Tattoo Aftercare

Piercing Aftercare - Facial

Piercing Aftercare - Oral

Tattoo Aftercare

Now, you have your fresh new tattoo, and you want to take good care of it! From this point on, your artist is not responsible for any infection or problems you may have with your tattoo if you don't take proper care of it. It is very important that you follow these guidelines. A really beautiful tattoo can turn into a disaster if the proper aftercare is not taken.

Leave That Bandage Alone!

Your artist took the care to cover up your new tattoo for a very good reason - to keep air-born bacteria from invading your wound. Yes, as pretty as your new tattoo is, it is still a wound. Open flesh is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Leave the bandage on for a minimum of three hours. It is even better if you can just keep the bandage on overnight. Excitement of having a new tattoo will make you want to remove the bandage so you can show your friends, but your friends will just have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Wash and Treat

After you remove the bandage, you will want to wash your tattoo. Use lukewarm water and antibacterial soap to gently wash away any ointment and to completely clean the area. Do not use a washcloth or anything abrasive. Your hand is your best tool in this case. Then pat (do not rub) the area firmly with a CLEAN towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a very light application of ointment. TatGuard would be the first choice in ointments, but if you don't have any, use A&D vitamin enriched ointment. Just a tiny bit on the fingertips, rubbed all the way in. Continue this procedure three or four times a day for 5 to 7 days. After that, continue to keep it clean, but you can use lotion when needed (instead of ointment) to keep the skin soft.

Scabbing and Peeling

After a few days, you will notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. You will also start to itch, just like a sunburn when it begins to heal. The advice here is, don't pick, and don't scratch! If the skin itches, slap it. If it is peeling, put lotion on it. And if it is scabbing, just leave it alone. Your tattoo is almost healed, and now is not the time to ruin it!

Protection from the sun

After your tattoo is healed, from now on, you will always want to protect it from the sun's ultraviolet rays. These can fade and damage a brilliant tattoo very fast. Before spending a lot of time in excessive heat, protect your tattoo with a minimum 30SPF sunblock. This will keep your tattoo vibrant for many years, and it will continue to be a source of great pride.

Facial Piercings

Wash your hands thouroughly with an anti-bacterial soap taking care to clean between fingers and under nails before touching your piercing.

Soak a clean cotton swab in the solution and shake off excess. (It is especially important for eyebrow piercings or any ear piercings that the cotton swab is only moist so that excess solution does not run into the eye or ear.)

Let the solution moisten the entry and exit holes of the piercing and remain for one minute to soften any dried matter or discharge which may have formed on the jewelry.

Clean the jewelry's inside and outsides edges completely.

When the jewelry is clean, moisten a new, clean cotton swab and rotate the jewelry back and forth several times cleaning with the swab between each rotation.

Attempt to clean the piercing three (3) times a day throughout the entire healing time.

For the most part Rubbing Alcohol (Isopropyl) and Hydrogen Peroxide are excessively strong and should be avoided completely for care of the piercing.

Oral Piercings

The care of an oral piercing is simple and basically involves a frequent rinsing of the mouth with an antiseptic mouthwash. We generally reccommend purchasing Listerine antiseptic mouthwash and Gly-Oxide for care of these piercings.

Since Listerine has a high alcohol content, it tends to have a stinging sensation. To avoid the discomfort from heavy use, it can be diluted 1:1 with water to make it more mild.

In the first two weeks it is suggested to rinse the mouth with Listerine every three to four hours.

It is also necessary to use the Listerine for the first six weeks after every time that the piercee eats, drinks, or smokes.

The Gly-Oxide is to be used twice a day (typically before bedtime and after waking) directly on the surface of the piercing.

A few drops should be placed at the point where the jewelry meets the skin. (For lip or cheek piercings, this is necessary only for the inside of the mouth.) The Gly-Oxide will bubble or foam and should be allowed to remain for 20-30 seconds.

In the case of threaded jewelry, such as tongue barbells or a circular barbell in the lip, it is best to periodically check the tightness of the jewelry. Cleaning products can sometimes loosen the screw thread of a bead and this will prevent you from losing or, perhaps, swallowing it.

Lastly, piercees with a fresh oral piercing must avoid all oral contact for the duration of the aftercare period. This includes open mouth kissing and oral sex.

Be patient!