Aftercare

Leave the wrap on for as long as I tell you at the studio. It is covering an open wound, and it is doing a job. Wash your hands before you touch it, and take the wrap off slowly under lukewarm water if it sticks.

Rinse with lukewarm water and a fragrance-free soap, using clean hands and nothing else. No cloth, no sponge, no scrubbing. Pat it dry with a paper towel and let it breathe for a few minutes before anything touches it again.

Once the skin is dry, spread a thin layer of unscented moisturizer. Thin is the word that matters: a thick coat traps moisture, softens the scab and slows everything down. Two or three times a day is enough.

Wash in the morning, wash at night, moisturize after each one. Clean hands every single time. That is the whole routine, and the rest of the day the best thing you can do is leave it alone.

Around the third day the skin starts to flake and the piece can look cloudy or dull underneath. That is normal and it passes. Never scratch it, and never pull a flake that is still attached. It comes off when it is ready.

No pools, baths, saunas, direct sun or the gym until it is fully healed. That is about two weeks. Showers are fine. Anything that soaks the skin or floods it with bacteria is not.

Some redness and warmth in the first days is part of it. Redness that spreads, swelling that grows, a bad smell or any discharge is not. If you see any of that, see a doctor first and message me after.

Sunscreen for the rest of its life. Sun fades a tattoo faster than time does. Keep the skin looked after and the piece holds its weight for decades.