Most tattoos that heal badly are not badly tattooed. They are badly looked after in the
first fortnight. These are the mistakes we see most often, and what each one actually does
to the ink.
For the full day-by-day routine, see our tattoo aftercare guide.
Leaving the wrap on too long
Cling film is there for the journey home, not the night. Left on for hours it traps
plasma and warmth against an open wound, which is exactly the environment bacteria want.
Two to three hours is the limit.
Washing it too much, or too little
Twice a day with unperfumed antibacterial soap is right. More than that keeps the skin
permanently wet and softens the forming scab, which pulls pigment out with it. Less than
that lets plasma dry into a thick crust that cracks and takes ink with it when it goes.
Drowning it in cream
A thin film is enough — enough to look slightly shiny, not white. A thick layer stops the
skin breathing and can turn a healing tattoo into a heat rash. And nothing at all for the
first 48 hours.
Picking
The single most damaging thing you can do. A scab is holding pigment in place while the
skin closes underneath. Pull it early and you pull out the ink with it, which is how patchy
tattoos and blown-out lines happen. It will itch. Tap it, do not scratch it.
Sun and water
No swimming pools, sea, baths or hot tubs for a month — all of them are either full of
bacteria or full of chlorine, and both are bad news on an open wound. Direct sun on a
healing tattoo fades it permanently, and no amount of aftercare brings that colour back.
Once healed, sunscreen is the single best thing you can do for a tattoo’s lifespan.
The gym
Sweat, shared equipment and stretching skin. Give it a week, longer if the tattoo is
somewhere that moves a lot. A fortnight of patience is cheaper than a touch-up.
When to actually worry
Redness and warmth for a few days is normal. Spreading redness, swelling that gets worse
rather than better after day three, a bad smell or any discharge that is not clear plasma is
not — see a doctor, and tell us so we can help.