• The gym. Sweat, shared equipment and friction — give it a few days and ask your artist about your specific placement.
• Re-wrapping unless your artist told you to.

When to contact someone

Contact your artist if you are unsure about anything — that is what they are there for, and no reputable studio minds. Seek medical advice if you develop spreading redness, increasing pain after the first couple of days rather than decreasing, significant swelling, discharge that is not clear plasma, a fever, or a red streak spreading from the area. That is a matter for a pharmacist, a GP or NHS 111 rather than for a website, and it is not something to wait out.

What comes next

Tattoo healing stages, day by day →

Tattoo aftercare products →