Caring for your tattoo.
Healing takes about two weeks on the surface and one to two months underneath. Identify your wrap below and follow the matching protocol.
At a glance.
- Keep the bandage on for the duration your artist specified.
- Wash with lukewarm water and fragrance-free soap. Pat dry with a clean paper towel.
- Apply a thin layer of moisturizer, only once between washes.
- No soaking, swimming, direct sun, or scratching for approximately two weeks.
- Peeling, flaking, and itchiness are expected.
- Contact your artist if you have questions. Seek medical care for fever or spreading redness.
Surface healing: about two weeks. Fully healed: one to two months.
Your tattoo wrap.
You left with one of these two. Follow the matching protocol. If you are unsure which you have, contact your artist before removing anything.
Second-Skin Film
A breathable, waterproof adhesive film that seals the tattoo and allows it to heal in a contained environment.
- Wear 12 to 24 hours. Follow the duration your artist specified.
- Fluid will collect under the film (plasma, a small amount of blood, excess ink). This is expected. Do not drain, puncture, or lift an edge to release it.
- Remove the first film early only if fluid leaks past the edges, the seal lifts, or adhesive irritation develops.
- Run warm water over the film for approximately one minute.
- Peel slowly, low and parallel to the skin, folding it back over itself. Do not pull straight up.
- Wash with lukewarm water and fragrance-free soap. Pat dry or air dry.
- Apply to fully dry skin.
- Wear for three days.
- Maximum wear for any single piece is five days. Do not wear longer than five days.
Once the film stage ends, wash and moisturize as in the Traditional Wrap steps.
If raised, itchy, or irritated skin develops at the film edges or beneath it, remove the film, wash, and do not re-wrap for the remainder of healing.
Second-skin film is not suitable for clients with a known adhesive allergy.
Traditional Wrap
- Wear for the duration your artist specified (typically a few hours; range across artists is one to four hours).
- Remove and wash immediately.
- Do not re-cover. Do not re-wrap in household plastic film; it is non-sterile and traps bacteria against an open wound.
- Four to six times daily for approximately two weeks, and after sweating or exposure to dirt.
- Lukewarm water and a gentle, fragrance-free, dye-free soap.
- Use clean hands only. No washcloth, loofah, or sponge.
- Pat dry with a clean paper towel or air dry. Do not rub.
- Apply a thin layer only. If the surface appears shiny or feels greasy, remove the excess.
- Days 1 to 3: thin, fragrance-free lotion.
- Day 4 onward, once flaking begins: plain, fragrance-free, dye-free lotion.
- Over-application traps moisture and bacteria and delays healing.
- Do not use petroleum-based products as a routine moisturizer; they may suffocate an open wound.
Four phases, roughly four weeks.
- Tonight
Day 0: the first few hours
Remove the wrap or film as your artist directed, then wash gently with lukewarm water and fragrance-free soap and pat dry. Clear or pink weeping is normal on day 0.
- Days 1 to 3
Wash and moisturize
Follow the washing and moisturizing steps for your wrap type. Apply moisturizer in thin layers only. Do not pick, soak, or exercise.
- Days 4 to 14
The peeling phase
Expect peeling, flaking, and itching. Do not scratch or pull flaking skin. Continue washing and light moisturizing. No direct sun, swimming, or hot tubs.
- After 2 weeks
Surface healed, not finished
The surface has closed; deeper layers continue settling for one to two months. Apply SPF 30 or higher to the area whenever it is in the sun.
This is normal.
The following are normal and do not require intervention:
- Fluid pooling under the film: plasma and ink. Leave intact.
- Clear or pink weeping, days 0 to 1.
- Peeling and flaking, days 4 to 14, including tinted flakes. This is dead surface skin carrying ink, not loss of the tattoo.
- Itching. Do not scratch. Moisturize instead.
- Thin, milky scabbing.
- Temporary dull or cloudy appearance over the tattoo. Resolves on full healing.
Submit a photo to your artist if you are uncertain whether something is normal.
Until fully healed.
Skin closed, no scabs; approximately two weeks, longer where noted.
- No submersion: baths, pools, hot tubs, lakes, ocean. Showers are permitted throughout. Avoid pools and open water for three to four weeks.
- No direct sun and no tanning beds. Keep the area covered or shaded.
- No gym, heavy sweat, or skin-stretching activity for one to two weeks; longer over joints.
- No saunas, steam rooms, or hot yoga.
- No shaving over the area until the skin is fully closed.
- Keep animals and unwashed bedding or clothing off the tattoo.
- Do not pick, scratch, or peel scabs or flaking skin.
- Limit alcohol on the day of the session (increases bleeding and swelling).
Know the warning signs.
Contact your artist with any questions about healing, color, scabbing, or timeline.
Seek medical care for signs of infection:
- Redness spreading or darkening rather than fading.
- Red streaks extending from the tattoo.
- Pus, oozing, or odor.
- Pain or swelling increasing after approximately day three.
- Fever, chills, or flu-like symptoms.
Allergic reaction (distinct from infection): a rash of itchy, raised, scaly bumps or blistering within the tattoo. Onset may be immediate or delayed by weeks to years. Red ink is the most common trigger; any color can react. See a physician or dermatologist for a mild reaction.
Emergency: difficulty breathing, racing heart, chest tightness, dizziness, or sudden intense swelling. Seek emergency care.
Irritation persisting beyond approximately two weeks warrants medical evaluation, as infection and allergic reaction can present similarly. If you cannot reach your artist, call the shop at (816) 399-2665.
Keeping it sharp.
Common misconceptions.
- "More ointment heals faster." Incorrect. Over-application clogs pores, traps bacteria, and delays healing. Apply thin layers.
- "Re-wrap it in plastic film overnight." Incorrect. Do not re-wrap. Household plastic is non-sterile and traps bacteria.
- "Apply triple-antibiotic ointment." Not recommended. Use a plain, fragrance-free product unless directed otherwise by a physician.
- "Petroleum jelly is the best moisturizer." It can fade ink. Use a water-based lotion after the first few days.
- "Tinted flakes mean the tattoo is coming out." Incorrect. Tinted flakes are dead surface skin. The retained ink is in the deeper skin layer.
If it needs a tune-up.
Most pieces include a free touch-up within six months; policy varies by artist. Submit a clear, well-lit photo once fully healed and your artist will advise whether a touch-up is warranted. More detail is on the FAQ.
Reach your artist through the channel you used to book, or contact the shop.
(816) 399-2665 · admin@dawnbringertattoo.com
3914 Washington St, Kansas City, MO 64111
Disclaimer: this aftercare information is general guidance based on industry standards and practitioner experience. It is not medical advice. Dawnbringer Tattoo and its artists are not medical doctors and cannot diagnose or treat any medical condition. For any medical concern, including the signs of infection or allergic reaction listed above, contact a qualified healthcare provider. The risk acknowledgments you agreed to are in the consent form signed before your session. See our Terms of Use for the complete disclaimer.