Yes. Washing any part of your body too much can lead the skin to be dry and to crack, especially when using antibacterial soap. Your new tattoo is healing, so avoid over-washing and apply fragrance-free, tattoo-approved moisturizer if that tattoo looks dry or the skin feels uncomfortably dry and itchy.
Wash your tattoo once or twice a day for the duration of the healing time. Too much washing can wash away your body's natural bacteria which helps your skin to heal. Washing the tattoo in the morning and at night before you go to bed is sufficient. For the first day, the tattoo will “ooze” clear plasma.
Until the surface of the tattoo is healed (at a minimum of two to three weeks), wash the area gently 2-3 times per day.
After your tattoo has started peeling, you can stop washing it daily and begin moisturizing with thin layers of lotion or coconut oil three times a day until it is fully healed. During the second week of healing, your tattoo will continue to flake and may become itchy.
Can You Over-Moisturise a Tattoo? In a word: yes. It's definitely possible to over-moisturise a tattoo. An over-moisturised tattoo can lead to a whole host of issues, including breakouts, soggy scabs, and even infection.
When you over moisturize your tattoo, you can actually delay the healing process. Excess moisture in the skin creates the perfect environment for bacteria and germ growth, so one of the key signs is irritated, inflamed skin. Another key sign of over moisturizing is clogged skin.
Although the tattoo shouldn't be overly scabbed or too dry (the less peeling and scabbing, the better), a little bit is just part of the healing process.
"During the healing process, you should moisturize your tattoo three to six times a day," Ladna says. "Keeping your tattoo hydrated during the initial days is especially critical. If your tattoo becomes too dry, the healing may actually take longer, and you may risk losing color saturation."
Yes! Moisturizing your tattoo regularly is extremely important. You should moisturize your clean tattoo 3 – 6 times per day, for roughly two weeks (though proper skincare is always important, and most tattoo enthusiasts moisturize their tattoos daily for life!).
So what product should you use? You may have heard some rumours that Bepanthen shouldn't be used on new tattoos, but this absolutely isn't the case. Bepanthen is by far one of the most highly recommended tattoo aftercare products and is the go-to ointment for most tattoo artists and studios.
Weeks 5 and 6: completely healed
You'll know you're in this phase — and that your tattoo is fully healed — because all the dry skin and scabs have sloughed off to reveal new, smooth skin with a vibrant tattoo and you no longer feel the burning and itchiness because the body has repaired itself.
For new tattoos, it's only safe to begin exfoliating once the tattoo is healed. For some people this may take two or three weeks, but more likely it's going to take up to a month, potentially longer.
After a week, the redness and swelling should have subsided. At this point, the skin should begin to scab and flake. The itchiness may persist, but the tattoo should gradually appear more vibrant as it continues to heal.
Avoid swimming—whether in a pool, lake, or the ocean—and submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub for two to three weeks, as doing so may cause serious damage. "With hot tubs, pools, or the ocean, it's important to wait until the tattoo is completely healed," Dr. Mikailov points out.
"It's advised to keep your fresh tattoo from being submerged. Showers are fine and recommended to keep you and your new work clean. However, dry off the tattoo before applying aftercare products like salve or ointment. Trapped moisture can negatively affect the healing tattoo," he explains.
Wash your tattoo 3 times a day for the first week to keep it clean. While your tattoo is healing, you need to practice good hygiene to keep it from getting infected. Wash with a mild, unscented soap, and use your fingers to rub it in.
Without moisturiser, there's a risk that healing skin will get very dry, tight and itchy, and itchy skin that you can't scratch - that in fact you shouldn't touch at all - is not much fun! If you do itch then you risk damaging the new tattoo.
Be sure to pat the area dry with a clean paper towel or cloth. Apply a thin layer of ointment or lotion to the tattooed area to keep it moisturised and promote healing. Avoid using too much ointment, as this can trap bacteria and prevent the wound from breathing.
Hibler says the safest option is to use a gentle (aka fragrance- and preservative-free) cleanser, ointment, moisturizer, and sunscreen. He adds that many products safe for eczema-prone skin are also great options for tattoo aftercare because they have gentle formulas that retain moisture and restore the skin barrier.
Signs of an Overworked Tattoo
A Change in Appearance - If the tattoo looks faded, pale, cloudy, blurry, or heavily distorted, this could be a sign of overworked skin. This may also appear as ink distortion and blurring. During a tattoo, ink needs to be deposited in your dermis so the pigment stays put.
While advice might vary per artist, we highly advise against dry healing your new tattoo. Those who prefer dry healing are often concerned that lotions and creams will cause reactions in the healing process, and prefer to keep things as natural as possible.
Tattoos tend to peel without any ink underneath as they heal normally. In rare cases, they can have missing ink due to an artist's error. Peeling tattoos with missing ink aren't usually anything to worry about. It's normal for a tattoo to peel and lose a little bit of ink as your skin heals.
It can be alarming to see chunks of pigment pull away from their permanent placement on your skin, but don't fret—the peeling of tattoos is normal and a sign that your new ink is properly healing. While tattoo peeling can't be prevented, it can be managed if you are diligent about your aftercare routine.