I prefer to use second skin on my clients for most tattoos, but will always give you the option of clingfilm in case of allergies or preference. The instructions are slightly different depending which option you use:

For clingfilm I recommend to leave it on just a few hours- until the end of the day/when you get home. Wash your hands and remove the clingfilm, then you can wash the tattoo with unscented antibacterial soap and water. There may be some blood and plasma, and if the clingfilm has been on a while or it’s a hot day it might look like the ink is coming out- it’s just your white blood cells doing their thing and nothing to worry about. You can pat the tattoo dry with kitchen roll. Please don’t use a towel as they can harbour a lot of bacteria, kitchen roll is better as it’s disposable. After this, leave the tattoo to air dry and you can leave it uncovered from now. Don’t put anything on it on the first day.

If using second skin I recommend to leave it a maximum of 5 days. Usually it will come off sooner than this, especially in warm weather. Don’t panic if it comes off sooner, just follow the steps below as if you had taken it off. If one part peels off, you can take it off if the tattoo is exposed. If it doesn’t come off by itself, to remove it you can peel off a corner and gently pull it in the same direction as your skin, rather than at a right angle. If it’s painful to remove, you can try it in the shower. Once removed, please wash it with antibacterial soap and dry with kitchen roll. There may be a small amount of adhesive on your skin, if there is don’t worry, it will come off by itself over the next few days.

While you have the second skin on, it’s likely to look a bit gross as blood, plasma, and ink will be trapped underneath it. This is nothing to worry about but it may leak a little especially if it’s a large piece or in colour. Just gently clean away any mess. Once you take the second skin off this will all wash away.

Once your tattoo is unwrapped (or the day after if you’ve used clingfilm) you can start using a natural, lightweight moisturiser. Personally I recommend Palmer’s cocoa butter or Aveeno. There are lots of tattoo branded moisturisers out there as well and most of these will also be fine - you want something that will absorb into your skin and not sit on top of it, as this moist, sticky environment creates a breeding ground for bacteria. I don’t recommend bepanthen for this reason. Vaseline is not a moisturiser and will also trap dirt and bacteria as it sits on top of the skin. Please don’t put anything else on your tattoo! Moisturise 2-4 times a day depending how dry your skin feels, but use just enough to cover the tattoo. As I said, you want it to absorb in and not sit on top.

During the healing process, please shower as normal but avoid soaking your tattoo in water- no swimming or baths! This is due to infection risk, but also will affect the healing as it can soften the scabs and mean they come off too early, which will pull the ink out also. Please avoid saunas, sun beds, or the beach for the same reason, for at least two weeks. I also recommend staying out of the sun for four weeks after getting tattooed, as the ink is still settling and sun damage can significantly lighten and leach the ink from your skin. If you are in the sun please use adequate sunscreen once the tattoo is healed (2 weeks onward). This will also improve the lifespan of your tattoo.

It’s normal for your tattoo to be scabby and a bit raised for around two weeks, potentially a little longer if it’s colour or in certain areas like backs of knees, arm ditch, etc. It will usually get flakey and itchy around the 5-10 day mark, and it’s important you do not scratch or pick at it. I recommend leaving your moisturiser in the fridge if you need some extra relief. Tattoos will be healed on the surface level from around 14-21 days, but the deeper tissue layers take longer, so for best results keep on top of your skincare.

Concerns/things to look out for:

Sometimes people can have reactions to various parts of the tattoo process, and there is always some risk of infection as it’s an open wound.

Please message me if you notice anything you are not sure about, I’m always happy to take a look and give advice. I’m not a doctor so I can’t give medical advice, but many tattoo reactions are things like contact dermatitis or a result of over moisturising and other things so I can help with these, and advise that you see a doctor if needed. If any of these things were to happen, please be assured that my normal touch up policy still applies, so once the tattoo is healed we can sort out anything that may have been affected. It’s very rare to have these kind of issues but does happen occasionally.

Sometimes if it’s hot out, you’re stressed, you have a cold or are getting sick, or you have allergies like hayfever, your tattoos can be itchy or parts of them get raised, even long after they are healed and years down the line.