Guide · 7 min
How to care for a new tattoo, day by day
Most tattoos that age badly were not tattooed badly: they were healed badly. The first two weeks decide a good part of how that piece will look in ten years, and the routine is far shorter than people think.
The first 48 hours
Leave the dressing on for as long as we tell you on the day of the appointment. There is no universal figure: it depends on the type of coverage we used, so follow what we tell you, not what you read on a forum.
When removing it: clean hands, lukewarm water and neutral soap, without scrubbing. Pat dry with kitchen paper, never with a towel. Towels accumulate bacteria and snag on the surface.
The following two weeks
Wash twice a day and apply cream in a thin layer after each wash. Really thin: a thick layer suffocates the skin, slows healing and can bring out pimples.
No pool, beach, bath or sauna. Showering is fine, no problem. And loose clothing over the area: the constant rubbing of a tight garment pulls scabs off before their time.
It will itch and it will peel. That is the normal part and also the most dangerous: if you scratch or pull at the flakes, you take pigment with them, and that is where the light patches that later need touching up appear.
Afterwards: sunscreen, always
The sun is what fades a tattoo most, far more than the passing of time. A black and grey loses depth and a colour piece loses its light tones and reds first.
Factor 50 over the area whenever it is exposed in summer is not exaggerated: it is the difference between a piece that is still sharp after ten years and one that looks twenty.
Warning signs: when to stop searching online and call
Redness that spreads instead of subsiding, heat in the area, swelling that worsens from the third day on, pus or fever. That is not healing, that is a possible infection.
If any of those signs appear, contact us and see a doctor. We are not health professionals and this page is not medical advice: it is the studio's aftercare routine.
Touch-ups, without the small print
If the touch-up fixes something attributable to our work, it is free. If it comes from poor aftercare, sun on a recent tattoo, a knock or another professional working over it, it is charged as a normal session.
Pieces above 400 € include the aftercare cream. Below that we tell you exactly what to buy, without trying to sell it to you.
Real work
Studio work, no renders
Every photo on this website is a piece done at Arkadia.
Questions before you book
Quick questions
How long does a tattoo take to heal?
The surface closes in about two weeks, but the skin underneath keeps settling for one or two more months. That is why some tattoos look a bit dull in the third week and then regain sharpness: it is normal and it does not mean it came out wrong. Do not judge the final result until a month has passed.
It is peeling and ink is coming off. Is it fading?
No. The flakes that fall carry pigment from the most superficial layer, but the ink that forms the tattoo is below and does not go with them. The only thing that can actually remove pigment is scratching or pulling the scab off early. Let it fall on its own, however much it itches.
Can I exercise with a recent tattoo?
In the first days it is best to avoid heavy sweating and any rubbing over the area: gym machines, contact sports or mats pressing on it. Walking or light activity is fine. If the tattooed area is one you work hard in your sport, tell us when you book and we will plan the date with that in mind.
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