Your Aftercare Checklist
The final outcome of your cosmetic tattooing depends greatly on your body’s response, including skin type, metabolism, and, most importantly, how well you follow the aftercare guidelines. Proper care of the tattooed area in the weeks and months following your appointment will greatly impact how the pigments settle and retain.
Your first session will always heal on the lighter side, this is normal and not a sign to panic. I prefer to work in layers between 2 appointments. This helps keep your results looking as natural as possible as I build the ink up. I can add colour but I cannot take away. All cosmetic tattooing, will look darker and more intense for up to one week as they heal. I know this can freak you out and put you through a rollercoaster of emotions but it's very normal for it to fade to a softer, more muted shade over the healing process. It may take up to 4 weeks to see the final color result. Trust the process!
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email me at vainpaintats@gmail.com
I'm here to help!
Looking After Your New Tattoo
After your appointment when you get home, gently dab the area with a wet wipe or a clean wet paper towel to absorb excess lymph fluid. Do this every hour or as often as you can until the area stops weeping. You do not want this fluid to harden as it will increase your chances of pigment fallout during the healing process.
Apply the supplied aftercare cream daily with a clean cotton tip. Use this sparingly, less is more. Be gentle so you dont remove any scabs or flaky skin.
Avoid getting the area wet. The only time the tattooed area should be getting wet is when you clean the area in the shower. Make sure to pat dry the area immediately after and avoid soaking it in too much water.
When cleaning the area, you want to use an anti-bacterial soap. Use gentle circular motions to clean the area. This should be done in your daily showers. (If you are unsure of what sort of soaps to use, please send me a message and I can recommend things)
DO NOT use any exfoliant products or cleansing products containing acids on or around the tattoo. (Glycolic, Hyaluronic, Salicylic, Retinol, etc)
Avoid hot steamy showers and keep your showers short (under 5 minutes).
DONT PICK AT YOUR DAMN SCABS!! Pulling off the flaking skin or scabs will pull out pigment resulting in a patchy healed result. I can always tell when a client has picked at their tattoo, plus, it's gross!
Avoid direct sunlight while the area is healing. If you are going to be in the sun for extended periods of times, wear a hat.
Avoid exercise for 7 days. The salt in your sweat will push out pigment.
Change your pillowcase! I also highly recommend sleeping with a travel pillow around your neck, or sleep on your back for the first week.
DO NOT use products such as vasoline or bepanthen to heal the tattooed area. Please use what I have given you.
Avoid using makeup in and around the tattooed area for at least 1 week.
Specifically Brows
Dry heal your brows! Follow the instructions above and leave them alone. I wont supply an aftercare cream as dry healing brows produces the best results.. However if your brows are feeling extremely itchy by day 4 or 5, use a VERY SMALL AMOUNT of QV cream or similar unfragranced creams. Less is more.
Do not expect your brows to heal perfectly after the first session. This is a 2 step process and during your touch up, I will perfect them.
Specifically Lips
Avoid spicy foods, hot drinks, food and drinks that stain, citrus for 5 days. Kissing and other intimate activities are also included.
For the first 48 hours, a clean diet is highly recommended. Think foods like, white chicken and rice, pasta or salads. This is partially for comfort as acidic or spicy foods can iritate the lips as they are still an open wound at this stage.
Use a cold pack or ice cubes in a sandwich bag directly after your appointment to reduce the swelling of your lips.
Your lips will be very dry while healing. Less is NOT more with your aftercare cream with lip tattooing. You want to keep them as moist as possible during the healing process. Do not let them completely dry out for too long as this will cause the skin to flake off early and affect your healed result. The aftercare cream supplied works great as a lip balm, you do not need to scoop the product out but do not use it sparingly.
Do not pick at the dry flaky pieces of skin. Allow your lips to exfoliate naturally.
Avoid licking your lips! Your saliva can break down the pigment in your lips.
