When Should I Take The Plastic Off My Tattoo?
Method 1: Ointment – Remove the bandage after 3-12 hours. For example, if you get tattooed early in the day, leave the bandage on until the evening, but if you get tattooed at night and go to bed soon after, it’s ok to leave the initial bandage on until the morning.
Either way, don’t remove the bandage until you can properly clean the tattoo with mild soap and warm water. Rinse it well, gently rubbing off the slimy coating that may have formed over the tattooed area while underneath the bandage.
Gently pat it dry with a clean cloth or paper towel, then allow it to air dry for 15 minutes before applying ointment. Apply a tattoo healing product like Vitalitree to the tattoo as needed, massaging a very small amount into the skin to keep the tattoo slightly moisturized, but NOT smothered.
Use just enough ointment to give the tattoo a barely noticeable, slight shine, and blot off any excess. For the first day or two, your tattoo may require more cleaning or blotting, as the traumatized skin may still be seeping a small amount of plasma.
The proper minimal amount of ointment, along with daily cleaning, will prevent this small amount of plasma from forming into a thicker scab that could pull out color or cause cracking. The healing tattoo should never stay submerged in water. Therefore, limit yourself to only short showers until the tattoo has finished peeling.
It’s also important that a fresh tattoo be protected from the sun and dirty environments (gyms, pet dander or saliva, etc. ) with clothing or by simply avoiding certain activities, as it’s still an open wound for 3-5 days until the skin has peeled.
All normal activities involving water, sun exposure, or dirty environments can usually be resumed after one week. Only apply ointment for as long as it takes for your tattoo to peel, usually 3-5 days. When the peeling begins, the outermost layer of tattooed skin will flake like a sunburn.
Contents
How long do you leave plastic wrap on a tattoo?
Tattoo Aftercare Tips, How Should I Look After My New Tattoo? –
- Tattoo Aftercare Tips, How Should I Look After My New Tattoo? Practical and tested tattoo aftercare Instructions. Why do you need to do it, and how effective aftercare is done.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. Anne (author) from Hobart, Tasmania ~ Australia. (The little bit broken off the bottom of AUS) on June 01, 2019: ALL COMMENTS WITH SELF PROMOTION LINKS WILL BE REMOVED Mark on April 02, 2019: So I got a tattoo on my foot & decided to read on the aftercare after I got my tattoo.
pretty stupid of me. Anyways I have to go to work & i’m wearing dress shoes for 8 hours at a time. So I’m wondering what the maximum amount of hours I can have my tattoo wrapped? JR on March 22, 2019: I’ve been tattooing for years.
I never covered my tattoos. The best healing process is to wash your tattoo twice a day, morning and night or between if needed. Hustle butter is good for the healing process. Just do what’s best for you and always keep your tattoo clean. Holkska on January 13, 2019: MAN i really hate when i hear about “reputable” tattoo artists telling their clients to leave a tattoo wrapped/covered :'( I am in no means covered in tattoos, but i have just had my 16th and so i do have some limited experience.
my 1st one (young and about 16 years ago) i was told to keep it covered – so i did, i didnt know any better, and it was a mess. A total mess. The lines bled out, ink was lost, it was truly awful, luckily it was relatively small.
But the point is, the artist is meant to be giving proper help and advice, a lot of people do not know what to do and thr artist is supposed to be trustworthy – and telling clients to leave a piece of work covered for a week (even a day is bad enough) is just bad form.
Really bad form. They shouldnt be doing it (i wonder if some “artists” do this to ensure the person returns for a touch up. If so thats even worse!!) So Thanks for this article, it will inform people of the caring and healing process, and avoid some ruined tattoos and unhappy people (which is awful, a tattoo is exciting!!) Libby on December 27, 2018: Got my 2nd tattoo recently from a different artist who said to keep it covered with cling film for the 2 weeks it’s healing, unlike my first artist.
