How your tattoo heals decides how it looks for the rest of your life. Follow this guide exactly, even if a friend or the internet says otherwise. If anything worries you, message the studio with a photo.
The first 24 hours
Your artist will cover the tattoo with a clear second-skin film. Leave it on for 24 hours. Fluid, ink and a little blood will pool under the film. This is normal and is not a sign that anything is wrong.
Remove the film early only if it leaks, lifts enough to let water in, or the skin around it turns red and itchy, which can indicate a reaction to the adhesive.
Removing the film
Wash your hands. Stand under a warm shower and peel the film back slowly along the skin, not up and away from it. Wash the tattoo gently with fragrance-free soap, using your fingertips only. Rinse, pat dry with a clean paper towel and let it air for ten minutes.
You may apply a fresh sheet of film for up to three more days, or continue without it.
Days 2 to 4
Wash the tattoo twice a day, morning and night, the same way. Do not apply balm yet unless the skin feels tight and dry. Wear loose, clean cotton over the area and sleep on clean sheets. Expect redness, warmth and some tenderness, much like a sunburn.
Days 5 to 14
The tattoo will flake, peel and itch. Do not scratch and do not pick. Peeling skin that is pulled away early takes ink with it.
Apply a very thin layer of balm two or three times a day, about the size of a grain of rice for a palm-sized area. If the tattoo looks glossy, you have used too much; blot the excess with a paper towel.
Weeks 3 to 6
The surface will look healed but may appear cloudy or slightly shiny. The deeper layers are still settling. Moisturise once a day and keep it out of strong sun. Colours and blacks sharpen as the new skin matures.
What to avoid for at least two weeks
Swimming pools, the sea, baths, saunas and steam rooms. Showers are fine; keep them short.
Direct sunlight and tanning. Do not put sunscreen on a healing tattoo; cover it with loose clothing instead.
Gym sessions and sports that make the area sweat heavily, stretch or rub on equipment or mats.
Tight clothing, straps, watch bands and waistbands across the tattoo.
Petroleum jelly, antiseptic creams, scented lotions and anything not recommended by your artist.
Shaving over the tattoo until it has fully finished peeling.
Pets on the bed and anyone else touching it.
Healing in Mumbai weather
Heat and humidity slow healing and make over-moisturising a real risk. Use less balm than you think you need, change out of sweaty clothes quickly and rinse the tattoo with clean water after a commute in the monsoon. If you have been caught in the rain, wash and dry it properly as soon as you are home.
What is normal and what is not
Normal: redness and warmth for two to three days, clear or ink-coloured fluid on day one, flaking, itching, a dull or milky look in weeks two and three.
Not normal: redness that spreads after day three, increasing pain, swelling, yellow or green discharge, a bad smell, red streaks, or a fever. See a doctor promptly and let us know.
Long-term care
Sun fades tattoos more than anything else. Once healed, use SPF 50 on exposed tattoos every time you are outdoors. Moisturised skin holds ink better, so a little balm or lotion a few times a week keeps black looking black.
Your check-up and touch-up
Come back four to six weeks after your session so your artist can see the healed result. One touch-up within six months is free where the aftercare has been followed.
Questions
Call +91 22 5550 0177 or write to hello@ironhand.example. We are in both studios from 11:00 to 21:00 every day.