Three Keys For Healthy Healing

  • Listen to your artist.

    They poured their heart & soul into their art that is now on your body. They want the best possible outcome—a well healed tattoo that reflects well on them. If your artist gives you different instructions than what we are giving you here, talk to them about it. An experienced artist knows what they’re talking about and what works best for their tattoos.

  • Listen to your body.

    Read the Tips section below and call your doctor if you experience any of these or other unusual symptoms following your tattoo appointment.

  • This ArtCare is recommendation only, not medical advice.

    Long Live Tattoos takes no responsibility for the adverse healing of your tattoo. You are responsible to seek out and follow the advice of your own artist and/or your doctor with any issues related to your tattoo care.

for New Tattoos

Keep Your Tattoo Covered

Your artist covered it to protect it. Keep the bandage on for 4-6 hours or overnight. If your artist covered it with a transparent, breathable, adhesive dressing (known as Tegaderm, Saniderm, SecondSkin, to name a few), you can leave that dressing on for up to 7 days. If the dressing begins to leak, has holes in it, is no longer is sticking to your skin, or your skin is red & itchy, remove it and gently wash your tattoo.

 

Removing the Bandage & Washing

First wash your hands with our fragrance-free, antibacterial soap, DEFEND. Slowly peel the dressing back over itself. Low and slow is key. Always stabilize the skin next to the dressing with your other hand while you are peeling it back. Running lukewarm water over the tattoo and dressing while peeling can help it peel more easily.

Use lukewarm water and suds to wash the tattooed area, gently removing any traces of fluid or blood. Use just your fingertips, not a towel or loofah. Rinse with lukewarm water and air dry completely. Do not replace the bandage. Your tattoo needs air to breathe in order to heal. Washing your tattoo with antibacterial soap will lessen the risk of infection, which in turn will improve and speed up the healing process.

 

Hydrate and Nourish

After your tattoo is completely clean and completely dry (30 – 45 minutes of air-drying), apply a THIN layer of 25toLIFE all-natural tattoo lotion and gently rub it into the area. 25toLIFE is specifically formulated to promote healing and regenerate tattooed skin cells and does not contain any ingredients that can clog pores or suffocate your tattoo of the air it needs to heal. Air is crucial for scabs to form and scabs are crucial for the skin beneath to begin to heal. The breathable hydration 25toLIFE provides is critical to protect your tattoo from drying out and cracking until the scabs have fully healed. Use it every 6 hours, or more if needed, to keep your tattoo hydrated and nourished for the first 25 days of healing.

Aftercare Cautions

Sun

To keep the colour, lines, and detail in your tattoo smooth and defined, you must keep your tattoo out of the sun. Do not use sunscreen while your tattoo is healing. Rather, cover your fresh ink with clothing or stay out of the sun until healing is complete. Here’s why… The tattooing process makes the skin hyper-sensitive to UVA and UVB rays. UVA rays penetrate deep into the skin, breaking down the ink. White blood cells then carry the ink particles away leaving the remaining ink looking splotchy, faded and blurred. Colour distortion may also occur as the ink concentration lowers, leaving colors looking dull and black ink looking blue or greenish. This damage happens over time and you may not notice it until it is too late. UVB rays cause sunburn and blistering which results in ink loss, distortion, and definitely delays healing. When the tattoo finally heals after the burn, you may be left with scarring and the ink may look faded, with blurry edges and lines. Again, do not use sunscreen while your tattoo is healing. You must protect it by keeping it out of the sun or covering it with loose fitting clothing. Sun damage cannot be reversed, so ongoing protection is critical.

Water

Hot water is damaging for the scabs that are forming, as they can loosen and fall off before the skin beneath is fully healed. Hot water will also open the pores, leaving increased risk of infection. Shower cautiously, protecting the tattoo from hot water or rubbing. Until your tattoo is completely healed, stay away from pools, hot tubs, lakes and spas which contain harmful bacteria and leave your tattoo at risk of infection. Avoid any prolonged water contact. Submerging an unhealed tattoo in the first 25 days can cause the scab to soften and release, resulting in a poor heal, and potentially scars. After 25 days of using 25toLIFE, most tattoos are ready for the pool again. Everyone heals at a different rate, so be sure your tattoo is completely healed and scab-free before entering water or using hot water, even if that takes longer than 25 days.

Activity

Be careful not to inadvertently stretch the tattooed skin. Exercise and household chores could cause trauma to the healing skin or expose the area to bacteria from sweat. Be cautious with any activity that could expose the skin to rubbing, stretching, bacteria or trauma, particularly in the first few days, and up to several weeks after the tattoo is fully healed. Use 25toLIFE lotion for 25 days to improve the speed and quality of healing. Continue to use it daily after the 25 days to keep the area hydrated and the skin elastic. More on that below.

