Aftercare

So. You have a new tattoo. Here you will find how CAULDRON recommends you care for it in a broad and general fashion. 

• Each artist will wrap you in their preferred method before you leave the shop. We suggest that you leave this wrap on until the following morning.
  

• Remove the wrap in a safe place so that you don't fling blood and other coagulated fluids places you don't wish them to be. It will be handy to have a trashcan nearby. If you are not in your own home, please be considerate of where you dispose of it.
  

• We suggest that you use an antibacterial liquid soap, such as Dial. As long as it's liquid and antibacterial, that's all that really matters. Using said soap, wash the tattoo and surrounding areas gently with warm water to remove any dried or drying fluids, the main constituents of which will be blood, excess ink, and serous fluid. Again, be careful where these end up as people can get very bent out of shape about them being where they don't belong.
  

• Once your tattooed skin has returned to a normal texture and you can no longer see any extra filth, gently blot the tattoo with a paper towel to dry or simply let air dry. Try to avoid fuzzy towels and especially anything abrasive. Your poor skin has been through enough already.
  

• Apply the smallest amount of a fragrance and dye free lotion that you are able, and gently hydrate your new tattoo with it. LESS IS MORE. The last thing you want to do is cake up a bunch of gunk and lotion on your skin so that it cannot breathe. This would ABSOLUTELY harm your tattoo, as well as your skin. Your goal is simply to keep your skin supple as it tries to heal. If you are in a position where you have to choose between it being dryer or wetter, ALWAYS go dryer. We suggest Aquaphor as a good general purpose moisturizer. Again, use as LITTLE as humanly possible.
  

• It would be a good idea to sleep with the tattoo wrapped in a decent quality plastic wrap for the first 5-7 nights (nights ONLY please) of your healing process. This will keep your bed linens and those you share them with from sticking to your tattoo as you sleep. Should you regain consciousness to find that something IS stuck to your tattoo, whatever it is and however large of a pain it may be, it will ALWAYS be worth it to take the extra effort to cary it, still attached, to the shower and run warm water on it and your tattoo until they separate. DO NOT under any circumstances pull or tug them apart dry, you will absolutely harm your tattoo. The temptation will be great... DO NOT GIVE IN.
  

• THINGS TO AVOID: direct sun exposure for a period of at least a week. Copious exercise. Profuse sweating. Sleeping or laying on the new tattoo. Tight clothing over the tattoo. Submerging it in water for any prolonged period (NO SWIMMING). Scratching or picking at it as it flakes. Letting other people touch it. Putting anything on it that you haven't while healing a tattoo before.
  

• REMEMBER: This is your tattoo. This is your investment. Take as much care of it as you can, while always using common sense and caution. Less IS more. If all else fails just leave it be. You are welcome to contact us for any questions not answered here at [email protected]. Tattoos WILL be red, weepy, swollen, warm to the touch and tender for a few days to a week or so after application. This is an absolutely normal inflammatory response. Ibuprofen is suggested for minimizing swelling and pain, but always check with your doctor before using medications you're unfamiliar with.