Whether you’re getting your first tattoo or you barely found space for the next one, taking care of your new tattoo is still equally important. How to care for your tattoo? We’ll explain how to go about it to ensure your fresh tatt looks like new even years down the line.

Once the tattoo is finished the tattoo artist will disinfect it and cover it. For this they may use either a self-adhesive tattoo foil or clingfilm.

SELF-ADHESIVE FOIL

The transparent adhesive dressing Suprasorb is a very flexible self-adhesive foil which isolates the tattoo from environmental impurities and prevents bacteria from getting through to the tattoo. It was developed directly by doctors as a way of dressing and healing open wounds. It’s also suitable for those who spend time in dusty environments. It is waterproof but still lets oxygen through, so the tattoo can breathe under the foil and heals. Which means you can take showers with it on (albeit carefully). After 5-6 days you can peel it off and here is where your tattoo care starts:

First, wash your tattoo with unscented antibacterial soap. Lightly dab it dry with a towel or a kitchen/paper towel. Next apply special cream meant for this purpose, recommended to you by your tattoo artist. You only need to apply a thin layer of the cream. Repeat this process a few times a day, so that the tattoo is never dry. This is how the
tattoo needs to be treated until it is completely healed.

The Suprasorb foil is so far the best way to eliminate the risk of incorrect healing of a new tattoo and speeding up the whole process. That’s why we at Bad Idea studios use mainly this method.

CLINGFILM

In case clingfilm is used, you can take it off 2 hours after being wrapped up. Tattoo care remains the same as with the self-adhesive foil: washing with antibacterial soap and applying the specialised cream onto the tattoo, 4-5 times a day.

Over the course of the first few days the skin expels some of the pigment and blood plasma, which is completely normal. Especially after the first night, be prepared that your pyjamas or bed sheets may get stained. During the healing process make sure never to scratch off the scabs as this will damage the tattoo.

Your new tattoo should heal within 2-3 weeks using this method of care, depending on the healing abilities of your skin.

THE SUMMARY

With a new tattoo you mustn’t do the following:

Allow your fresh tattoo the time to heal. How you take care of it in the very beginning will determine how it will look for the rest of your life.