Sleeping

It is best to sleep with your tattoo exposed, trying not to sleep directly on it. Be sure your bedding and pyjamas are freshly washed. If you find your tattoo is stuck to your sheet in the morning, take it with you to the shower and carefully wet it off with lukewarm water.

What to Wear

Loose clothing is best. Tight fitting clothing will rub your skin and pull at the scab. The scab is crucial to protect for the skin beneath to heal without scarring.

What to Drink

Water. Water is good for your health, your brain, your body and your tattoos! Staying hydrated will help your skin heal faster with less risk of infection. Alcohol on the other hand, can result in excess bleeding which does not aid in the healing process. Avoid alcohol for at least a few days before and after your tattoo.

What to Touch

Not your tattoo. Reduce risk of infection by not touching it while it is healing. The scab needs to stay clean and intact while your skin is regenerating beneath it, so do not pick at it. If it is itchy, do not scratch. Rather, gently pat with a clean hand and use 25ToLIFE lotion which has natural anti-itch properties. Scratching or picking at the scab risks pulling out the ink or hypertrophic scarring – a thick, raised scar. The scab will shrink or fall off on its own when healing is complete.

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This is what normal healing looks like

  • Redness that decreases each day
  • Clear or clear-yellow fluid draining from the tattooed area
  • Light bleeding for a few days
  • Itchiness while scab forms
  • Swelling that decreases each day
  • Discomfort that decreases each day
  • Light fatigue that decreases each day

These are signs and symptoms of infection

  • Rash, increased redness or heat around or on the tattoo.
  • Strong odor
  • Discharge or pus (particularly if greenish or yellowish) coming from the tattoo
  • Red streaks extending from the tattooed area
  • Flu-like symptoms, fever or chills
  • Excessive itching or hives
  • Increasing pain or swelling
  • Bleeding that persists longer than a few days
  • Swollen or tender lymph nodes

Consult your doctor if these signs and symptoms don’t improve.

When is a Tattoo Healed?

It may look healed within a few days. However, the healing process can actually take around 6 months for the ink to really settle into your skin. Even then, tattoos will continue to settle and be metabolized by the body, very slowly over time. The length of healing time depends on:

Location of tattoo: Anywhere your skin flexes (eg hand, ankle, near a joint) will take longer than an area that doesn’t flex.

Size and colour of tattoo: Large tattoos and those with heaving shading or colour can take longer to heal.

Your physiology: Everyone heals at a different rate. Most tattoos experience 1-2 weeks of the scabbing phase and can take up to 6 months to fully heal.

Your care of the tattoo: Be patient with your body and diligent in daily care to get the best result. Tattoos are for life, the time and effort now is worth it!

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TIPS

  • Hydrate - 25toLIFE

    Daily, apply a thin layer of 25toLIFE, our all-natural, breathable lotion to keep your tattoos ultra-hydrated and infused with essential nutrients. After showering or the pool, re-apply since cleansers and pool chemicals will strip your skin of moisture. The hydration and nutrients in 25toLIFE lotion will protect and preserve your tattooed art, keeping it healthy and vibrant for your active life.

  • Amplify - Amplify Oil

    Roll on and amp up! Packed with nothing but goodness, this nutrient-rich blend of essential oils and extracts enhances your tattooed art like no other. With an ink defining and luxurious finish, it will clearly amplify the message and beauty of your tattoo collection. We curated these all-natural, vegan ingredients together with a microbiologist/cosmetic chemist specifically for the nourishment and ink brightening properties that your tattoo collection needs to live a healthy, vibrant life. The stainless-steel roller-ball glides smoothly across your tattoo without the messy drips of a typical dropper bottle. Balms leave your hands and skin greasy-looking, but AMPLIFY absorbs quickly and completely, leaving only your ink amped up. AMPLIFY is the premium tattoo enhancer that you will reach for every day.

  • Exfoliate - Revive Soap

    Use our REVIVE exfoliating soap once per month to gently exfoliate the skin over an older tattoo that needs a reviving touch. This will remove any dead skin cells and reveal the art that lies beneath. REVIVE naturally and gently exfoliates only the epidermis, not the dermis where your ink is located, so your ink stays intact. Do not use chemical exfoliants or other exfoliating products not specific for tattooed skin.

    To restore your art, wet the black REVIVE soap bar under warm running water. Gently apply soap to wet skin in a circular motion, taking care not to rub too vigorously and possibly irritate sensitive skin. Rinse thoroughly. NOTE:  If your skin is sensitive to the exfoliating apricot seeds, simply lather up the soap in your hands, then gently rub the charcoal lather over your tattooed skin and  rinse thoroughly. Follow up with 25TOLIFE to hydrate and nourish your ink.