Preparing for your appointment is just as significant for the outcome as caring for your tattoo after. These pre-appointment cues will help ensure you are ready for your artist.
When preparing for your appointment, eat a meal and drink plenty of water. Wear comfortable, loose-fitting clothing. You should also avoid alcohol, aspirin, ibuprofen, and caffeine – these substances can interfere with your ability to handle a tattoo. Tattoo artists legally aren’t allowed to tattoo an intoxicated person.

To ensure your skin is ready for your tattoo, exfoliate, chave and moisturize the morning of your appointment and stay out of the sun.

Preparing for an appointment is just as important as the during and the aftercare instructions.
Taking measures to ensure you stay hydrated, eat, and are well rested will help give your ink the best chances for an excellent outcome.

knowing what not to do before a tattoo keeps you safe and healthy, and most importantly, you will better prepare your body for its new art.

BEFORE YOUR TATTOO APPOINTMENT:

Do this:

GET A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP
Being well rested will help you stay alert and in tune with your body’s signals.

SHOWER + EXFOLIATE
Keeping the skin clean will prevent any bacteria + dirt from impacting healing. Use an exfoliating cleanser or brush post healing to rid dead skin cells and improve vibrancy.

EAT BEFORE/ BRING A SNACK
Getting a tattoo on an empty stomach can lead to light headedness and fainting.

WEAR A COMFORTABLE OUTFIT
Loose fitting clothes that you can sit in for a long period of time without feeling tight or constricted.

Don’t do this:

DRINKING ALCOHOL
Alcohol thins your blood which could cause excess bleeding.
Artists are not legally allowed to tattoo anyone who appears to show signs of intoxication.
Do not drink before or right after.

TAKE IBUPROFEN OR ASPIRIN
These also thin the blood.
Do not take 48 hours before your appointment.

EXCESSIVE SUN EXPOSURE
Sun burns can cause dry skin and make the process more painful and sloppy.

It’s easy to ruin or fade your new tattoo if you do not care for it properly. Even worse, your tattoo could become infected, or you may have to get it touched up frequently or completely. Luckily, proper tattoo care is not difficult, but it is necessary.

The size and intricacy of your tattoo will determine how long its healing process will take.
Bigger tattoos will always take longer to heal because they cause more stress to your skin.
Smaller tattoos don’t usually take quite as long, but that doesn’t mean the healing process isn’t as important!
Solid patches of ink also take longer to heal.

It can take up to three months for your tattoo to heal fully. But, with the right care and products, your tattoo will be bright and vibrant sooner and stay in perfect condition longer.
There’s a process for tattoo healing to keep it vibrant and bright.

Keep the Tattoo Covered:

For the first few hours, three at a minimum, wear the bandage initially put on your tattoo.
If we used a Tegaderm or Saniderm, you could generally wait up to three to four days before removing the bandage (generally, about a day for Tegaderm, about four days max for Saniderm).

You may see strange-looking fluid oozing from the bandage or tattoo – this is your blood plasma and some extra tattoo ink. Your skin will also usually be red and sore. It might feel slightly warm to the touch. These are all good, normal reactions.

It’s worth noting that some people barely have reactions, too. Some people won’t stay red, and their ink will seem to heal right up. That’s okay, too, and after your first session or two, you should have a pretty good idea of how you specifically react.

When you remove your bandage, please wash and thoroughly clean your hands with antibacterial soap, and dry them before you take it off.

Wash Your Tattoo:

Once the bandages come off, use fragrance-free, antibacterial soap to wash the area with lukewarm water and pat it dry. Do not scrub the skin or rub it dry.

Do not use a washcloth to dry your tattoo, as they can harbor bacteria. Instead, gently pat the area dry with a clean paper towel.

Wash your tattoo gently once or twice daily and keep applying that Soothing Gel after each wash to keep everything calm and hydrated. When you wash, you might notice a little bit of ink running into the sink, but this is just excess ink that’s come up through your skin.

Moisturize and Continue To Moisturize:

After cleaning your tattoo, using a moisturizer is a crucial step in tattoo aftercare. Keeping the area moist will protect it from cracking, drying, and bleeding. Use a moisture-sealing product two to three times daily every 8 to 10 hours) until the scabs have fully healed.
Avoid using products like Vaseline or Neosporin, or anything that includes petroleum jelly in the ingredients list. These products can damage your newly acquired ink and disrupt the natural healing process.

Tattoo lotions or creams containing harsh perfumes and chemicals can also cause damage to the skin and affect the healing process.

I recommend tattoo aftercare products, It included naturally hydrating ingredients to give that freshly inked and healing skin exactly what it’s craving.

Don’t overdo the moisturizer either, or your tattoo won’t be able to breathe! Applying a thin layer of our Soothing Gel after each wash is typically enough to keep it hydrated (but able to breathe) for several hours at the least.

Be sure to wipe off the end of the stick to prevent any cross-contamination (and don’t use it on new tattoos!).

When your tattoo is clean and hydrated, you’re set. Let it hang loose. Do not re-bandage.

