Handpoke Aftercare

The tattoo healing process varies from artist to artist. Always listen to your artist’s aftercare instructions, as they can be different from mine.

When to remove the bandage

If Second Skin bandage was applied to your tattoo, remove it after 1-5 days to continue the healing process. If your Second Skin bandage starts leaking, becomes red, itchy, sweaty, or otherwise troublesome, you may remove it at any time. Occasionally, Second Skin will be comfortable on some parts of your body and irritating on others. If your tattoo was wrapped in another form of protection, remove it after 30 minutes-2 hours and continue the healing process.

How to remove the bandage

To remove Second Skin, slowly pull the bottom edge down, stretching it away from the tattoo, parallel with your skin. You can do this in a shower with mild soap to help loosen the adhesive. Once it’s removed, give it a gentle and thorough wash with fragrance free soap, then allow it to air dry or pat it dry with a clean paper towel. Do not scrub it or put it directly under a hot faucet/shower.

Moisturize!

Keep your tattoo moisturized during the healing process with a fragrance free lotion or natural moisturizer, like shea butter or cocoa butter. Ink scabbing and flaking is normal and to be expected during the healing process. Continue moisturizing it when it looks and feels dry. Do not scratch or pick at the flakes to avoid pulling ink patches out.

Keep clean

Always wash your hands before touching your fresh tattoo, as it is an open wound and is susceptible to infection. Keep your bed sheets, towels, and clothing clean to avoid infection and irritation. If your fresh tattoo gets dirty or really sweaty, wash and moisturize it.

No sun exposure

Try your best to keep your new tattoo out of the sun until it’s fully healed. Once it’s healed, apply sunscreen every day to prevent fading and blurring over time. This is especially important for tattoos with color and fresh tattoos during the healing process. Ideally, cover loosely in a clean breathable fabric. If this isn’t possible, stand in the shade, or turn your body so your tattoo is not facing direct sunlight. You can also cut the toes off a tube sock and use the tube part to cover a fresh tattoo on your arms/legs if you must be in the sun without sleeves/pants.​ Once healed, I recommend carrying a small stick of sunscreen with you to apply over the area of small tattoos.

Prevent infections

Avoid swimming, hot tubs, or soaking in baths for at least 3 weeks to avoid infection, and to avoid color loss. Avoid direct contact with pets and dander.

Tattoo infections are uncommon but can be serious and life-threatening. If you suspect your tattoo is infected, reach out to a medical professional immediately. If you suspect your tattoo artist did not do their best with sanitation, seek your vaccine records for hepatitis B and C.

Signs of tattoo infection include: flu-like symptoms, severe swelling, redness, pus-filled sores, fever, thirst, diarrhea, blisters. Any of these symptoms can appear within 1-20 days of infection.

Length of healing process

Handpoked tattoos generally take 2-4 weeks to heal, and some colors may take longer to heal than others. Keep moisturizing the tattoo for the whole month, even if the tattoo looks healed. It takes about 2-3 months for the ink to settle in, after which point you can contact me for a touch up if you desire one.

Healed photos

You may send healed pictures of your tattoo to my email dayzepokes@gmail.com!

I love to see pictures of healed tattoos annually, but you can send them literally any time! There’s no wrong time 🙂

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Tips for taking pictures of your healed tattoo:

Lightly moisturize the tattoo and let it sink in for a few minutes. Position the tattoo in indirect sunlight. Have a pal take the picture for you to avoid angle distortion. Front facing phone cameras are not ideal. When taking a close up photo, using the 2x magnification feature on your phone may be helpful.

Feedback

I have an anonymous feedback form that you may fill out at any time to let me know about your experience getting tattooed, our communication, or anything in between! If I can do something better next time, I would love to be aware of it. If you have an amazing experience, I would love to know what made it positive for you!