Your new tattoo will have a light coating of Vaseline on it and will have a temporary bandage or plastic wrap taped over it. The purpose of the bandage or plastic wrap is to keep it from bleeding or oozing blood and ink on you, your clothes, your car, or on your friends until you get where you are going. It will also help seal the tattoo and keep it clean.
Once you get home, or to wherever it is you’re going to be for the evening, you can remove the bandage or plastic wrap if you have access to clean water and paper towels. The tattoo should be washed with soap and water when the bandage is removed and patted dry.
The first evening you should treat the tattoo gently with some type of ointment that you are not allergic to, and that does not sting when applied.
If the skin on and around the tattoo starts to itch with little red bumps, then you are allergic to whatever ointment or preparation you are using.
If this happens, discontinue the use of any ointments, wash often, and let it dry up.
WE DO NOT RECOMMEND Triple Antibiotic Ointment, Neosporin, or Polysporin (these all have the same ingredient NEOMYCIN, which causes a lot of allergic reactions. Bacitracin is similar, it just doesn’t have the Neomycin or Polymixin antibiotics in it, so it is a little safer. A&D ointment is found in the diaper section of the supermarket or pharmacy, and has been used successfully, by many, to sooth a healing tattoo, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE ALLERGIC TO A&D OINTMENT AS WELL.
A little Vaseline , Petroleum Jelly, or INK FIXX may be safe ointments of choice, and can be smeared on lightly whenever the tattoo becomes too dry, itchy, or cracked. It will take at least 7-10 days for the initial scab to slough off. Noxzema cream has been recommended by some tattoo artists It tends to “cake up” white over a tattoo, which is OK for it, and it feels OK, but you can’t see the tattoo under all that white. The same goes for Preparation H, which is also recommended for a new tattoo. Some say Lubriderm lotion is good, but I don’t think so. It stings! Some people say that ointments take the color out of a tattoo. Some of the brightest and most colorful tattoos I have ever seen were healed with nothing but soap and water. If you're not sure about the ointment situation, and are feeling a little cautious, rest assured that you don’t have to put anything at all on it. Just make sure you keep it clean with soap and water.

Don’t re-bandage the tattoo with gauze or any type of absorbent material. If you work or
play in a dirty environment and feel it necessary to cover the tattoo for the first few days, realize that it is a fresh wound and needs to breath to heal. Cover it with clean clothes that you don't care about.........because they'll get all nasty when the tattoo oozes plasma and ink. If your clothes or linens get stuck to the tattoo, wet them a little with water and they will come off.

If the tattoo is sore during the first day or two it is wise to treat it with an ice pack for 10 or 20 minutes or so when convenient. Ibuprofen has been helpful in taking away some soreness of a large tattoo as well. Anklets and feet tattoos may be a bit red and sore around the edges. Try to keep the leg elevated when resting, and pack with ice often. Try to let the tattoo “breath” as often as possible.

Sometimes a tattoo may cause a small amount of bruising. This usually occurs on the inside of the arms or legs, or other areas where the skin may be sensitive.

It is normal for the tattoo to ooze plasma and ink for the first night or two, or for large tattoos, for many nights. This may be inconvenient and may ruin new bed linens or pajamas. Try sleeping with an old T shirt or pair of pajamas on (if you’re worried about it). Apply a light coating of your ointment of choice, ( if applicable) and put the shirt or pajamas on right over it. It may feel unnatural for a minute or two, but you’ll get used to it.

If you wear a suit or nice clothes to work and don’t want to ooze ink on your nice clothes, wear an undershirt in between, or seal the tattoo with an appropriate type of bandage material. (for short periods of time only).

Avoid sunburn and contaminated or dirty water. Try to stay out of hot tubs for several days (because of all the bacteria in there). We used to recommend that people stay out of swimming pools for a few days, but nobody ever gave a very good reason why that was necessary. After many years and many tattoos we have come to the conclusion that it just doesn’t matter if you go swimming in a pool or not, but that it is a really good idea to wash your tattoo with soap and water after you’re done.

Some colors seem different during the first couple weeks of healing. In particular, RED may appear pink due to the many dead skin cells sloughing off of the top of it. Red also seems to be one of the more difficult or slowest healing colors. It is not uncommon for someone to have an entire tattoo well healed after a couple weeks, but still need an extra 2 weeks just for the red to heal. Occasionally this will also happen with a dark blue, as blue is often a red-based pigment. Gold may turn a bit orange if you get too much sun on it. White may look a bit pink during the first day because of the bleeding. White will work well as a white in small areas that have a high degree of contrast such as the pupils of the eye or the stars in a flag. Most often, the function of white is to maintain an opaque separation of the other colors, or black and gray tones, to keep the pigments from spreading over time. In other words, in larger areas, the white may not stay very white, but will keep the rest of the colors crisp…..and will provide more opaque contrast than just bare skin. Bright yellows are not as bright until they heal a little. They all go back to the colors they originally were. After it’s healed, always wear sun block on your tattoo at the beach or if you may get sunburned, or at the tanning salon. It may be convenient for smaller tattoo care to carry sun block in the form of those little containers (like Chap stick) so it can just be rubbed on when needed.
Don’t pick at the scab! Don’t drink and drive! And be nice to dogs!
If you think you have a problem that is not normal, please feel free to call us, or stop in. We would encourage you to see a doctor if you think you are getting an infection, or if you are having some kind of problem that is causing a concern. Your family doctor may want to have a look, and may want to prescribe antibiotics for a problem case . Headlight Tattoo Inc. maintains a relationship with a Licensed Physician, as required by State code and the Gloucester County Health Department. If you would like to know of a doctor that will see you about a problem with your piercing, please ask, and we will provide the name and location of a Licensed Physician who has agreed to see you. This Physician may charge you a fee.