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Standard Wrap - Day 1
Keep the initial covering on your tattoo for at least two hours.  Remove it no later than tomorrow morning.  When you remove it, be ready to wash.  The longer the cover stays, the more disgusting it will look, but this is not harmful.  Wash with fingertips and plain liquid soap, then start your post-wrap aftercare regimen (below).

Adhesive Wrap - Day 1
If you leave the tattoo studio with an adhesive wrap (Tegaderm, Saniderm, etc.), this covering can remain in place for up to 5 days if the seal is intact.  If the seal around the broken skin is breached, remove the wrap regardless of timeframe.  Use hot, running water to soften the adhesive and slowly ease the covering off, gently rolling it toward your skin (not up and away).  Until then, avoid hot showers to maximize adhesion.  If the adhesive wrap survives for +/- 36 hours, that’s great.  If it sticks longer, that’s better.  And, if not, that’s okay.  Please note that it is normal to see some ink seepage and plasma underneath.  

Post-Wrap Tattoo Aftercare - 30 Days

  • Keep it clean.  Wash with clean fingertips and a plain liquid body/hand soap twice daily.  Do not use washcloths, loofas, etc.  Dial, Dr. Bronner’s, and plain J&J soaps are recommended, but anything without heavy scents or dyes should be fine.

  • Keep it hydrated.  Use an aftercare product to keep your tattoo from getting too dry; rub it in like a lotion and leave some shine behind.  I like Tattoo Goo and Aquaphor., but if you’re accustomed to another product that works well for you, stick with that.  Please avoid Vaseline, Neosporin, bacitracin, and mycitracin.  Any time your tattoo feels tight or looks dry, apply more (usually 3 to 5 times a day).

  • Do not soak or submerge.  Showers are fine, but baths are not.  No lakes, oceans, swimming pools, hot tubs, jacuzzies, etc. until fully healed.  All bodies of water contain some bacteria, and ignoring this recommendation could lead to infection. 

  • Do not scratch or pick.  Your tattoo may peel and become itchy in about a week or so.  You can slap it to hush the itch, but please do not scratch.  Let it slough off naturally.  Picking and scratching can re-open the wound, causing loss of ink, scarring, or infection.​
     

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
 

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