Aftercare Instructions

You have been tattooed by a trained professional tattoo artist. Care has been taken to keep the tattooing environment  clean and equipment sterile. We use the finest pigments available.  Your tattoo aftercare is absolutely crucial to the final condition of your tattoo.

Aftercare is solely your responsibility. The final product rests in your hands; take care of it. Follow these aftercare instructions.

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You have been tattooed by a trained professional tattoo artist from The Shop in Fowlerville. Care has been taken to keep the tattooing environment clean and equipment sterile. We use the finest pigments available.  Your tattoo aftercare is absolutely crucial to the final condition of your tattoo. These instructions have been approved by the health department.

You will need: 

• Tattoo Healing Ointment (like Tattoo Goo) 
• Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion 
• Liquid Soap (like Liquid Dial)

Aftercare is solely your responsibility. The final product rests in your hands; take care of it. Follow these aftercare instructions.

Your Bandage

Saniderm (a sterile, clear bandage) has been applied to your tattoo. This bandage should be kept on for a minimum of 12 hours and up to 24-72 hours to prevent germs from entering the compromised skin while it heals. Everyone heals differently, and the length of time you should keep the bandage on will vary depending on how much fluid your tattoo is weeping. When the adhesion of the Saniderm bandage begins to weaken, that’s your cue to remove the bandage. Do not remove the bandage early or skin irritation may occur.

Removing the Bandage

The best way to remove Saniderm is to find an edge of the bandage, and then to pull it back over itself in the direction of hair growth. Pulling upward on the Saniderm can be painful, so we don’t recommend it. In some rare cases, people can “stick” to the Saniderm bandage better than others, which can make it more difficult than normal to remove. In cases like this, try removing the Saniderm in a warm shower. The warmth will loosen the adhesive, and make it easier to remove. If that doesn’t work, take a small amount of After Inked (coconut and olive oil can work as well) and apply it around the edges of the bandage. Oils work to weaken the adhesive and make Saniderm easier to remove

The Cleaning Process 

As soon as you remove your bandage, you will need to immediately wash your tattoo with cold water &  liquid soap. Do not use a washcloth to wash it. Just use clean hands. You will need to wash it about four or five times or until it no longer feels slimy. The soap will probably sting a bit as you wash your new tattoo. It doesn’t matter though: You will still need to wash it completely 4 to 5 times as soon as you remove the bandage.

• Allow your tattoo to air dry for fifteen minutes.
• Apply a very, very thin layer of Tattoo Goo or other tattoo aftercare product to your tattoo after it has been allowed to air dry. Do not apply too much.  In order to avoid a touch up, keep the layer of ointment that is applied to the tattoo as thin as humanly possible.
• Repeat this process 3 to 4 times daily for the entire healing period.

The First Few Days 

You will experience some oozing the first few days. When this happens, you will need to wash it according to the steps outlined in the cleaning process above. You will be using the tattoo healing ointment exclusively during this initial healing phase.  Your tattoo will peel in 2-4 days. Do not pick it. If you pick it, you risk ruining your tattoo. You must allow the skin to fall away naturally. Your tattoo will stop peeling after about a week. Once the peeling has stopped, you no longer have to apply the healing ointment. You can then switch to using the Lubriderm Daily Moisture Lotion.

The Second Week 

After about 7-10 days, when the tattoo has stopped peeling, you should still be keeping the tattoo clean and you should be applying Lubriderm lotion several times a day.

It’s important for you to remember, a tattoo is a wound and you have to heal from it.  In order to avoid infection and to avoid losing pigment, all these measures should be taken.  Seek medical attention if the site becomes infected or painful or if you develop a fever soon after being tattooed.