Aftercare

Before you book an appointment, please ensure you have fully read, understand, and agree to all of the terms and information provided in the ‘General Information’, ‘Appointment Information’, and ‘Aftercare’ pages. Your agreement to these terms and information is assumed upon booking. If you need clarification or have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out via email.

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding, which facilitates a smooth and enjoyable experience for both of us.

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It is your responsibility to care for the tattoo after you leave the appointment. Your tattoo is an open wound, and as such the healing time, process, and outcome may be affected by factors including, but not limited to; the quality of your skin and immune system, any aftercare products or methods used, the cleanliness of any person/item/fabric/environment your tattoo comes into contact with or is subjected to, and any numbing agents/pain relief/medication used before or during the tattoo or healing process.

Aftercare Products and Methods

The products used on you during the tattoo are the same products I stock for aftercare:

  • Balm Tattoo Foam Wash 200ml $36

  • Balm Tattoo Aftercare Balm 50g $34.20

In most instances, the 200ml foam wash and 50g aftercare balm should last most, if not all, of a full sleeve. Alternatively, you may continue to use your regular daily moisturiser (e.g. QV, Dermaveen, etc) provided it is not too thick and does not contain any irritants (e.g. exfoliants, tanning products, etc). You may also continue to use your regular liquid, non-scented soap provided it does not contain any irritants (e.g. exfoliants, etc), although an antibacterial soap is recommended. 

If you need to wrap your tattoo (e.g. work, hobbies, sleep, etc), I also stock:

  • Tattoo Armour Sheets (pack of 10 individual sheets) M/L/XL $15.50/$19.50/$22.50

As discussed at your appointment, you will need to follow either the ‘tattoo armour’ method or ‘uncovered’ method outlined below:

    1. Clean the tattoo thoroughly with foam wash or your regular soap and warm water, ensuring you remove all excess plasma and blood. Make sure your hands are clean before you touch the tattoo, and that you thoroughly wash off all the soap residue.

    2. Pat the area dry with paper towel, do not rub the area as this can cause irritation.
      Apply a very thin layer of aftercare balm or your regular moisturiser - less is more! A slight sheen is okay but visible balm/moisturiser is generally too much and can inhibit the healing process.

    3. Carefully place the Tattoo Armour sheet on the tattoo, ensuring proper coverage with some padding between the tattoo and 'normal' skin. You may cut the sheet once with clean dry scissors, but please do not create a mosaic of tiny little pads as this may not work as intended.

    4. Fix the sheet in place with medical tape, ensuring a comfortable and tight fit, and go about your day or night as normal.

    5. Keep the sheets on for 6-8 hours, after which time you should remove the sheets and repeat steps 1-5. You may notice when you remove the sheets that the absorbed plasma resembles the tattoo. Please note: you do not need to wake up during the night to replace the pads, as you will be moving less and so bleeding less in your sleep.

    6. Once the sheets come off clean, continue to repeat steps 1-3 at least morning and night for the following 10-21 days to prevent dryness and maintain your skins health.

    7. At/around 3-4 days, 1-1.5 weeks, and 4 weeks, you should email me clear, high-quality photos or organise a time for me to take photos to assess whether or not you need any touch ups, and to see how my work has healed.

    1. As soon as you get home, or as soon as possible otherwise, clean the tattoo thoroughly with foam wash or your regular soap and warm water, ensuring you remove all excess plasma and blood. Make sure your hands are clean before you touch the tattoo, and that you thoroughly wash off all the soap residue.

    2. Pat the area dry with paper towel, do not rub the area as this can cause irritation.

    3. Repeat steps 1-2 at least morning and night, as well as at any point in the day if the tattoo is weeping excessively or if any weep/blood has begun to dry on the surface - you want to get that off before it dries as this can lead to excessive scabbing.

    4. After the tattoo has stopped weeping and has begun to dry out, generally around day 3-4, you may begin to apply a very thin layer of aftercare balm or your regular moisturiser once or twice a day, or more often if it begins to feel incredibly tight and dry. Less really is more here. A slight sheen is okay but visible balm/moisturiser is generally too much and can inhibit the healing process.

    5. Repeat steps 1-4 for the next 10-21 days, ensuring you continue to moisturise morning and night until all of the minor flaking has subsided and the tattoo has fully healed.

    6. At/around 3-4 days, 1-1.5 weeks, and 4 weeks, you should email me clear, high-quality photos or organise a time for me to take photos to assess whether or not you need any touch ups, and to see how my work has healed.

General Do’s and Don’ts

DO

  • clean your tattoo thoroughly at least twice a day (morning and night) with the foam wash or your regular soap, rinse with cold water making sure to remove all soap residue, and pat dry with paper towel

  • allow your tattoo to breathe as much as possible.

