Tattoo aftercare: the first weeks.

Your artist's instructions come first

There is no single aftercare method: studios use different, well-established approaches and different dressings. Follow the written instructions you receive for your tattoo. This guide covers the general principles health organisations agree on — it does not replace your artist's instructions or a doctor's advice.

The first hours

How long the tattoo stays covered depends on the dressing. It can be a few hours, or several days with some film dressings — your artist will tell you exactly when and how to remove it. In the first days it is normal for a new tattoo to feel warm and tender, to look a little red and slightly swollen, and to weep some clear or ink-tinted fluid. These should ease day by day.

Washing and moisturising

• Wash your hands before touching the tattoo, and touch it as little as you can.
• Wash gently with lukewarm water and a little mild, fragrance-free soap — usually about twice a day, or as your artist advises. Don't scrub.
• Pat dry with a clean paper towel, or let it air-dry.
• Apply a thin film of the product your artist recommends — a light layer, not a thick coat.
• A healing tattoo does not need antibiotic or antiseptic creams unless a doctor prescribes them.

Showers yes, soaking no

Short showers are fine. What a healing tattoo must avoid is soaking: baths, the sea, pools, hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, lakes and rivers — until it has fully healed, not just until it looks fine on top. Public-health guidance treats a recent tattoo as an open wound and advises keeping open wounds out of the sea. Read more in swimming after a tattoo.

Sun and heat

Keep a healing tattoo out of direct sun: loose, breathable clothing over it and shade are the simplest protection. While it heals, cover it rather than putting sunscreen on it, unless your artist or doctor advises otherwise. Once it has healed, protect it like the rest of your skin with broad-spectrum, water-resistant SPF 30 or higher, reapplied at least every two hours. See tattoos and the sun.

Exercise and clothing

While it heals, avoid activities that make the tattooed area rub or stay soaked in sweat. If you do exercise, clean and dry the area gently afterwards. Wear loose, clean clothing over it — tight straps, waistbands, swimwear edges and rough fabric can rub a healing tattoo and stick to it.

Itching, peeling and healing time

Itching is a normal part of healing: don't scratch, and a thin layer of your recommended product can help. Light peeling, flaking and some thin scabbing are normal in the first weeks — let them come away on their own, because picking can pull out ink. Most tattoos settle on the surface within a few weeks, but the skin underneath keeps healing for longer, often a couple of months or more. See how long a tattoo takes to heal.

When to see a doctor

See a doctor promptly if redness, swelling or pain are getting worse instead of better, the area feels hot, there is pus or a bad smell, or you have a fever or chills. Red streaks spreading from the tattoo, a high fever or feeling generally unwell need urgent medical care — don't wait. An itchy rash, blisters or raised bumps in the tattoo can be an allergic reaction: stop your aftercare products and see a doctor or dermatologist. Please let the studio know too.

Common mistakes

• Touching the tattoo with unwashed hands.
• Picking, scratching or peeling the flakes.
• Swimming or soaking too soon.
• Letting it catch the sun.
• Tight clothing over it.
• Too much cream.
• Antibiotic creams “just in case”.
• Waiting too long to get worsening redness, pain or swelling checked.

General information, not medical advice. Your artist's instructions come first; for anything worrying, see a doctor.