Aftercare

1st day: Leave the bandage on for 2 hours or until you get home. Wash your hands prior to removing bandage. Immediately wash tattoo with warm water and liquid anti-bacterial soap to remove any ointment, blood or plasma and to completely clean the tattoos. Repeat until tattoo is no longer slimy or glazed. (Do not use washcloth on tattoo until completely healed.) Let air dry. DO NOT REBANDAGE THE TATTOO.

2nd – 3rd day: Repeat the cleaning procedure twice per day, washing with antibacterial soap as recommended by the artist. Remember to use freshly washed hands to clean the tattoo. In addition, apply a thin layer of a fragrance-free lotion or Aquaphor twice a day over the freshly washed tattoo.

4th day: Use a fragrance-free lotion like Curel or Lubriderm. Apply a very light layer to tattoo 2 -3 times per day until tattoo has healed. Always use freshly washed hands.

Additional tips: Do not expose tattoo to sunlight for at least 2 weeks or until tattoo is healed. To preserver your tattoo, once it is healed, apply sun block to tattoo if it will be exposed to sun. Do not soak your tattoo in water (IE: bathing or swimming) for at least 2 weeks or until healed. If you work out (esp. Cardiovascular or aerobic) take some time off. Profuse sweating has the same effect on new tattoos as soaking in water. Wear loose clothing that can allow your healing tattoo to breathe. Do not pick at or scratch your new tattoo. This will cause damage to the design. If it itches, apply more lotion or cream. Average healing time is 7 – 14 days.

Also, you might have a lot of friends that will tell you exactly how to take care of your new tattoo, DO NOT LISTEN TO THEM, if something goes wrong during the healing you will have to pay for the touchup if you didn’t follow our instructions and trust us, we can tell!

NAVEL:
A hard, vented eye patch (sold at pharmacies) can be applied under tight clothing (such as nylon stockings) or secured using a length of Ace® bandage around the body (to avoid irritation from adhesive). This can protect the area from restrictive clothing, excess irritation, and impact during physical activities such as contact sports.

EAR/EAR CARTILAGE AND FACIAL:
Use the t-shirt trick: Dress your pillow in a large, clean t-shirt and turn it nightly; one clean t-shirt provides four clean surfaces for sleeping.
Maintain cleanliness of telephones, headphones, eyeglasses, helmets, hats, and anything that contacts the pierced area.
Use caution when styling your hair and advise your stylist of a new or healing piercing.

NIPPLES:
The support of a tight cotton shirt or sports bra may provide protection and feel comfortable, especially for sleeping.

INSIDE THE MOUTH:
Use one or both of the following cleaning solutions for inside the mouth

Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label) or non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better. Saline solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. (If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, please check with your doctor before using a saline product as your primary cleaning solution.)

A mild, fragrance-free liquid soap—preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.

WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
SALINE soak for five to ten minutes once or more per day. Invert a cup of warm saline solution over the area to form a vacuum. For certain piercings it may be easier to apply using clean gauze or paper towels saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.

SOAP no more than once or twice a day. While showering, lather up a pearl size drop of the soap to clean the jewelry and the piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than thirty seconds.
RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.
DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.

WHAT IS NORMAL?
Initially: some bleeding, localized swelling, tenderness, or bruising.
During healing: some discoloration, itching, secretion of a whitish-yellow fluid (not pus) that will form some crust on the jewelry. The tissue may tighten around the jewelry as it heals.
Once healed: the jewelry may not move freely in the piercing; do not force it. If you fail to include cleaning your piercing as part of your daily hygiene routine, normal but smelly bodily secretions may accumulate.
A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because tissue heals from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the interior remains fragile. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period.
Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in—do not leave it empty.

WHAT IS NORMAL?

For the first three to five days: significant swelling, light bleeding, bruising, and/or tenderness.
After that: Some swelling, light secretion of a whitish yellow fluid (not pus). A piercing may seem healed before the healing process is complete. This is because they heal from the outside in, and although it feels fine, the tissue remains fragile on the inside. Be patient, and keep cleaning throughout the entire healing period. Even healed piercings can shrink or close in minutes after having been there for years! This varies from person to person; if you like your piercing, keep jewelry in-do not leave the hole empty.

Use one or both of the following solutions for inside the mouth: Antimicrobial or antibacterial alcohol-free mouth rinse. (IE: Listerine, Cepacol, Dr. Ken’s) When using Listerine, dilute Listerine with 50% water.

Packaged sterile saline solution with no additives (read the label) or non-iodized sea salt mixture: Dissolve 1/8 teaspoon of non-iodized (iodine free) sea salt into one cup (8 oz) of warm distilled or bottled water. A stronger mixture is not better. Saline solution that is too strong can irritate your piercing. (If you have high blood pressure or a heart condition, please check with your doctor before using a saline product as your primary cleaning solution.

Rinse mouth with cleaning solution for 30 seconds after meals and at bedtime (4-5 times daily) during the entire healing period. Cleaning too often or with too strong a rinse can cause discoloration and irritation of your mouth and piercing.

• SOAK in saline solution and/or wash in mild, fragrance-free liquid soap-preferably anti-microbial or germicidal.
• WASH your hands thoroughly prior to cleaning or touching your piercing for any reason.
• SALINE soak at least two to three times daily. Simply soak directly in a cup of warm saline solution for five to ten minutes. For certain placements, it may be easier to apply using clean gauze saturated with saline solution. A brief rinse afterward will remove any residue.
• SOAP no more than once or twice a day. While showering, lather up a pearl size drop of the soap to clean the jewelry and the piercing. Leave the cleanser on the piercing no more than thirty seconds.
• RINSE thoroughly to remove all traces of the soap from the piercing. It is not necessary to rotate the jewelry through the piercing.
• DRY by gently patting with clean, disposable paper products. Cloth towels can harbor bacteria and snag on jewelry, causing injury.