Tattoo Aftercare and Healing
A new tattoo is an open wound for the first couple of weeks. Look after it properly and it will look sharp for decades. Here is exactly what we tell every client at the studio, including the things that matter most when you live in San Diego.
Four rules that do most of the work
- Keep it clean. Wash gently morning and night with clean hands, a mild fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water. Pat dry with a paper towel.
- Moisturise thinly. A very thin layer of ointment or unscented lotion. Thick layers trap bacteria and help nothing.
- Keep it out of the water. No ocean, no pools, no hot tubs, no lakes for at least two weeks. Showers are fine from day one.
- Do not pick it. Let it peel on its own. This is the one people get wrong, and it is the one that leaves marks.
Follow the specific instructions your artist gave you at the end of your session. Every tattoo and every person is a little different, and your artist has seen how yours went and how your skin behaved. This page covers the general routine - their instructions cover yours.
The healing timeline
Surface healing takes two to three weeks. The deeper skin takes around two to three months to fully settle. Here is what each stage actually looks like.
Days 1-3: Fresh, tender and leaking plasma
The tattoo looks bright, sharp and slightly raised. It will weep clear or pink-tinged fluid, which is plasma and completely normal. The skin around it may be red and feel warm for the first day or two.
Wash it gently morning and night, pat it dry with a clean paper towel, and apply a very thin layer of ointment. Thin is the point - a thick layer traps moisture and bacteria and does nothing useful.
Days 4-6: Tight, dry and starting to look dull
The surface begins to dry out and the tattoo can look flat or slightly cloudy. This is the top layer of skin healing over the ink. It is not the tattoo fading.
Keep moisturising thinly and often. Do not let it crack. If it feels tight and uncomfortable, you are not moisturising enough.
Days 7-14: Peeling and itching
The outer layer of skin peels away in flakes, usually over the lines first. It will look like a sunburn peeling, and colour may come away with the flakes. That is dead skin, not ink.
It itches. Resist it. Scratching or picking can pull ink out and leave a patchy or scarred result. Tap it, press it, or moisturise again instead.
Days 15-30: Settling in
The skin is closed but still rebuilding underneath. The tattoo may look slightly shiny or milky for a few more weeks before it settles into its final appearance.
This is when you can judge the finished piece properly. Some areas may need a touch-up. We cover that at your follow-up, and a single session of touch-up work is included in how we work.
Sun, salt water and heat
Most aftercare advice you read online was written for a temperate climate. We are in San Diego, where the sun is strong most of the year, the ocean is a ten minute drive from the studio, and the beach is a normal part of people's week rather than a holiday. That changes what matters.
Ocean and pools
Do not get in the water for at least two weeks - longer if it is still peeling or scabbing. This is the piece of advice people most want to negotiate around, and it is the one worth holding firm on. Ocean water carries bacteria, and a fresh tattoo is an open wound. Hot tubs are the worst of all because the heat keeps the skin soft and open while the water sits against it.
If you are planning a tattoo around a beach trip, tell us at your consultation. We will happily book you for after you get back rather than two days before you leave.
Sun
Keep the fresh tattoo covered and out of direct sun for the first two to three weeks. Freshly tattooed skin burns quickly, and a burn at this stage is the fastest way to lose saturation and sharpness. After it has healed, sunscreen at SPF 30 or higher is the single biggest thing you can do to keep a tattoo looking the way it did when it was finished.
Heat and sweat
San Diego heat plus sweat plus friction is a bad combination for healing skin. Keep the area clean, do not let it sit damp inside tight clothing, and change out of anything sweaty rather than letting it dry on you.
Washing, drinking, exercise and peeling
How long does it take for a tattoo to heal?
The surface heals in roughly two to three weeks. The deeper layers of skin take about two to three months to fully settle, which is why a tattoo can look slightly different at eight weeks than it did at three.
You can go back to normal life immediately. You just need to keep it clean, keep it moisturised, and keep it out of the sun and out of the water for the first couple of weeks.
Can I swim after getting a tattoo?
No. Not in the ocean, not in a pool, not in a hot tub, not in a lake. Wait at least two weeks, and ideally until the skin has finished peeling and any scabbing has fully closed.
The reason is simple: while the tattoo is an open wound, water carries bacteria straight into it. Ocean water and hot tubs are the worst offenders, and a pool is not much better. A tattoo infected in week one is a much bigger problem than a tattoo that waited an extra week to go in the water.
Showering is fine from day one. Soaking is not.
Can I shower after getting a tattoo?
Yes. Showering is not just allowed, it is part of the aftercare. Wash the tattoo once in the morning and once at night with clean hands and a mild, fragrance-free soap. Do not scrub it, and do not hold it directly under a hard jet of water.
Pat it dry with a clean paper towel rather than a bath towel. Bath towels are reused, stay damp, and pick up bacteria. Do not rub.
Can you drink alcohol after getting a tattoo?
Give it 24 to 48 hours. Alcohol thins the blood, which increases bleeding and plasma during the session and can affect how well the ink settles in the first day or two of healing.
The bigger issue is before your appointment, not after. Arriving dehydrated or hungover makes for a worse session, more bleeding, and a slower heal. Drink water on the day instead, and save the celebration for a few days later.
Can I work out after getting a tattoo?
Avoid heavy training for the first 48 hours. After that, light exercise is usually fine, but it depends entirely where the tattoo is. A piece on your ribs or your leg is going to be unhappy during a run or a squat session for longer than one on your forearm.
Sweat is the problem, along with friction and stretching the fresh skin. If you do train, shower straight afterwards, keep the area clean, and stop if it feels like it is being pulled or rubbed.
Avoid anything that means soaking the tattoo or sharing equipment and mats that contact the area until it has peeled and closed.
Is my tattoo supposed to peel?
Yes. Peeling is a normal and expected part of healing, usually starting somewhere between days five and ten. It flakes away like a light sunburn.
Let it come off on its own. Picking or scratching at it is the single most common way people damage their own tattoo - it can pull ink from the skin and leave a patchy, scarred finish.
How long do I need to keep my tattoo out of the sun?
Keep it fully covered and out of direct sun for the first two to three weeks. Fresh tattooed skin burns fast and sun exposure at this stage is the quickest way to lose detail and saturation.
For the rest of your life, that tattoo will fade faster if you let it burn. Once it is healed, sunscreen at SPF 30 or higher every time you are out in San Diego sun is the single best thing you can do to keep the work looking sharp.
What should I do if my tattoo looks infected?
Watch for spreading redness beyond the tattoo, swelling that gets worse after day three, hot skin, yellow or green discharge, a bad smell, or fever and chills. Those are signs to see a doctor, not to wait and see.
A little redness and soreness for the first day or two is normal. Spreading or worsening is not. If you are unsure, contact us and send a photo - we would much rather look at it than have you worry. If it is clearly infected you need medical treatment, and we will tell you that plainly.
At a glance
- Wash: twice daily, clean hands, mild fragrance-free soap, lukewarm water, pat dry with paper towel.
- Moisturise: thin layer, two to three times a day, unscented.
- Shower: fine from day one. No soaking.
- Swimming or ocean: wait at least two weeks, until fully peeled and closed.
- Alcohol: ideally avoid for 24 to 48 hours.
- Exercise: light activity after 48 hours; avoid heavy sweat and friction on the area.
- Sun: covered and out of direct sun for two to three weeks, then SPF 30+ for life.
- Peeling: normal, expected, and never to be picked.