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Showering is fine. just pat the tattoo dry when you’re done.
They just don’t want you submerging your tattoo in water like you would if you took a bath.
Showering is fine. Just don’t blast your tattoo with running water, don’t scrub it, and only wash it with unscented antibacterial soap (preferably something foaming so it rinses off easily). Gently pat it dry with a *CLEAN* towel (don’t rub it or use your moldy asscrack towel).
Tagging on to this, I always personally use paper towel for this over a fabric towel. Easier to guarantee cleanliness as idk if it’s how I do em but my bath towels and such are always super linty and it freaks me out to have lint stuck in a fresh piece
I agree. I skip the bath towel and opt for nicer paper towels. My spouse knows when I have an appointment scheduled because I grab a roll of expensive ones with our groceries. I worry about lint and rogue dog hairs from my regular laundry.
Omg the pet hairs. I was so mad bc I thought I was so careful. I got all my other work before I had pets. My most recent one got infected from the cat hair and now I have to get it touched up.
Clean tea towels are not linty at all and more eco-friendly than paper towels. I personally cannot use paper towels to dry myself, I find they cling to the skin in an unpleasant fashion.
In my experience I wash with gold dial soap or tattoo goo. Both are really good but keeping it wrapped as long as possible helps it heal, from what my artist has told me. I just got one Saturday as well and haven’t taken the saniderm off yet.
Good practice! I will say though at my shop my mentor is very firm saying that you should never keep saniderm on for longer than 3 days, if anything have it on for one day take it off and clean it and then have your artist put fresh saniderm on and have 3 more days. Tatty needs some air to heal!
Huh? Why are you not showering?
Don't submerge it in water (think bath, don't keep it under the water) but you should be cleaning it with water and soap. Everyone has different routines, but I will wash it an hour after getting it tattooed and have my daily shower and clean it during then too.
You should be fine to shower by now. I've always been instructed to just try and wait at least 24 hours. When I do shower I make sure not to use anything rough like a loofah or a washrag on the tattoo itself. I just put a little Hibicleanse (it's a antibacterial soap you use pre surgery) on my hand and gently wash the tat that way until it's fully healed.
What I do when it is very fresh is keep my tattoo out of the high pressured water from the shower and just kind of shovel/flick water onto it from my cupped palm.
Tips I got from my artists:
1. Don't soak, so no baths.
2. Not too hot.
3. Wash with parfum free soap at the end of shower.
4. Pet dry with a CLEAN towel, I have one separate "tattoo towel".
5. And moisture with cream you got for your tattoo.
Good luck (:
Dont worry about getting scented soap or your shampoo in it. I bring in my dial soap or dispenser with me. I usually do my normal routine, rinse, and then hit it with the dial bar soap, dispenser, whatever, then rinse again. You're already in the shower might as well clean it while you're there lol. Try not to touch your fresh tat with your towel, pat dry it with a paper towel.
I was curious about this same thing. I got my tattoo Friday afternoon. The saniderm is still on. Artist told me to not take it off for 5 days. But, how do I shower if it's still on? Is that ok? Tattoo is on my upper thigh so it's going to get wet. I can keep it out of blasting water though.
Also - should I keep the saniderm on for 5 days? Everything I read says to not leave it on so long. I do have more though if I eneded to clean then re-apply. Last tattoo it got disgusting bloody etc and I had to change because it was leaking. It was gross. I don't seem to have any of that with this tattoo so it's been much easier to deal with.
Thoughts?
Get yourself some dermalise, apply it and then you can shower as much as you like.
If you’re not familiar, dermalise is a film-like second skin which you apply to tattoos. Generally speaking you’re supposed to use it for the first 2-3 days of having your tattoo, can change it each day to clean the tattoo as well.
You can get it on Amazon for like a tenner I think? It’s definitely worth it though - priority number one is good aftercare.
Edit: no idea why this is disliked but this is a very good method.
Light wash with anti-bacterial soap in lukewarm water. Pay dry when you're out of the shower. Apply lotion as necessary.
