Getting a tattoo is the easy part. Healing it properly is where most people mess up — and a bad heal can seriously affect how your tattoo looks long term. Here's exactly what to do.

The first 24 hours

When you leave the studio your tattoo will be wrapped. Leave it alone. Depending on what I use to wrap it, you'll either have a traditional cling wrap or a second skin bandage. If it's cling wrap, remove it after 2-4 hours, wash it gently with clean hands and unscented soap, pat it dry with a clean paper towel, and let it breathe. If it's second skin, you can leave it on for up to 3 days — it's doing the work for you.

Days 2-7

This is the itchy, peeling phase and it's completely normal. Your tattoo will start to peel like a sunburn. Do not pick at it, do not scratch it, do not peel it. I know it's tempting. Don't.

Wash it gently twice a day with unscented soap and apply a thin layer of unscented moisturiser — Lubriderm, Aveeno, or Aquaphor all work well. Thin layer. You're not frosting a cake.

Days 7-14

The surface will look healed but underneath the skin is still doing its thing. Keep moisturising, keep it out of direct sunlight, and avoid anything that's going to soak it — baths, pools, the ocean.

Weeks 2-4

You're mostly in the clear. The tattoo might look a little dull or cloudy — that's normal, it's just the top layer of skin settling. The true colour and crispness comes through around the 4-6 week mark when it's fully healed.

If anything looks genuinely wrong — excessive redness, swelling that's getting worse, unusual discharge — reach out to me or see a doctor. Infections are rare but real.