You may get a cold sore after the appointment, even if you've never had one in the past. The virus may live dormant in your system. If so, take over the counter medicine Famvir, a prescription from your doctor for Valtrex and a cold sore cream to use a long side your aftercare cream.
When your lips have fully healed, you may notice the inner region of your lips may have faded a lot more than the rest. THIS IS NORMAL. The inner region of your lip requires 2 sessions to fully saturate as its a different skin type. This is a multi process service!
!!COLD SORES!!
If you are prone to cold sores, you MUST get on Valtrex immediately after your lip appointment. Get a script from your Dr immediately and insist on it! Valtrex is for Herpes 2 but works for Herpes 1. A cold sore break out can be catastrophic for your healed result.
Specifically Liner
Eyeliner tattooing is extremely easy to heal. Follow the general instructions above. Thats it!
Avoid mascara completely until the area has fully flaked and there are no scabs
Specifically Non-Laser Removals
It is EXTREMELY important that you dry heal your brows after having saline removal. Make sure you are cleaning the area during showers as it's an open wound but other than that leave them alone!! No creams, no aftercare balms, absolutely nothing. We want your brows to dry and scab for the most optimal removal results.
Specifically Inkless Stretch Mark Revision
Immediately after treatment your stretch marks or scars will have redness, swelling, and look angry for about 2-4 weeks. THIS IS NORMAL!
60% of your healed result is up to how strictly you follow your aftercare!!!
Day 1-4:
Do not take Advil for the next 24 hours.
The area will be red, swollen and feel like sunburn.
Avoid heat exposure, a gentle cool shower is permitted after 12 hours.
Clean the area with a mild cleanser and apply recommended aftercare products. I recommend Cereve or Coconut Oil.
Day 3-7:
The area will start to dry and may flake or lightly scab. DO NOT pick at the area.
Continue your application of your aftercare cream
IMPORTANT: Always protect the area with sunscreen when exposed to sunlight
Week One:
The area may still be dry and flakey, keep up with the use of your aftercare cream
Make sure to use suncreen on the area if exposing it to the sun
Week Two:
Noticeable reduction in inflammation and swelling
Optional: Use Cicaplast twice daily
After 2 Weeks:
Even thought you may see your skin returning to normal, it is not uncommon to see some redness and/or post-hyperpigmentation. Be patient and allow your skin to heal.
Send me photos during week 4-6 so I can follow up to see if you're ready for the next session or if your body needs more time to heal. Some people heal faster/slower depending on your individual body health, metabolism, and lifestyle. If you're healing slowly, your next session will be around the 90 day mark. Do not be put off on this if that's the case, it's okay! We need to make sure your body is healing to its full potential before continuing treatment. Be patient.
Please note that skin types 4 to 6 may need 3 to 6 months between treatments to completely heal and encourage proper healing to reduce the risk of strong hyperpigmentation.
In The Long Term
Depending on the area you have had tattooed, you can expect it to look “fresh” for 1-5 years based on your lifestyle, environmental factors, skin type and how well you followed your aftercare. The better you take care if your tattooing, the longer it will last. I have tiered colour boosts available for my existing clients that are discounted. If you feel you do not need a colour boost, then thats fine! Everybody metabolises tattoo ink differently and some clients may have faster fading results than others. Come back for a refresh when YOU feel you need it. If you are unsure, email me and I am more than happy to help advise you on when you should come back.
Factors that can affect the longevity of your cosmetic tattoo are:
Too much sun exposure - Fades the colour of the pigment just like regular tattoos so make sure to use SPF!
Tanning beds - the same as our sun, tanning beds will cause sun damage to your tattoo.
Lighter colour choices - Lighter toned colours fade quicker than darker pigment.
Aggressive skincare - Using retinols and acids in your skincare routine means the pigment will fade quicker. Chemical facials will also fade the pigment quickly.
Tattooing can only go so dark before it starts to look bad so minor makeup application and styling may still be required to achieve your desired look.