When you get home from your appointment, remove the cling film and gently wash your tattoo with warm soapy water.

• Do not exfoliate your tattoo or use any exfoliating soaps. It is important to use a gentle fragrance-free soap such as an antibacterial liquid or foam soap

Once you’ve washed your tattoo, pat (do not rub) it dry with paper towel.

• Using paper towel is best to avoid any bacteria or fibers from a towel

On the first day, I recommend not applying any aftercare cream at this stage to allow your tattoo to breathe.

• Keep your tattoo clean and dry, if you have pets, don’t allow them to lick your tattoo and wash your tattoo again, following the steps above if your tattoo comes into contact with any form of bacteria

• Examples: pet hair or saliva, food or drink, after changing a baby if your tattoo is close to your hands or your hands touched the tattoo afterwards

It is best to use clean bed sheets and/or wear clean clothes over the tattoo when sleeping to protect it.

• For larger tattoos, you may wake up in the morning stuck to your bedsheets or clothing, don’t fret, this is due to the plasma drying out on the fabric overnight

• If this happens, soak some paper towel in warm water and gently hold it against the tattoo over the fabric for a few minutes to soak and it will come off with ease. If it is not coming off with ease, soak for a bit longer until it does

• To avoid this, you can wrap your tattoo in cling film for the night. This is likely only to happen within the first few days of healing and with larger or more saturated tattoos

From the second day onwards, wash your tattoo morning and night (or again if your tattoo comes into contact with bacteria) following the instructions above.

Once you’ve dried your tattoo, apply a thin layer of aftercare cream to your tattoo, just enough to soak in.

• Your tattoo still needs to breathe so it is important not to smother it

• You can use antibacterial fragrance-free moisturiser, however, for best healing results it is highly recommended to use an aftercare cream designed for tattoos such as Inky Aftercare which is available to buy in-store at my studio. Other recommended brands are, Bamboo Goo or Dr Pickles

• I don’t recommend using Bepanthen as it is too thick and doesn’t allow the tattoo to breathe

Continue doing the above until your tattoo has finished stage 3 of the healing process (4-6 weeks)

• During the healing process you can get your tattoo wet in the shower, it is important to wash your tattoo daily and keep it clean, however you should avoid soaking your tattoo, such as in the bath or swimming pools until your tattoo is healed

• Swimming pools and ocean water contain a lot of bacteria and it is important not to go swimming with a healing tattoo

• It is important to keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight to avoid sunburn during the healing process and it is recommended to use suncream after the healing process to keep your tattoo from fading when directly in the sun

• Your tattoo will lighten as it heals and lines will thicken as the ink settles into the skin. If your tattoo fades or lightens too much or you experience any ‘drop out’ contact me for a free touch up! Touch up’s are free for the first 6 months after getting your tattoo, it is best to send me a photo when your tattoo is healed so I can see if any areas need touching up

Keep the second skin barrier on for 24 hours.

• During this time the second skin may fill with liquid and create an ‘ink sack’. This is normal and is the plasma oozing from your tattoo

• Don’t poke any holes in the film to drain the liquid as the barrier is sealed and poking holes will cause bacteria to enter and become trapped inside. As long as no liquid is leaking out, the second skin is fine to stay on for the next 24 hours

• If any liquid leaks from the barrier, you may remove it early. It is important to do this as, if any liquid is leaking out, that means it is not sealed and bacteria can get in

• The second skin barrier is waterproof and you can get it wet in the shower, however you should not keep it soaking in water such as in the bath or swimming pools

The next day, or if you need to remove the second skin before 24 hours, follow the steps below.

1. Remove the film in the shower by peeling up one edge and letting some water get under the film as you remove it. This will help it come off easier.

2. Once the film is removed, gently wash your tattoo with warm soapy water.

• Do not exfoliate your tattoo or use any exfoliating soaps

• It is important to use a gentle fragrance-free soap such as an antibacterial liquid or foam soap

3. Once you’ve washed your tattoo, pat (do not rub) it dry with paper towel.

• Using paper towel is best to avoid any bacteria or fibers from a towel

4. Keep your tattoo clean and dry, do not apply any after care creams.

• If you have pets, don’t allow them to lick your tattoo and wash your tattoo again, following the steps above if your tattoo comes into contact with any form of bacteria.

• Examples: pet hair or saliva, food or drink, after changing a baby if your tattoo is close to your hands or your hands touched the tattoo afterwards

If you removed the second skin before 24 hours, allow it to air out overnight and follow the next steps.

If you have removed the second skin after 24 hours, allow your tattoo to air out for a few hours and skip step 5.

5. It is best to use clean bed sheets and/or wear clean clothes over the tattoo when sleeping to protect it.

• For larger tattoos, you may wake up in the morning stuck to your bedsheets or clothing, don’t fret, this is due to the plasma drying out on the fabric overnight

• If this happens, soak some paper towel in warm water and gently hold it against the tattoo over the fabric for a few minutes to soak and it will come off with ease. If it is not coming off with ease, soak for a bit longer until it does

• To avoid this, you can wrap your tattoo in cling film for the night. This is likely only to happen within the first few days of healing and with larger or more saturated tattoos

6.  Wash and dry your tattoo following the steps above and reapply the spare sheet of second skin film.

• To do this, using clean hands, remove the solid paper side of the film and lay the sticky side of the film over your tattoo gently pressing it down to avoid as much bubbles and creasing as possible

• Now remove the clear outer side, pressing down on the film as you peel it off. There will be a seam in the middle to remove this easily

7.  Now that you’ve applied the second sheet, you can leave this on for 4-6 days as long as there is no plasma leaking out.

• The second skin doesn’t have to stay on for 4-6 days, if it does become annoying or starts peeling off on its own, you can remove it early and follow the next steps

• If you notice any redness, itching or irritation around the edges of the second skin, remove it immediately and follow the next steps. This reaction usually happens when your skin is sensitive to the film and is more likely to happen if you have sensitivities to products such as band aids. As long as you remove the film if you notice this, your tattoo will be fine

After 4-6 days or once you’ve removed the second sheet of film:

Wash your tattoo morning and night (or again if your tattoo comes into contact with bacteria) following instructions 1-3.

Once you’ve dried your tattoo, apply a thin layer of aftercare cream to your tattoo, just enough to soak in.

• Your tattoo still needs to breathe so it is important not to smother it

• You can use antibacterial fragrance-free moisturiser, however, for best healing results it is highly recommended to use an aftercare cream designed for tattoos such as Inky Aftercare which is available to buy in-store at my studio. Other recommended brands are, Bamboo Goo or Dr Pickles

• I don’t recommend using Bepanthen as it is too thick and doesn’t allow the tattoo to breathe.

Continue doing the above until your tattoo has finished stage 3 of the healing process (4-6 weeks)

• During the healing process you can get your tattoo wet in the shower, it is important to wash your tattoo daily and keep it clean, however you should avoid soaking your tattoo, such as in the bath or swimming pools until your tattoo is healed (even while the second skin is still on)

• Swimming pools and ocean water contain a lot of bacteria and it is important not to go swimming with a healing tattoo

• It is important to keep your tattoo out of direct sunlight to avoid sunburn during the healing process and it is recommended to use suncream after the healing process to keep your tattoo from fading when directly in the sun

• Your tattoo will lighten as it heals and lines will thicken as the ink settles into the skin. If your tattoo fades or lightens too much or you experience any ‘drop out’ contact me for a free touch up! Touch up’s are free for the first 6 months after getting your tattoo, it is best to send me a photo when your tattoo is healed so I can see if any areas need touching up