Tattoo Aftercare: Advice from a Professional Tattoo Artist

A tattoo is like an investment; if you take care of it properly from the beginning, it can be something you will enjoy for many years to come. But if you don't work at proper healing with good aftercare practices, it can truly take a toll on the finished work, no matter how talented the artist who applied it. So how do you know how you should take care of your new tattoo?

The question of tattoo aftercare is one that has existed almost as long as the tattoo itself, and is a subject that has long been debated by many, both inside the professional tattoo community and out. Every tattoo artist has their own particular recommendation as to the "best" way to heal a new tattoo. If you ask ten different people how they healed their tattoos, you'll likely get almost as many different aftercare methods to choose from. This guide was written to help fill in any gaps in information that may have come up, as well as to offer alternative aftercare directions (from an actual tattoo artist) for those who aren't totally happy with their current tattoo aftercare.

The most obvious place to start learning about aftercare is where your tattoo started: with your tattoo artist. Generally speaking, every artist has his or her own specific aftercare directions that they will give to you, often explained to you at the end of your tattoo and then again given on paper to take home with you. If you're unclear as to exactly what you're supposed to do, don't feel foolish asking for clarification. Remember, your artist wants to see your tattoo heal just as beautifully as you do.

When you leave the tattoo studio, your new tattoo should be bandaged, preferably with something breathable and absorbent. Some artists have taken to wrapping fresh tattoos with plastic wrap, the logic behind this being that the you will leave it on long enough to get it home and clean it properly without unwrapping and rewrapping it six times to show various people on the way. This is potentially one of the worst things you can use as a bandage. It creates an occlusive seal through which oxygen cannot pass and your skin cannot breathe.