tattoo healing is easier than you think. most issues come from overthinking or overdoing it. i'll be going into detail, but all you need to know is keep it covered, clean, and dry. when you first leave the tattoo shop, your tattoo will be covered with some sort of wrap. most shops will use saniderm (second skin), tattoo armor (puppy pad), or saran wrap. here are my reccomended lengths of time to have each of these on: saniderm: leave on for two days, around 48 hours. tattoo armor: leave on as long as you can stand, up to 8 hours. if you sleep with pets, leave on overnight. saran wrap: leave on as long as you can stand, up to 8 hours. removing saniderm: to remove your saniderm, start in a warm shower. find a corner that naurally wants to peel up, and pick at it a bit to get it loose. then, begin to pull the second skin with the skin, rather than up and away, while applying pressure to the part still stuck on the tattoo. think of it like a command strip. continue gently removing little bits at a time. do not rip it off quickly - this can agitate the skin and pull out ink. hastily removing your sandierm also leaves adhesive residue on your skin. once your wrap is removed, wash your tattoo with just lukewarm water. give your tattoo the gentlest of gentle rubs to get off any coagulated blood, plasma, and ink. do not scrub. then tap dry with paper towel. after the first wash of just lukewarm water, you'll want to clean your tattoo 2-3x a day with gentle, unscented soap. cetaphil, dial antibacterial pump soap, or any other gentle and unscented soap works great. stay away from bar soaps, they can harbor bacteria. always dry with paper towel to avoid fuzz getting stuck on your tattoo. then, moisturize with a gentle, unscented moisturizer. the best choice is plain white lotion. you may also use aquaphor or vaseline, however they aren't reccomended due to their pore clogging nature and how easy it is to overmoisturize using thicker products. regardless of what you use, be sure to do a single thin layer when you are applying moisturizer. keep your tattoo out of the sun for the first two weeks, avoid swimming, soaking, and hottubs, and clothing that will restrict or suffocate your tattoo. after two weeks you may (and should) use sunscreen on your tattoos, it helps them stay crisper and clearer for longer, and prevents fading, especially with color.
