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. At all costs avoid picking at the cracked and flaking skin. When the tattoo has fully entered the peeling phase you should not apply any more ointment. The area will become dry and itchy, and a good quality, fragrance-free lotion can now be used until the skin returns to its normal texture.
Troubleshooting:
If bubbles form on the surface of the fresh tattoo, stop applying ointment, letting it dry and peel on its own. This bubbling is caused by moisture getting trapped in your tattoo, usually from soaking or too much ointment, and could lead to scabbing. If scabs develop, they can remove the color beneath them if prematurely removed. It’s important that they’re allowed to dry out completely, and not get waterlogged at any time. The scab will eventually fall off on its own, and the tattoo should be fine if no deep cracks have formed.