Tattoo aftercare

Overall

A tattoo breaks the skin. Careful aftercare supports wound healing, reduces the risk of infection and is important for the quality of your healed tattoo. Please follow our care instructions and the individual advice from your tattoo artist.

Hygiene

Make sure to keep that fresh tattoo clean! After all, this is an open wound that can become infected if there is a lack of hygiene. During the first week, always make sure that you have freshly washed or disinfected hands or that you wear disposable gloves when taking care of your tattoo.

Foil bandage

For the first three days, change a simple foil bandage every morning and every evening: wash your hands thoroughly, remove the old foil and clean the tattoo with lukewarm water and pH-neutral, fragrance-free soap. Pat it dry with clean, lint-free material, such as kitchen paper. Then apply fresh, clean foil straight from its packaging. Repeat this routine each morning and evening.

Follow this routine unless your artist gives you different instructions because their way of tattooing requires different aftercare. Change a dressing additionally if it becomes dirty, saturated or starts leaking. Morning and evening changes apply to simple foil bandages, not adhesive Second Skin. After the three days, apply a thin layer of the tattoo or wound-care ointment discussed with your artist and leave the tattoo uncovered, unless your artist tells you otherwise. Do not remove any scab that develops. Once fully healed, you can use a fragrance-free moisturiser.

Second Skin

At The Chamber, we use Second Skin from TattooMed’s professional range. This adhesive film dressing covers your fresh tattoo like a second skin. Your artist assesses how much the skin has been worked and sets the wear time: for lightly worked skin, such as a fine-line tattoo, one day may be enough. For large tattoos with packed colour or more heavily worked skin, we often plan three to four days. Follow the timing your artist gives you. You can shower with Second Skin. A few drops or splashes are fine. Avoid directing the shower jet straight onto the dressing or spraying it for a prolonged time, so water does not get beneath the edges.

Important: Avoid heavy sweating throughout the time you wear Second Skin. Do not exercise or do strenuous, sweat-inducing activities; deliberately make time to rest. If you still sweat heavily, for example in summer, gently remove Second Skin with lukewarm water. Clean the tattoo gently, pat it dry and apply a thin layer of the tattoo or wound-care ointment discussed with your artist. Continue daily gentle rinsing or washing, patting dry and applying a thin layer of aftercare cream.

Your tattoo may look blurred beneath the film. Wound fluid and a little ink can collect underneath – this is normal. Leave the dressing on for the agreed time while it remains sealed and comfortable. Do not pick at the edges, and take care not to pull it off while getting dressed. If fluid leaks out or lifting exposes the tattoo, the dressing needs changing. Contact your artist for this. If you develop marked itching, burning or blisters, gently remove the film and seek advice.

At the agreed time, gently remove Second Skin with lukewarm water, without sharply pulling it away. Wash the tattoo by hand with a pH-neutral, fragrance-free soap – no washcloth. Pat dry with a clean, lint-free towel. Apply a thin layer of the tattoo or wound-care ointment discussed with your artist and continue caring for the tattoo until it has healed. If another dressing is planned, follow your artist’s instructions.

Please avoid

In the first week after the tattooing you shouldn‘t do any activities that require movement or sweat (e.g. sports). In the first 2 weeks, or until the tattoo is completely healed, please don‘t swim, bathe or go to the sauna (showering is no problem). You should avoid intensive sunbathing and solarium for 2 months.

If sun cannot be avoided, a sun cream with a high sun protection factor can be used after the tattoo has healed completely. However, this is only partially effective! Tattoos that have not completely healed shouldn’t be exposed to direct sunlight and should be covered.

In the first week, avoid contact with dirt, oil and animal hair on the tattoo, as well as cosmetics (such as creams, lotions, perfume, make-up, etc.). The tattoo should only come into contact with clean clothes during the healing phase. Skin disinfectants (antiseptics) can interfere with the healing process. Antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance of bacteria or allergies. Both shouldn’t be used without medical advice.

Should scabs form, do not remove them under any circumstances. Scratching should also be avoided. If it itches, just tap lightly with the flat of your hand! Avoid also rubbing clothing if possible.

Normal healing and mild irritation

Clear or pink wound fluid mixed with a little ink can occur during the first few days. A leaking or saturated dressing needs changing, including Second Skin.

Mild, localised redness, swelling and tenderness can be part of normal healing. Sweat or friction can also irritate the skin. Redness alone does not automatically mean infection or require a medical visit. Clean gently, avoid further rubbing and sweating, and watch whether the symptoms settle. Contact your artist if you are unsure about the care plan.

For mild surface irritation from sweat or friction without signs of infection, you can use Avène Cicalfate Cream. It contains zinc compounds among other ingredients and supports the recovery of irritated skin. Follow the product’s application instructions. In our experience, this kind of mild irritation often improves within two to three days. If it does not improve in that time, contact your tattoo artist and/or seek medical advice. Seek medical assessment sooner if redness increases or spreads, pain worsens, pus appears or you develop a fever.

A lightly worked fine-line tattoo with little fluid may be ready for care without a dressing relatively early, as agreed with your artist. Dressing removal and a calm-looking surface do not establish complete healing. Complications can still occur later.

When medical advice is needed

The direction of change and accompanying symptoms matter. These changes can indicate infection or another complication:

• increased wetting
• secretion of a yellowish to greenish, sticky liquid (pus)
• unpleasant smell
• increased painful redness, which spreads around the tattooed area
• increased throbbing pain and burning in and around the tattooed area
• lack of mobility or problems in moving limbs/part of the body
• high fever and flu-like symptoms (as a sign of a serious infection)
• red lines that run across the skin e.g. red lines that run from a recently tattooed area on the wrist or hand across the forearm to the upper arm This can indicate sepsis ("blood poisoning").

If redness spreads, pain increases, pus appears or you develop fever, seek prompt medical assessment and inform your artist. Cicalfate does not replace infection treatment. People with diabetes or immunosuppression should seek advice especially early.

High fever, red streaks, rapid deterioration or feeling seriously unwell require immediate medical attention. Call 112 for breathing difficulties or collapse.

Signs of allergy

For customers with a pre-existing allergy to certain products (e.g. nickel, antiseptics, creams, adhesives or Second Skin), eczema can occur in the area of the tattoo and the surrounding area, sometimes spreading all over the body. These can appear within hours to days after the tattoo and can show as a rash with redness and itching or as small blisters with clear wound water.

If an allergy occurs in the first few days, stop using care products and consult a doctor. Allergic reactions to tattoo inks are rare. However, they can still occur weeks, months or years after tattooing. They are difficult to treat and require special knowledge.

Further questions

If you have further questions, contact your tattoo artist or come to our studio. We will be happy to help you.

Are you happy with your tattoo, then share a photo on Instagram and tag us @thechamberberlin. We also look forward to your rating on Google. All the best with your new tattoo!