Tattoo Aftercare In San Antonio

Learn how to take care of your tattoo after getting one from us. Keep your tattoo colors bright with clean and crisp lines, for years to come. Give us a call or stop by the shop if you’d like, also.

Why is the aftercare of your New tattoo, so important?

A tattoo is more than just a work of art or a way to express yourself. Because the artist uses a needle to inject the ink beneath your skin, it’s also medical treatment. This makes Tattoo Aftercare important for anyone who just got a new tattoo. 

Any time you open your skin, you leave yourself with infection and scarring.

By carefully caring for your tattoo, you may avoid these difficulties and guarantee that it heals properly. This is a collaborative effort between you and your tattoo artist at Still Waters Tattoo Studio. You must also take care of your new tattoo at home, in addition to seeing a licensed and reputed tattoo artist at our tattoo shop in San Antonio, if you have questions or need additional aftercare help or assistance. Here is our phone number: (210) 530-4300 , just call us. 

However, determining how to care for your tattoo might be difficult. In many states, tattoo artists are not required to provide aftercare instructions. States that do require aftercare instructions frequently allow the artist to choose which details to include.

Continue reading for a day-by-day guide on tattoo care, including Aftercare Products and more. Still Waters cares about our customers health and we want your tattoo to stay beautiful and bright for years to come. 

Table of Contents

Tattoo Aftercare Instructions

As soon as your tattoo is completed, you must begin aftercare.

Your Tattoo Should Be Covered.

  After applying a small coating of antibiotic ointment to the tattoo, the artist should wrap it in a bandage or plastic wrap. This barrier keeps microorganisms from penetrating your skin. It also protects the tattoo from getting inflamed by rubbing against your garments.

Wear the dressing for as long as your tattoo artist suggests, which could be only a few hours. It will aid in the absorption of any liquid or extra ink that may leak from the tattoo.

Wash The Tattoo Gently.

You can remove the covering after a few hours. Wash your hands with soap and water first. Then, using warm water and a fragrance-free soap, carefully wash the tattoo. Using a soft cloth, pat your skin dry.
Apply a little amount of unscented, alcohol-free moisturizer to the tattoo. At this point, you can remove the covering to allow your skin to air.

Learn How To Take Care Of Your New Tattoo- Still Waters Tattoo Studio (210) 530-4300

Allow Time For It To Heal.

  While your tattoo cures, you should do the following:

  • Wear clothing that protects the tattooed area from the sun
  • If you have any indications of infection or other complications, contact your tattoo artist or your doctor.

 

Cover your tattoo with sunscreen until it is completely healed.

You Must Not Do:

  • Do not scratch your tattoo
  • Pick at the tattoo
  • Do not swim or submerge your body in water (showers are fine)
Tattoo Aftercare Instructions- Still Waters Tattoo Studio (210) 530-4300

Tattoo Aftercare Steps- What To Do Each Day

The size and complexity of your tattoo will determine how soon you heal. Because larger tattoos inflict more harm to your skin, they will stay red and swollen for longer.

Day One:

Your tattoo will be wrapped in a bandage or plastic wrap when you go home from the tattoo shop. You can remove it off after a few hours.

You should inquire with your artist about how long you should expect to wait. The type and size of your tattoo may influence your recommendations. Some tattoo artists recommend only covering your tattoo for 1 or 2 hours.

You’ll probably notice fluid oozing from the tattoo after the covering is removed. This is a mixture of blood, plasma (the transparent part of the blood), and excess ink. It’s perfectly natural. Your skin will be red and irritated. To the touch, it may feel slightly hot.

Wash the tattoo with warm water and a fragrance-free soap with clean hands. Apply a moisturizer that is fragrance-free and alcohol-free. To allow the tattoo to heal, leave the covering.

What To Use For Tattoo Aftercare- Still Waters Tattoo Studio (210) 530-4300

Days Two And Three:

  Your tattoo will appear duller and cloudier at this point. As your skin heals, this happens. Scabs will start to appear.

Apply a fragrance-free and alcohol-free moisturizer on your tattoo once or twice a day.

You could notice some ink going down the drain as you wash. This is simply ink that has leaked through your skin.

Days Four Through Six:

  The redness should start to recede after a few days.

Over the tattoo, you’ll probably notice some minor scabbing. The scabs won’t be as thick as scabs from self-inflicted cuts, but they will be elevated. Picking at the scabs might result in scarring.

Wash your tattoo once or twice a day to keep it clean. Apply a moisturizer that is fragrance-free and alcohol-free.

Six To Fourteen Days:

  The scabs have hardened and are starting to break away.

Picking at them or attempting to pull them off is not a good idea. Allow them to fall off naturally. Otherwise, you risk scarring yourself by removing the ink.

Your skin may be extremely irritating at this point. To ease the itch, apply a fragrance-free, alcohol-free moisturizer several times a day.

You may develop an infection if your tattoo is still red and puffy at this point. Return to your tattoo artist or seek a medical doctor.

