Tattoo Aftercare Day by Day

Aug 26, 2021 | brookline agency

Once you’ve gotten a tattoo, it’s very important that you follow a routine for your tattoo aftercare, day by day. When you know what to expect, and how to handle any side effects of a healing tattoo, you’ll know how to keep your tattoo healthy and your skin comfortable. Here’s the plan we follow for tattoo aftercare day by day:

Day 1:

The first day of your tattoo healing process starts during your tattoo session. Your tattoo artist will set the stage for a good healing process by carefully cleaning the area and bandaging your ink.

tattoo artist using HUSH Soap on forearm tattoo

Tips: The most important step you can take on the first day of your tattoo aftercare is to understand your tattoo artist’s instructions completely. If you are unsure of any steps of your tattoo aftercare day by day, be sure to ask them for clarification.

Days 2 & 3:

You’ll likely be removing your bandage on day 2 of your tattoo healing process (if you didn’t already on day 1). At this point, you’ll be feeling the effects of your immune system responding to the tattoo. Remember that your body views the tattoo as a wound, so your tattoo aftercare day by day takes into account the natural responses to an injury. You’ll experience some discomfort, redness, swelling, and oozing. If you have redness that extends outside the tattoo area or severe pain, contact your tattoo artist right away, or seek medical help. Most people do not have these more severe issues, especially if they take good care of the tattoo site as part of their day-by-day tattoo aftercare.

Tips: Keeping your tattoo clean is the most important job in your aftercare process right now. One of the best ways to do this is to find the right tattoo aftercare soap. You’ll want a soap that can clean the area effectively, as well as be gentle on the healing skin. HUSH’s CBD foaming soap is one of the best products you can buy to help with your tattoo aftercare.

Days 4 - 7:

As you finish the first week after your tattoo, you’ll continue to experience some discomfort and swelling. Stay on top of the aftercare regimen that your tattoo artist recommended, focusing on proper cleaning. There are also some important “don’ts” for your tattoo aftercare day by day. These include:

Don’t soak in water like a tub or pool
Don’t let your tattoo get direct sun exposure
Don’t pick at scabs on your tattoo
Don’t touch your tattoo except for during cleaning (this can be difficult if your tattoo is itchy, but the right products during your tattoo session, and the right soap for the aftercare period can help reduce side effects)

Days 8 - 14:

By this point, some of the first week’s side effects should be lessening. Some people find that their discomfort is less, but that their itching continues or even gets a little worse. Itching is normal during this week, and you can expect scabs may be falling off. The combo of itching and loosening scabs is enough to make anyone want to pick at the tattoo area. But don’t! It’s so important to leave your tattoo untouched as much as possible. Picking at scabs can even disturb the healing ink, causing distortion to the tattoo.

Days 15-30:

Now you should be through the hardest part of the tattoo healing process. The big scabs should be gone, and the itching should be less noticeable. If you still have some small scabs, mild discomfort, and redness, that’s ok. However, if the area is very red, is getting more uncomfortable, or doesn’t seem to be healing, contact your tattoo artist. Even though you’ll be feeling more comfortable, it’s still important to follow your tattoo aftercare instructions. This will include keeping the area clean, out of the sun, and moisturized.

Days 31+

Although it may seem like tattoo aftercare is in the past, it’s still important to follow some basic steps after the first month of healing. It is unlikely that you’ll get an infection at this point, but you still want to keep the area clean. You’ll also still want to avoid too much direct sun and be careful with the area. It can seem like the tattoo aftercare process takes forever, you’ll soon be through it. A tattoo is a lifetime investment, so it’s worth doing everything possible to follow the recommended tattoo aftercare day by day. HUSH’s products - especially the CBD foaming soap - are a great way to help your tattoo heal well.