Congratulations on choosing Tanuki Tattoo to bring your latest tattoo idea to life. Now it’s up to you to look after your beautiful new tattoo to ensure it looks its absolute best for years and years to come. Below is a list of aftercare dos and don’ts, carefully curated by your artist, based on their years of experience. Please make sure to follow these directions as closely as possible, and most importantly, ignore all advice from your friends, colleagues, relatives, people in the street, google etc as I guarantee none of them are as invested in the outcome of your tattoo as your artist, or yourself.

Second skin aftercare instructions
Many of our artists and customers swear by this healing method, but as much as it can make healing a fresh tattoo quicker and easier than traditional methods, there are still rules to follow to ensure a great outcome:

  • Avoid excessive sweating during this time. i.e. vigorous work outs, saunas
  • Avoid soaking the area in water. Showers are totally fine.
  • Leave film on your fresh tattoo for the next 4 days unless:
    • Ink or fluids leak from the edges of the bandage
    • Bandage is pierced in any way
    • The bandage peels and exposes your fresh tattoo
    • Skin under bandage seems overly sore or irritated
      If any of these occur, contact the studio, or your artist immediately. If we are unavailable, remove film as per removal instructions.

Removal

  • We highly recommend removing your film in the shower
  • Hold the tattoo under running water, and starting from the top, find an edge, and start slowly peeling off the film.
  • On particularly stretchy areas of the body, like inner biceps, pull your skin taut with your other hand while peeling to make removal a bit more comfortable.
  • Wash tattoo thoroughly by lathering a gentle soap on top of the tattoo with your bare hand. Work slowly but make sure to remove as much adhesive as possible
  • Do not use anything abrasive to scrub the tattoo
  • Pat your tattoo dry with a clean towel
  • Apply a small amount of Bepanthen, just enough to cover the tattoo
  • Continue to apply Bepanthen 3 times a day, ensuring you have clean hands when doing so, for a week after removing film.
  • We also highly recommend moistening your tattoo regularly once it has healed to help with its longevity.

Things to avoid when healing

  • Prolonged exposure to the sun
  • Getting hammered the same day you were tattooed
  • Immersing the tattoo in water (2 weeks from date of being tattooed)
  • Picking or scratching. (if it becomes itchy when healing, a little slap is your best option)
  • Tight clothing
  • Contact with pets, particularly the furry kind
  • Touching your tattoo with unwashed hands

And that’s it! The only other to do is get out there and show off your new tattoo. Thanks again for your support and we look forward to continuing to work with you for years to come.

Tanuki Tattoo team.