The Long Version:

PART 1: Types of wrap.

We have 3 different options, and while your tattoo artist will advise what we believe best, according to the type and placement of your tattoo, the choice is ultimately yours.

• Yes, we have a latex-free ‘second skin’ option – a breathable sticker that is applied straight to the fresh tattoo. Great for small to medium tattoos with lower skin trauma, a bit touch-and-go for large colour pieces, or those with big areas of saturated ink. Also not great if you plan to walk far or otherwise sweat straight after the session. Works best if the initial piece is replaced with a fresh one after 12 hours. The skin stays on for 1 – 3 days (more than 3 is unnecessary), as long as no part of the tattoo is exposed. If the skin lifts or peels back exposing even a fraction of the tattoo, bacteria and therefore infection may be able to spread under the dressing – it must be removed if this happens. Don’t panic, just continue on with Part 2 of the instructions.
• Our second option (Seán’s favourite), is the absorbent pad. Great for all and any leaky tattoos, the pad stays on overnight. Why is it superior? The pad soaks up everything the body has to give, leaving just a thin layer over the wound. The pad is removed the morning after the tattoo, and you can expect to shave a day off the time it takes to start peeling. No gooey bubble of liquid or fear of leaking, no itchy sticky edges collecting dust, no fear of it coming unstuck before you need it to.
• Third is more of a client request, the old way of wrapping in clingfilm (saran wrap for those from The Far West). We wouldn’t be quick to recommend – a tattoo heals best with oxygen, and clingfilm needs to be changed regularly on larger work. It makes the body part sweat, leaks, pulls off on parts that rely on medical tape, and needs mindful attention to avoid problems. It also keeps the wound wet indefinitely, slowing down healing time. We don’t recommend using this for long periods, and are likely to encourage either of the other two options instead.

PART 2: The Wash.

• We recommend removing second skin and pads under running warm water (not hot, your skin will be sensitive), generally in the shower. Clingfilm should be removed before, and disposed of carefully.
• Pads should be wet before peeling to ensure no part of them have dried onto the tattoo. Second skin can be held under the stream for a while to help soften the glue. Rub the edge of the second skin to roll it up a little, and then pull toward yourself – it’s a little less attritional.
• Next, using a clean hand, make a lather on the tattoo. We recommend soaps that don’t have too much perfume, or are gentler on the skin (so less of a scented shower gel, more like a Protex / Sanex / Dove). Bar soap is fine, make sure you clean it off before and after the wash. Tattoos are superficial wounds – water running over them is fine, submerging them not so much. Soap is good. So we make a lather over the tattoo, then remove it under the stream with gentle downward motions of the hand. If you can feel something slippery on your tattoo, that’s a combo of plasma, blood, and lymph – that’s exactly what we’re trying to wash off to avoid thick scabs. The skin should feel matte and rubbery to the touch once washed. Seán’s mantra is: Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Be gentle, but make sure you get it all off, two passes is usually enough, three if necessary.

PART 3: The Dry (Also a great novel by Jane Harper)

• Don’t use a towel directly on a fresh tattoo. Towels have fibres and can harbour bacteria, so it’s better to dry around the tattoo, and let that piece of skin air dry for 5 minutes. If you are a speed demon late for everything in life, you can use a hardy piece of paper towel to pat the tattoo dry – whatever happens, don’t use toilet tissue. You’ll have a bad time. Then we’ll apply a tiny amount of cream to the area.

PART 4: The Cream.

• Next, the amount. You want to put a glaze on the skin. As little cream as you possibly can while being able to say the tattoo is creamed in its entirety. With clean hands, every time. Can’t wash your hands? Don’t cream your tattoo. This happens around 3 times a day. Not less than two, but more if you need. Listen to your body, if the skin is dry and itchy, time for a little cream.
• Now we don’t want to lecture, but we must. There’s so many options these days, but really, it’s time to step away from Bepanthen and A&D ointment. Bepanthen (even the tattoo version), contains lanolin (an allergen to 5% of the population), and is generally thick and oily, and a source of many unhappy healing experiences. A&D is petroleum jelly with extra steps – petroleum jelly creates a zero-oxygen barrier over your tattoo. Guess what hates oxygen? Bacteria. So a small localised topical infection caused by an idle dirty finger can end up spreading through more of your tattoo, and causing more problems than it needs to.
• Beyond the warnings, there’s a lot to choose from. We’ve always loved Hustle Butter and adjacent aftercare creams, but we don’t shill for a particular brand. Usually these rely on things like coconut oil for mild antibacterial properties, with more natural butters or added vitamin E to aid skin repair. They smell good, absorb readily into the skin, and don’t leave a gunky layer on top to destroy your clothes.

PART 5: Clothes & Peeling; Itching & Healing.

• Almost done. Always wear a clean item of clothing if there’s contact with the tattoo. Try and avoid things that chafe, be they the skinny goth jeans of your dreams or underwire bras. Soft fabrics are better – we don’t want to risk irritating a tattoo that is still open, nor do we want to pull off any of the thin new skin prematurely.
• Which brings us to peeling. Your tattoo will peel, sometime around day 2 – 4, much like a sunburn, leaving little black, grey or coloured sprinkles of you on your sheets or surrounds. This is normal. It’s normal for a little to come off while putting cream on. But it will itch. Oh lord, will it itch. Don’t pick or scratch your tattoo. Sometimes the new little skin is still firmly attached to the ink underneath, and you might pull a little piece of your tattoo out along with it. Once the tattoo is in its peeling stage, and there’s no more open wound, it’s generally safe from infection.
• Just keep applying that cream, and let your body do the rest. We advise 3 times a day for the first week, slowly lowering frequency. A tattoo on average takes around 3 days to get to peeling, and around 9 – 10 days to be considered ‘healed’. We call it two weeks to be safe, and you should be creaming at least twice daily to the end of this period. (We recommend moisturising at least once a day from here to the six week mark to avoid dry, ashy new skin, but this doesn’t affect the tattoo in the longterm.)
• At 1 – 2 weeks we have the ‘silver skin’ phase. The new skin hasn’t achieved translucency yet, so your tattoo might look silvery, dusty, or dull. This is normal, and over the next while the new skin will settle (helped along a little by moisturising) and the ink will become vibrant again, slowly settling and fading as you age.

A note on OCD, anxiety and the like through the healing phase. Less is more, over-fussing can be worse than negligence. Once a tattoo has started peeling you are generally safe, short of a cat scratch or the like. If you fear your tattoo has become contaminated pre-peeling stage, washing it is fine. However, if you find yourself wanting to wash your tattoo repeatedly throughout the day, take five minutes. Sit, take a few deep breaths, and assess how you’re feeling once you’ve found a calm space within. If you still feel worried consider reaching out to us for advice – we really don’t mind, we’re in this together.

Healing tattoos is a learning process. We find the rhythm of our bodies, what works and doesn’t work for us, and it gets easier with each piece we collect.