SKULLYTATTOO.COM     TATTOOS-by-BRETT     H.C.P. ink     BLACK DRAGON TATTOO

TATTOO AFTERCARE

REMOVE BANDAGE IN 2 HOURS.
WASH WITH COOL WATER, ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAP.
PAT DRY WITH A CLEAN TOWEL.
ALLOW TO AIR-DRY FOR THE FIRST DAY, APPLY NOTHING.
ON 2nd DAY BEGIN APPLYING FRAGRANCE-FREE CUREL HAND LOTION.
REPEAT AS NECESSARY, USUALLY 2-4 TIMES A DAY.
STAY OUT OF SUN, POOLS, LAKES, HOT TUBS FOR 2 WEEKS.

DON'T PICK OR SCRATCH TATTOO!!!!!!!

BANDAGE:  Wear bandage for 2 hours to absorb blood that may come to the surface. Gently remove bandage. If it is stuck on your skin simply apply warm water until bandage comes off.  Dispose of properly.
WASH THE TATTOO: Wash tattoo with cool to lukewarm water and only with your hand, no wash cloths. Use fragrance-free, anti-bacterial soap. Your tattoo should feel like a sunburn so be gentle when you wash it. Make sure that any blood is thoroughly washed off.
PAT DRY: Using a CLEAN towel gently pat the tattoo dry, don't rub hard.
LOTION: Your new tattoo needs a little time to dry out so put nothing on it the first day. Starting on the 2nd day you should use Fragrance-Free Curel Hand Lotion. You only need to use a little bit of lotion. Too much and the skin can't breathe, so go easy on the lotion. It won't heal any quicker if you smother it. Fragrance-Free Curel is a alcohol-free lotion so it doesn't burn when you put it on.

THINGS TO AVOID

TANNING: New tattoos are very susceptible to sunburn which in turn leads to color fading. So no tanning beds or direct sunlight for 2 weeks. If you'll simply DIE if you can't go tanning then you should cover the tattoo up with gauze or something similiar to shield it from the harmful rays. Once the tattoo is all healed up then you should ALWAYS use a high intensity sun block lotion whenever you are exposed to any kind of UV light. It only takes a couple of seconds to apply and will help preserve the intensity of the tattoo for years to come. Isn't it worth it to make the effort?
H2O: No pools, lakes, hot tubs, baths, long showers, etc... A new tattoo will soak up the water and cause the healing process to be extended. Keep showers to a minimum and no baths unless the tattoo is on the upper body and can avoid being drenched. The chlorine in treated water (especially pools) can bleach a tattoo and cause damage. The bacteria in lake water should be avoided for fairly obvious reasons.  
PETROLEUM PRODUCTS: DO NOT use Bacitracin, Neosporin, Vaseline, A&D ointment, etc... Too much of any of these products prevents the skin from breathing. The skin has to have oxygen to heal. You can also lose color as the ink has an opportunity to seep out of the tattoo via this thick ointment. Many people have many different methods of healing a tattoo so it is wisest to listen to what your artist tells you to do. You don't know how many times we've had people call us up and say that their tattoo is losing color or something and when asked what they were using on it they would tell us, well my buddy said to use this or that, instead of listening to their artist. So don't be one of those people! Antibiotic ointments purpose is to push out the bad stuff and it can't distinguish between ink and germs so it tries to push everything out. Very bad. Used in moderation some of these products can  and do work but we've had more people have adverse reactions to this stuff so that, my friend, is why we recommend Fragrance-Free Curel.
GERMS: People's hands are the biggest carriers of cooties. Don't let anybody touch your tattoo until it is completely healed. Then let the good times roll!!! The main culprit however, is usually you, so avoid the urge to touch the tattoo other than to lotion the tattoo. After a few days the tattoo will start to itch.

DO NOT PICK OR SCRATCH!!!!! 

Simply apply a dab of lotion and that should take care of the itching.
CLOTHING: Don't wear bras, nylons, socks, tight clothes, or anything which might compromise the healing of your tattoo. If the clothing is rubbing on the tattoo then you have to make adjustments in your attire to avoid complications.

PRINT THIS PAGE

Simply right click, select Print, and there ya go. Very easy. Uses 2 pieces of paper.