Fifteen To Thirty Days:

  Most of the large flakes should have disappeared by this point, and the scabs should be dissolving. You may still notice some dead skin, but that should fade over time.

The tattooed area may remain dry and drab. Continue moisturizing until the skin appears to be moisturized once more.

The outer layers of skin should have healed by the second or third week. The lowest layers may take 3 to 4 months to completely heal.

The tattoo should be as bright and vibrant as the artist intended by the end of the third month.

Tattoo Aftercare Products- Still Waters Tattoo Studio (210) 530-4300
Tattoo Aftercare Lotions- Still Waters Tattoo Studio (210) 530-4300

Tattoo Aftercare Products

To Clean The Area, Use A Mild, Fragrance-Free Soap Or A Specifically Made Tattoo Cleanser.

A Tattoo-Specific Cleaner can be recommended by one of our Tattoo Artist at Still Waters Tattoo Studio.

The following products are available for purchase online as soap options:

  • Dove Sensitive Skin Beauty Bar
  • Liquid Neutrogena
  • Dial Gold Antibacterial Deodorant Bar Soap (tattoo artists commonly recommend this soap even though it isn’t fragrance-free)
  • Use an ointment like A+D Original Ointment or Aquaphor

Healing Ointment, Or The Product Prescribed By Your Tattoo Artist, To Help The Tattoo Heal For The First Day Or Two.

It’s advisable to stay away from 100% petroleum-based products like Vaseline. Petroleum-based products, according to the American Academy of Dermatology, can cause the ink to fade.

There is one exception, according to Still Waters Tattoo Studio: Vaseline may be helpful while showering. Vaseline is nonporous (watertight), therefore you can apply it to your tattoo before stepping into the shower to protect it from being sprayed with water.

Vaseline may also be helpful on healed tattoos or the skin surrounding the tattoo if it is really dry.

Just a small layer will apply. Your skin will be unable to breathe if you apply too thick a layer.

You can use a standard moisturizer after about 2 days. The following are some of the products that may be purchased online:

  • Lubriderm Fragrance-Free Daily Moisture Lotion
  • Aveeno Dry Skin Daily Moisturizing Body Lotion
  • Curél Fragrance-Free Lotion 
  • Intensive Repair Lotion by Eucerin

  Make sure it’s fragrance and alcohol-free, whatever you choose. Also, make sure it doesn’t contain any ingredients that could dry out your skin, such as colored dye.

Your tattoo can be as beautiful as any tattoo you have seen on actors or celebrities if it is properly cared for.

Tattoo Aftercare Using Coconut Oil

  Coconut oil has long been used on tattoos by Polynesian people, such as Samoans. They put it on after the tattoo is finished or after it has healed. One great advantage is that it enhances the design.

Coconut oil, according to some websites, keeps the skin behind your tattoo moist and protects it from infection. However, there is only anecdotal data, and there is no scientific proof that it helps.

Before using coconut oil or any other untested products for your tattoo, ask your doctor. And, if have an allergy, of course, don’t use a Product For Tattoo Aftercare that has that ingredient.

If you have an emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Don’t let something weird with your tattoo continue to get worse. Also, you call always call the Tattoo Experts at Still Waters Tattoo Studio. Call us at: (210) 530-4300 or just stop by our shop on McCullough Ave. Click here for directions to the tattoo shop. 

FAQ- Tattoo Aftercare Questions & Answers

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions and answers about Tattoo Aftercare. 

 
What should you not do after a tattoo?

Answer:

13 Things to Avoid After Getting a Tattoo
  • Doing Nothing After Getting a Tattoo. …
  • Exposure to Direct Sunlight. …
  • Touching, Picking, Scratching, and Rubbing. …
  • Shaving. …
  • Neosporin and Medicated Ointment. …
  • Excess Exposure to Water. …
  • Avoid tight fitting clothes that don’t breathe well. …
  • Over-Treating the Tattoo.
How long is tattoo aftercare?
Answer: 
How long does it take for a tattoo to heal? After getting a tattoo, the outer layer of skin (the part you can see) will typically heal within 2 to 3 weeks. While it may look and feel healed, and you may be tempted to slow down on the aftercare, it can take as long as 6 months for the skin below a tattoo to truly heal.
 
What do you do first 24 hours after a tattoo?
Answer:
First 24 hours
  1. Leave bandage on for 1 hour. …
  2. Wash tattoo with mild soap and cold water, being certain to remove any ointment or blood. …
  3. DO NOT apply any ointment during the first 2 – 3 Days. …
  4. Wash tattoo with mild soap and cold water, being certain to remove any ointment or blood.
How long after getting a tattoo should you keep it dry?
Answer:
You should ask your artist for specifics about how long to wait. Recommendations will vary and may be based on the type and size of your tattoo. Some tattoo artists suggest that you only keep your tattoo covered for 1 or 2 hours. Once the covering comes off, you’ll probably notice fluid oozing from the tattoo.