  • ensure you only touch your tattoo with clean hands.

  • ensure all clothing, bedding, towels, etc that come into contact with your tattoo are clean.

  • avoid wearing tight-fitting clothing as this can lead to irritation.

  • apply a very thin layer of aftercare balm or your regular moisturiser at least twice a day (morning and night) as recommended above to aid hydration and comfort.

  • avoid sunlight during the healing process, as you should not use sunscreen on a healing tattoo

  • use and reapply SPF50+ daily once the tattoo has fully healed (not just at the beach) to protect your tattoo from the damage of sun exposure

  • wait until your tattoo is no longer weeping (generally day 3-4) before working out, and be sure to wear loose-fitting clothing, shower immediately after, and prevent the tattoo from making direct contact with any equipment or person

  • avoid contact sports (e.g. football, martial arts, etc) until your tattoo has fully healed to minimise the risk of infection and damage to the tattoo

DO NOT

  • wash your tattoo with any soap that contains exfoliants or other irritants

  • leave soap residue on your tattoo, as this can lead to irritation and can inhibit the healing process

  • use aftercare balm or moisturiser while it is still weeping (unless following the tattoo armour method)

  • use thick (e.g. Bepanthen) or excessive amounts of aftercare balm or moisturiser, as this can smother your tattoo and inhibit the healing process

  • pick, scratch at, or exfoliate any scabs or flaking - just let them come off in their own time.

  • allow other persons or any animals on or near your healing tattoo - it isn't worth the risk!

  • allow any fabric, item, or environment that may harbour bacteria (e.g. loofah, bag strap, dust, dirty water) on or near your healing tattoo

  • go swimming or soak (e.g. bath, pools, spas, creeks, dams, oceans) your tattoo until it has fully healed

  • sun bake or use fake tan until your tattoo has fully healed

Healing Stages

Days 1-4

  • redness, aching, swelling, and weeping (plasma) are all normal and to be expected

  • you make take ibuprofen, elevate the area, and apply ice packs wrapped in clean paper towel for short periods to reduce swelling

Days 5-14

  • your tattoo should be drying out by now, or may be dry already

  • flaking should begin, and some scabs may form

  • allow your body to heal naturally - do not pick or scratch at any scabs, as this will cause damage and may prolong the healing process

Days 14+

  • any remaining scabs will fall off naturally when they are ready

  • itching and tenderness may persist for a few more weeks, as while the superficial healing is generally complete within the first 2-4 weeks, it actually takes your body around 8-12 weeks to completely heal the epidermis

  • provided there are no excessive scabs, normal activities such as swimming can resume and you should begin the daily use of SPF50+ again

Signs of Infection or Allergic Reaction

  • a rash or bumps in the tattooed area

  • pus or discoloured fluid (not to be confused with plasma, the clear liquid that weeps initially and in the first few days to aid healing)

  • fever or chills

  • warmth, redness, pain, or swelling that gets worse over time

If you are at all worried about anything that occurs during the healing process please get in touch as soon as possible with clear photos, and stop the use of aftercare balm or moisturiser.

Touch Ups

A complimentary touch up is provided between 1-6 months after each session, to ensure the tattoo is sufficiently healed and minimise the risk of significant sun damage. For multi-session pieces, the complimentary touch up may occur in each subsequent session for the previous session's work or as one final session after the piece is complete, at my discretion. You must send through clear, high-quality photos of the tattoo or else organise a time for me to take photos within six weeks of the previous tattoo appointment to assess whether or not a touch up is required.

A touch up generally covers:

  • going over linework that hasn't healed solid, or may not connect fully to an area it is supposed to

  • a section of colour or shading that is meant to be solid that has healed patchy

  • issues occurring during the healing process that have caused a line or section of ink to drop out or heal patchy rather than solid

The complimentary touch up is forfeit in the event of:

  • failure to send photos, or organise a time for me to take photos, within six weeks of the appointment

  • touch ups requested before one month or occurring after six months

  • the use of numbing agents before or during the tattoo healing process

  • additions or changes to the tattoo that differ from the original design

  • high-risk areas (e.g. fingers, hands, feet, knees, elbows), unless part of a larger piece. 

Not sure if you need one? That's totally fine, most people don't; however, if there is a part of the tattoo you are unsure of, or unhappy with, please send me clear, high-quality photos of both the tattoo as a whole and the particular section for me to assess. Regardless of whether the request falls outside the specified terms or time frames, I am always happy to rework or touch up any of my work, and will advise if there is a cost involved to do so.