Aftercare – Ink and Intuition

Aftercare Instructions

How to take proper care of your new tattoo

Second Skin

When your new tattoo is done, your tattoo artist will begin the aftercare procedure. If you do not have a bandaid and/or glue allergy we will use what we call ´´second skin´´ to cover your tattoo. This is a transparent and self adhesive foil, that will be placed ontop of your fresh & dry tattoo. This will prevent any bacteria from reaching your new tattoo, which if done hygienically and properly will be equivalent of a superficial abrasion.

The second skin will have to stay on your tattoo for atleast 4 days.
In cases where there is a lot of plasma leaking from underneath the foil it is recommendable to replace the foil after the first 24 hours carefully:
Always wash your hands thouroughly before dealing with your fresh tattoo
Then gently peel off the second skin, rinse your new tattoo with only your clean hands and luke-warm water, dap it dry gently with a fresh kitchen towel tissue or a freshly washed towel and wait for it to air-dry before re-applying your extra piece of second skin.
Make sure you wash your hands before reapplying the second skin and make sure you have touched nothing else after washing and before applying the second skin.
You may shower with your second skin on, but refrain from getting it too wet for too long, take shorter showers and try to keep the tattooed area out of the water.
Do not swim, bathe, sauna or sun-tan with your second skin on your new tattoo.
Avoid direct sun light for atleast 2 months, if its unavoidable, then cover your new tattoo with a piece of clothing, or if your tattoo is fully healed you may apply high SPF (50+) sunlotion.
After 4 days you may gently remove the second skin.
Easiest is to do this under the shower, get it soaked this time, and stretch the second skin in one direction for it to come off more easily. Wash your new tattoo gently with water or a perfumeless hypoallergenic soap, dap it dry gently with a fresh towel and let it air dry before applying a thin layer of hypoallergenic tattoo-ointment to prevent it from drying out.

If any questions or complications arise in the healing stage of your tattoo, please contact your tattoo artist immediately for advice. You will also receive a physical card with these aftercare instructions after your tattoo session.

Regular Aftercare

if you are allergic to bandaids and/or glue, your tattoo artist will apply either regular foil or ´´tattoo armour´´ ontop of your fresh tattoo for your journey home to prevent your clothing from touching the fresh wound. Your clothing and hands (or any surface at all) can introduce bacteria into your new tattoo and this could lead to infections. Never touch your fresh tattoo with your hands, unless you absolutely have to, in that case wash your hands thouroughly before handling your new tattoo.

When you get home, remove your regular foil or tattoo armour and wash your tattoo with clean hands in luke-warm water with a gentle hypoallergenic soap.
Rinse off the soap thouroughly and dap your tattoo dry with a kitchen towel tissue or a fresh towel, and let it air-dry. Do not rub your tattoo dry with the towel or tissue.
Apply a thin layer of hypoallergenic tattoo-ointment once it is air-dry.
Cover your tattoo with some more fresh foil or non-stick gauze.
Repeat the first 4 steps 2/3 times a day for the next 2 to 3 days. This should create a thin scabbing ontop of your tattoo and after 3 days you don´t have to cover it anymore but you can keep applying a thin layer of ointment untill your scabs are completely gone.
Do not scratch or pick at your new tattoo at any time!
In the first 3 weeks you may apply a scentless and perfumeless lotion on your newly tattooed skin to prevent your skin from becoming too dry.
Do not swim, bathe, sauna or sun-tan with your healing tattoo. Avoid direct sun light for the first 2 months, if unavoidable, protect it with a piece of clean clothing, or if the tattoo is fully healed, you may apply a high SPF (50+) lotion on your tattoo.

To be avoided during the healing process

Do not swim, bathe or sauna during the healing stage of your new tattoo. Showering is acceptable but try to keep it short and don´t shower too often, do not let your new tattoo, covered in foil or second skin, get too wet.
Avoid direct sun light on your new and healing tattoo for atleast 2 months to prevent abnormal pigmentation. If unavoidable, cover your new tattoo with a piece of clean clothing, or if the tattoo is fully healed you may protect it with high SPF (50+) lotion. This does not fully protect your skin against the damage of the sun however. A not yet fully healed tattoo should absolutely be kept out of direct sunlight with atleast clothing.
Clothing that comes in contact with a healing tattoo should always be clean.
Do not remove the scabbing or any loose skin during the healing process and avoid scratching it!
Do not use any anti-septic ointments or products as this could disrupt the healing process. Antibiotics may cause bacteria to become resistant to antibiotics and can lead to allergies. Never use these without professional medical advice.

Normal symptoms

Discharge of blood plasma, a clear or pinkish fluid, mixed with ink is a normal symptom during the first couple of days of the healing process. When there is a lot of fluid and it is leaking from underneath the bandaging, it is adviced to replace the second skin after the first 24 hours, and the normal foil or gauze more often in the day.
Redness within the tattooed area is normal and should diminish after the first few days.
Swelling of the tattooed area can be normal in the first hours or even days, but should gradually become less after the first few days.
Fever and cold shivers may arise as symptons in the first 12hours, but if they prolong for days and become extreme this could be a sign of infection and you must seek immediate professional medical help.

Abnormal Symptoms

If after the first few days the amount of fluid that is being discharged is not diminishing but increasing.
A discharge of yellowish or greenish opaque fluid.
A bad smell
An increasing redness that is spreading around the tattoo
An increasing throbbing and burning sensation in and around the tattoo.
Immobility and problems moving fingers or toes or limbs or any body part.
Long red streaks or stripes moving away from the tattoo along the limbs can indicate blood poisoning, if this is detected search for immediate professional medical help.
High fevers and prologing fevers are signs of severe infection, if detected search for immediate professional medical help.

If you are doubting if your symptoms are abnormal you can immediately contact your tattoo artist and ask them for advice, most normal symptoms can look scary to people who are new to getting tattooed, and your artist can detect most problems early on. If it looks abnormal and severe we will direct you to seek help from your physician immediately. If you are very certain that your symptoms are abnormal you can also immediately seek medical attention yourself ofcourse, but please alert your tattoo artist of the problem aswell.