Tattoo aftercare & REACH-compliance

Aftercare advice for medical plastic (AKA second skin)​

A fresh tattoo is an open wound and should be taken care of as such.
Keep pets, partners and friends from touching the area whilst healing your ink. Healing time varies through individuals, but the usual healing time is around 2 weeks.

You can keep the adhesive plastic on for up to 5 days, unless it starts to peel off on its own. In that case, simply remove it and start the aftercare process.

Removing the plastic:

• Wash hands thoroughly before removing the plastic film.

• Peel away from your body. Remove plastic under running water.

• Wash the tattoo with a perfume-free, mild soap, removing all plasma, blood and sticky residue.

• Let the area air dry, or pat dry with a clean paper towel.

• Moisturize with a very thin layer of a recommended cream/balm.

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During healing:

• Only touch the tattoo with freshly washed hands.

• Wash two times daily, preferably in the morning and evening.

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Avoid:

• Very heavy exercise whilst healing your tattoo.

• Scratching or slapping your tattoo if itchy.

• Picking any scabs.

• Sun exposure, swimming, bathing or getting in a sauna.

• Covering the tattoo in non breathable materials such as cling film.

• Using any other lotions or balms other than the ones recommended.

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Whilst the top layer of skin will have healed after two weeks, the healing process continues in the deeper layers of the dermis. Therefore, it is important that you take extra care in the sun to avoid any sun damage. An SPF of 30 or higher is always recommended for tattooed skin.

Recommended soaps: Lactacyd, unscented shower gel for sensitive skin or baby soaps.
Recommended creams: Hustle Butter, Bepanthen (non-vegan, only for people with dry skin), Eucerin Aquaphor or blue Helosan.

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NOTE:  Make sure you buy a fresh tube of cream that you will use specifically for your tattoo.  Tubes that have been left open for longer periods of time may have bacterial growth invisible to the naked eye. Better safe than sorry!

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