Must say, thanks to this, I realised how bad his advice was and began letting the air get to it so it’s finally healing – altho there’s very small gaps from the confused healing process. Emiljano on December 05, 2018: Hi I have a question. 8 days ago I got a tattoo in Germany Berlin.
- First look after getting done was exactly as I wanted it to look;
- He wrapped it with a tattoo plastic wrap and said me to leave it on for 6-7 days;
- After 6 days I removed it cozz it was very dry and itchy and a lot of ink and skin came out with the plastic papper;
It was like a copy of my tattoo in the plastic wrap. I did the process slowly and washing with warm water. But the tattoo looks nicht top as in the beginning when it was done. The tattoo is a cross with hands that pray and up is a writting in latin language Fide Nemini.
But the cross details look blurry the lines look a little fadded and I dont know if its normal or not becouse its my first tattoo. Do you think my tattoo artist had fake instruction given? I have read many tattoo artists instructions and there is nowhere said that the plastic wrapp must 6-7 days on skin stay.
Thanks for your answer! Sherry on June 23, 2017: My son just got his first tattoo all we need to know does he need to keep it wrapped up the next day? 6/23/17 Terri Marshall on April 16, 2017: I just had my first tattoo done on my back, I went to a very pronoun shop, very clean and professional.
- They also put a air tight film over my tat and told me I could shower but leave the wrap on for seven days;
- On the 7th day remove wrap and wash lightly and then several times a day put Palmers Coconut Butter on my tattoo;
I am now on my third day and I have no pain at all and tattoo looks good even though it still is wrapped with that air tight wrap. Hope all goes well and can’t wait till Friday when I can remove the air tight wrap. james on April 09, 2017: hey Raul I’m a nurse and I’m planning on getting my first tattoo next month.
- I’ve done a lot of research and I’m planning on using Saniderm on my healing tat;
- It’s the same type of tech that hospitals use to allow wounds to heal while being able to breath;
- I’ve used dressing like this on prior patients and it just makes scene to me to use it on healing tattoos;
The only negative thing I’ve read if you are sensitive/ allergic to adhesive it shouldn’t be used Raul on April 01, 2017: My Tatto guy did a Tat on my leg. He put a medical plastic wrap on it. Its air tight. He informed me too leave it on for 5 days and it will heal itself.
Im a lil sceptical. Is this something new or a bad idea? Fellow on January 28, 2017: Hey gal, nice post! I’m probably quite late to the party,but the info was still nice. Just one little thing, tho, you said wrapping protects from “bacteria and other antibodies”, while I think you meant pathogens.
Antibodies are what we make to fight off diseases, aren’t they? Anyways, thanks and cya!.
How long does it take to remove a tattoo?
The tattoo needs to stay covered for several hours (2 to 4 hours). After removing the covering, the skin will ooze with plasma or blood, and the skin will be red and irritated. After cleaning the hands, you will wash the tattoo with antibacterial, fragrance-free soap, and lukewarm water.
What happens after a tattoo is done?
The initial bandage – Tattoo aftercare starts in the tattoo shop. Once the tattoo is done, the artist will apply a thin layer of tattoo jelly or moisturizer over the entire tattooed area. They will then cover the area completely with plastic wrap or a bandage.
- As tempting as it can be to remove the protective cover to look at the tattoo, the bandage or plastic wrap should stay on for at least a few hours after the process;
- The length of time will depend on the size and location of the tattoo;
This covering protects the open skin from bacteria, sunlight, and from rubbing against clothing.
What are the best tips for aftercare after a tattoo?
The initial bandage – Tattoo aftercare starts in the tattoo shop. Once the tattoo is done, the artist will apply a thin layer of tattoo jelly or moisturizer over the entire tattooed area. They will then cover the area completely with plastic wrap or a bandage.
- As tempting as it can be to remove the protective cover to look at the tattoo, the bandage or plastic wrap should stay on for at least a few hours after the process;
- The length of time will depend on the size and location of the tattoo;
This covering protects the open skin from bacteria, sunlight, and from rubbing against clothing.
