During First 24 Hours

After an artist has finished the work, a tattoo will be covered with a special protective bandage, however you still need to be careful. Let it rest and avoid any hard-physical activities that make your blood run faster and increase blood pressure. Since the bandage is waterproof, you can take a shower, but no more than 10 minutes, but not too hot and without water directly hitting onto your fresh.

After 24 Hours

When your first 24 hours passed, here are some steps Flame Wise Ink artists strongly suggest following:

1. Wash hands with soap, carefully remove the bandage under the running water.
2. Gently wash a tattoo only with clean hands and soap.
3. Pat dry a tattoo with paper towels (DO NOT WIPE), after you have used paper towels, do not reuse them.
4. Air dry the tattoo for 20 minutes.
5. Apply a new tattoo bandage, watch the video tutorial: flamewiseink.ca/bandage.
6. Keep the bandage on for the next 7 days.

Stage №1: Days 1-6

When you get a tattoo, you can see how it will look after it heals completely. But the tattoo you just got is still an open wound, because the needles have penetrated the dermis (the second layer) of your skin. During these six days you will experience swelling, redness, and some oozing that gradually gets better after a few days. Don’t be scared, you can see some blood, plasma or colourful liquid under the bandage that eventually dries out on its own and leaves a crispy appearance under it and it’s normal. Once the bandage comes off, there might be an imprint of your tattoo on it. Swelling and redness go away within 2-4 days, if it stays longer it’s not a good sign, so please contact your tattoo artist.

Stage №2: Days 7-14

After the first six days of swelling and redness, the next stage will come. These days are basically about itching and flaking and it will continue until all layers of dead skin and scabs have fallen off.
When day 8 comes after the tattoo session, it means it’s time to take the bandage off. Here are the steps on how to take it off:

1. Wash hands with soap, carefully remove the bandage under the running water.
2. Gently wash a tattoo with only clean hands and soap.
3. Gently tap a tattoo with a moisturizing cream in 3-4 areas, slowly work out each area to achieve a thin layer of cream across a tattooed area, covering surrounding skin as well. A thin layer is good enough, don’t put too much as you’re risking over moisturizing your tattoo that will interfere with the healing process.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 two times a day for the next 30 days.

Stage №3: Day 15-30

After itching and flaking, your tattoo might look slightly cloudy or light for a few weeks, as your dermis still continues its rejuvenation, so saying that you have to continue taking care of it. Do not forget that skin care recommendations are the key to a smooth healing process. After 30 days, we recommend you moisturize a tattoo at least once a week and use sunscreen to protect a tattoo when it’s exposed to the direct sunlight.