The tattoo is painful, swollen, is it okay?

A tattoo is a fresh wound. The process of tattooing is puncturing the skin with a needle over a period of even several hours, which is why the tattooED SKIN will be red and swollen after leaving the studio. How much depends on the size of the tattoo area and therefore the number of injections. This is completely normal and expected. You can cool the tattoo with ice or a cold compress (only through the foil, not direct contact). Tattoo can be painful for the first few days. As long as there is no reaction such as a rash or allergies, there is no need to do anything with the foil.

My tattoo ink has bled and got blurry, now what?

It is possible that blood and pigment will collect under the foil, which is a natural healing process and it is not necessary to take the film off. The tattoo itself will not dissolve, as the pigment is deep in the skin. That’s just how it looks, so there’s no need to be alarmed.

When to take off the foil?

What you should look at, is your daily routine. Just use common sense, which will tell you that it is pointless to take off the foil if you know that your tattoo can get dirty right away, especially if it is a freshly created tattoo. So it is pointless to take off the foil if you will be in a dirty environment for the next hours and/or days. You should remove the foil at a time when you know you will be in a clean environment, where the tattoo will not be covered by clothes and where you can keep it clean.

It is best for the tattoo and for you if the foil stays on the body as long as possible. Even for a week or until the film itself begins to peel off where the tattoo is (it is still fine outside of the tattoo and it is recommended to keep it on the body in that case).

A dry, exposed tattoo is more prone to crusting and therefore pigment loss. In addition, you don’t have to take care of it in any way while keeping the foil on. You will also prevent a painful removal of the film from a fresh and therefore more sensitive wound if you keep the foil for longer.

However, it is always up to you when the foil will go off. It depends on how you will deal with the tattoo and what you will do after the tattoo.

How to shower?

Again, it is necessary to take into account that the tattoo should be clean and nothing other than the antibacterial soap and water or recommended cream should get into it. As long as you have the foil on, you can shower freely, but you must not bathe, so that the wound does not sit in water for a long time, does not swell because of it. If you remove the film earlier, you have to take care of the tattoo more.

You can enter the shower without a foil for the first time when the tattoo dries, the body creates its own protective layer. You can find out if the tattoo is dry enough by removing the foil, washing and drying it and letting the tattoo ‘breathe‘ (preferably at least 3-5 hours) and then if you look into the light, the tattoo should not be shiny, it should not look moist/fresh.

When to moisturize?

You can already start moisturizing after the wound has dried and is healing. The tattoo should no longer hurt, it should be itchy, dry to the touch and look. We all reach this stage at different times. It depends on many things, so it is better to follow the factors mentioned above.

What to do if the tattoo itches?

If the wound itches, it means that it is healing. You should not scratch your tattoo for two reasons – you will prolong the healing time and you may even lose some pigment, which happens by peeling/scratching the scab by force. However, it is possible to ‘slap‘ yourself with a clean hand on the area of the tattoo and this way ease the itchiness at least a little.

How much cream to use?

Unfortunately, it is not good to use numbers here either. You should cover the tattoo with as thin a layer of cream as possible so that the tattoo does not dry out during the day. Rather more often with less cream than the other way around. For some it is twice a day, for others six times. It depends on the skin type as well as the size and complexity of the tattoo. Also keep in mind that the cream has to be absorbed. So you should not apply cream, e.g. just before covering the tattoo with clothing. You should not apply the cream on dirty skin. you can help yourself by carrying soap and cream with you to work/school/anywhere else during the day so that you can always clean it before applying the cream.

How long to moisturize?

until the tattoo is completely healed. A tattoo is healed when the tattooed skin is nice and smooth, just like the surrounding skin that wasn’t tattooed. The skin is already renewed and has completely stopped peeling.