Re-bandaging can cause the open wound to stay too wet and increase the risk of infection. The only time you’ll need to bandage is for short-term protection, like if you are going somewhere particularly dirty or expect friction to threaten your tattoo.

For the first few nights, sleep with your new tattoo carefully, keeping it out from under you and the blankets if you can. This will also prevent your sheets from soaking up dyes from your tattoo’s excess ink and protect the wound from germs and abrasion.

Once your tattoo heals, you can star to use Body Lotion, for extra good measure and a boost in the appearance of boldness and vibrancy. You can use Tattoo after care forever to keep your tattoo looking fresh for years to come.

Do Not Expose Your Skin to the Sun:

Your new tattoo is fragile, especially in its healing stages. Exposure to direct sunlight can cause fading because UV rays absorb into the skin and can break the pigment in your tattoo. For more information, check out the article about how to protect tattoos from the sun.

Keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight for the first two to four weeks. Your fresh wound makes your skin extra sensitive to UV rays, so no tanning!
If you must be outside for long periods, wear clothing that covers the new tattoo. Using sunscreen will also be important to preserving the integrity of the ink. Mad Rabbit offers a tattoo sunscreen with SPF 30 with natural, skin-protecting ingredients. UV rays are the number one reason for tattoo fading (besides age), so protect your body art with sunblock!

Avoid Strenuous Activity or Workouts:

New tattoos are open wounds that can be vulnerable to infection and other damage. Working out can expose the area to bacteria from sweat and gym equipment. You could also overstretch the healing skin and tear scabs with various exercises. Gym and workout clothes could cause rubbing and chaffing to the skin, which could cause more trauma to the area.

You should wait 48 hours before doing light physical activity. Any damage to your tattoo while its healing can affect its appearance and health. It takes four to six weeks for healing, so workout with extreme caution if you choose to do so and understand the risks.

No Tight Clothing:

Much like workout clothes, tight clothes can rub against your skin or cause chaffing. This can pull off scabs, stick to lotion or gels, and cause more pain or discomfort. Scabs are important for healing, and wearing breathable clothes will help keep them intact.

Leave Your Scabs Alone:

As we said, scabbing on your tattoo is crucial to healing. Much like any other cut or scrape, a tattoo is a wound that your body will naturally try to heal on its own. And just like those other open wounds, it can pull out the ink and leave a scar when you pull off or pick at a scab prematurely. Scars over top of ink usually don’t mix well.

Focus on the result. When your tattoo begins to dry out, your first instinct may be to itch it. Don’t. Use your moisturizer, and focus on something else to take your mind off it.

In the last stages of healing, most big flakes will be gone, and the scabs should be going away. You might still see some dead skin, but it should eventually clear up too.

Speaking of fully healed – it will typically take three to four months for the lower layers of the skin to completely heal. By the end of your third month, the tattoo should look as bright and vivid as you and the artist intended – if you don’t pick at your scars.

Don’t Go Swimming (But Don’t Forget To Shower):

Pools, hot tubs, lakes, etc. All great ways to relax and have fun, all ways in which you can catch an infection from bacteria in the water. Not only can an infection damage the look of your new tattoo, but it can also cause much bigger health problems. You can try to “waterproof” your tattoo with coverings and plastic wrap, but it will never be fully protected.

Waiting until your scabs have fully healed is the only way to ensure your safety and health. However, showering is not as optional. Keeping your skin clean is one of the best things you can do for a healing tattoo.

A regular shower regimen keeps bacteria out of your fresh tattoo. If they get into your tattoo, bacteria can cause itchiness and even damage it. You don’t want to end up with a patchy tattoo, right? That’s what we thought.

After your tattoo heals, make sure to exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin cell buildup and keep your tattoo beautiful and vibrant.

Use Lukewarm or Cold Water:

Avoid using hot water when showering or cleaning your tattoo because it can loosen the scabs and pull them off before they have healed. Instead, opt for lukewarm or warm water.

Avoid Drinking Alcohol for a Few Days:

Just as you shouldn’t drink booze before your tattoo appointment, it is the same for the days after. Alcohol, while it might help with the pain, will thin your blood which can lead to excess bleeding and further damage.
Once you see and feel scabs start to form, you can enjoy a drink or two again!

Don’t Shave After Your Tattoo:

Of course, you can shave other parts of your body that haven’t been inked, but running a razor or blade over a new tattoo can cause a lot of damage. It can cut the skin or peel away scabs and damage the fresh ink. This includes using products like Nair because it uses harsh chemicals to remove hair which is another no-no.

Stay Hydrated:

Water is the key to your body’s natural skin barrier. It helps keep your skin clear and elastic. It helps with scarring and healing as well. If nothing else, you need it to stay alive, so what’s an extra glass or two after your tattoo? Drink water. Please.

If your tattoo does become infected after you get it done, we recommend you see a doctor and figure out what’s happening. Listen to your tattoo artist and keep a good tattoo aftercare routine with clean products.