Hand of Fortune Tattoo
Tattoo Aftercare Instructions
Please follow our aftercare instructions. If you have questions, you can reach us at handofortnetattoo@gmail.com
Hand of Fortune Tattoo Aftercare
After your tattoo is completed, your artist will bandage your tattoo for your trip home.
Leave the bandage on for one to three hours. When you take the bandage off, wash it with very warm water (as hot as is comfortable) and mild liquid hand soap (like Dial or Softsoap, just no perfumed or exfoliating body washes).
Pat it dry gently with a paper towel, and let it air dry the rest of the way (never scrub the tattoo with a towel or sponge). Then you will apply a very small amount of plain unscented skin lotion (we recommend Aveeno, Lubriderm, Curel, or any of their generics) to the tattoo, just enough to lightly moisturize.
Do NOT: slather a big, thick coat of product over it.
Use just enough for it to stay moist and flexible. Every day from then on, you will wash the tattoo in the morning and at night, and apply a small amount of lotion 3 times a day or so, or whenever the tattoo feels dry or tight.
Always wash your hands before touching the tattoo.
Do NOT: apply Vaseline, Neosporin, Bacitracin or any other medicated or perfumed product to your tattoo. After a few days, the tattoo will form a thin scab over it, and in about a week the scab will begin to flake off in the shower.
Do NOT: pick or scratch at the scab, just keep it clean and moist and the scabs will all fall off by themselves in about two weeks. Picking any of the scabs off will cause faded color and damage to the skin. If it is a large tattoo, we suggest changing your bedding once you are home to keep your tattoo in a clean environment.
You may also need to wear loose fitting clothing over the tattoo then get this fabric damp before removing if the clothing sticks to it over night.
Additional information
During healing DO NOT: Wrap the tattoo after the first night (wearing breathable clothes over it is fine as long as they are not causing friction. (Keeping tattoos wrapped in plastic or bandages will stop air from getting to the tattoo, slow healing, and make gross stuff grow in there.)
Do NOT: Submerge the tattoo in water. This means baths, pools and oceans. Short, regular showers are fine.
Do NOT: let anyone including friends or pets touch your new tattoo while it is healing.
Keep it away from any exercise equipment, even if it's your Yoga mat at home.
Do NOT: Expose it to strong sunlight (Like outdoor activities or beach days. Walking to your car is fine) Shave over the tattoo (ouch!) When all the scabs fall off and the skin feels smooth again to the touch, it is all healed and you can shave over it again, and swim and everything else. Sometimes after the scab falls off there is a secondary shiny, raised or waxy coat over the tattoo. This is just another healing layer of skin.
DO Continue to moisturize it and it will smooth out by itself over time.
If you have any questions about your tattoo while it's healing you are always welcome to come by the shop and have us check it out, or email the artist who did the tattoo with "AFTERCARE" in the subject line for a more immediate response. Our email is handofortunetattoo@gmail.com