Remove bandage after a minimum of 2 hours. If the dressing sticks, wet area with COOL water to loosen it and remove the dressing carefully. Once your tattoo is exposed, wash it gently but thoroughly with a mild soap and COOL water. Be sure to remove any surface blood and rinse off any remaining soap.
Lightly pat dry and then, with clean hands, apply a small amount of lotion. Use a good quality, light lotion without added fragrance or color and massage it in. Try one of these: Lubriderm or Curel or Aquaphor or our own Studio City Tattoo brand healing salve Tattoo Majik. We recommend you wait a day before starting lotion.Remember Use a small amount to allow the skin to breathe.
Depending on the nature or location of your work, it may be necessary to wear clothing heavy enough to protect your tattoo, particularly if you work around grease, oil, metal dust, etc. Your tattoo will develop a layer of dry skin. (It will be the same color as the tattoo.) Apply a thin layer of lotion as needed (3-5 times a day, or whenever the skin feels tight or itchy), until the layers flake off naturally. After the tattoo has healed and the dry skin has flaked off, there will be a period of adjustment for the new skin. It is advisable to continue applying the same non-fragrance hand lotion. You may notice redness, swelling and tenderness and this is to be expected but should not last longer than a few days.
