Just as style and price vary from tattoo shop to tattoo shop, so do their aftercare instructions for complete tattoo healing.

Every artist has had different experiences and therefore, a different opinion on what is best for their clients in caring for a fresh tattoo.

However, all can agree that good aftercare is crucial for the outcome of the ink long after the final tattoo session.

Each body is unique and reacts differently to the process of healing, creating further discrepancies in different tattoo aftercare product choices or the recommendation from each artist. In general, however, artists can agree on the steps required: leave the bandage on for a certain amount of time, gently wash the tattoo, pat it dry thoroughly and moisturize with a special moisturizer like Hustle Butter Deluxe.

Though each step of the aftercare is important, the trickiest for tattoo artists to agree on is tattoo moisturizer. From when a client should start moisturizing to how many times a day a tattoo should be moisturized, you can get a different answer from every artist you visit.

Frustrating as this is, there is a reason for this. The discrepancy stems from the potential issues that could follow from over or under moisturizing.

How Can I Ruin my New Tattoo?

The following are the most common causes for the ruination of a new tattoo :

1. Doing nothing. It’s amazing how common it is that people don’t do any tattoo aftercare once the antiseptic bandage applied by the tattoo artist is removed and the excess ink is wiped away
2. Sunlight. Sunlight. Direct exposure to sunlight while the tattoo heals can be detrimental – it can cause skin irritation and an allergic reaction to the tattoo ink. Make sure if you’re getting inked during a vacation that you don’t roll into the tattoo shop sunburnt, and if possible, wait till you’re just about to journey home to get it
3. Water. You can get your tattoo wet – washing gently with warm water is recommended – but don’t soak in water of any type until the tattoo heals in full
4. Over-treating the tattoo . Applying too much tattoo aftercare lotion, tattoo ointment or antibacterial soap is equally as damaging as doing nothing
5. Touching, picking, scratching, and rubbing your tattoo or surrounding skin because it’s itchy and flaking during healing

If you under moisturize, the skin cracks and breaks, resulting in skin irritation, scabbing, and peeling. The skin then becomes itchy, tempting you to scratch it or pull off the peeling skin, which could potentially mess up your tattoo. If you peel the skin and don’t let it slough off naturally, you can pull ink out of your tattoo. Scratching can also achieve this.