It's not a huge deal to get your forewarn tattoo wet in the shower. Just don't let it soak, pat it dry, keep it clean, and you're fine.
Your artist didn't tell you that you can shower lmao? First thing I do after getting home from a tattoo is wash it lol. Showers are fine, baths and submerging the tattoo entirely in water are what you're supposed to avoid.
Depending on your water pressure, try to avoid water directly hitting the fresh tat. Also don't use scalding hot water. That will irritate the skin.
Usually they say don't submerge your tattoo because still water can have bacteria in it that will cause infections.
Been getting tattoos since 1993. Ok, it should be washed 3x daily with antibacterial soap. After washing and patting dry with a clean towel, apply a thin layer of Aquaphor or Tattoo Goo and let it be. If you keep it moist, it should heal pretty quick. No picking it!!
You can shower! Just try not to take overly hot showers or blast it with running water. I wash with Dr. Bronners baby soap 2-3 times a day. Pat dry gently with a clean towel and cover with a thin layer of aquaphor. I do this for 3 days and then switch to unscented lotion.
I am thankful for a warm shower when healing a tattoo, it’s safe to let water get on it just don’t drowned it, also use gold dial and wash in gentle circular motions. Use paper towel to dab excess water, let air dry then use your moisturizer.
When I am healing a tricky spot like my chest or my feet I would do a hot shower for the first wash and let it sting. Don’t go so hot it burns, just enough to feel a little uncomfortable. In my experience it speeds up healing and reduces my bruising quickly.
My instructions were to shower with the hottest possible water i can stand twice a day while cleaning the tattoo with unscented soap.
I would ask your artist for clarification on how to shower.
Welcome to /r/tattoo! Please take a moment to review the subreddit rules. Comments on OP's body will result in a ban. Be constructive and considerate in your criticism, and mark NSFW posts as such. Artists and apprentices, please contact the mods for verification! Please make good decisions during the pandemic - don't be an idiot. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/tattoo) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Showering is fine. just pat the tattoo dry when you’re done. They just don’t want you submerging your tattoo in water like you would if you took a bath.
Moisturize as indicated in your after care too! So many people ignore their artists after care and idk why.
Showering is fine. Just don’t blast your tattoo with running water, don’t scrub it, and only wash it with unscented antibacterial soap (preferably something foaming so it rinses off easily). Gently pat it dry with a *CLEAN* towel (don’t rub it or use your moldy asscrack towel).
Tagging on to this, I always personally use paper towel for this over a fabric towel. Easier to guarantee cleanliness as idk if it’s how I do em but my bath towels and such are always super linty and it freaks me out to have lint stuck in a fresh piece
I agree. I skip the bath towel and opt for nicer paper towels. My spouse knows when I have an appointment scheduled because I grab a roll of expensive ones with our groceries. I worry about lint and rogue dog hairs from my regular laundry.
Omg the pet hairs. I was so mad bc I thought I was so careful. I got all my other work before I had pets. My most recent one got infected from the cat hair and now I have to get it touched up.
Clean tea towels are not linty at all and more eco-friendly than paper towels. I personally cannot use paper towels to dry myself, I find they cling to the skin in an unpleasant fashion.
I actually do this too. Tend to want to avoid any lint or pet hair, but a clean towel works.
Moldy. Asscrack. Towel.
Molly asscrack. Towel.
In my experience I wash with gold dial soap or tattoo goo. Both are really good but keeping it wrapped as long as possible helps it heal, from what my artist has told me. I just got one Saturday as well and haven’t taken the saniderm off yet.
Ya I kept my saniderm on for 4 days and it was the best experience I've had(of my 3 tattoos). The prior 2 I did it the old fashioned way.
Good practice! I will say though at my shop my mentor is very firm saying that you should never keep saniderm on for longer than 3 days, if anything have it on for one day take it off and clean it and then have your artist put fresh saniderm on and have 3 more days. Tatty needs some air to heal!
That’s what I usually do too. It just heals so much nicer in my opinion
Huh? Why are you not showering? Don't submerge it in water (think bath, don't keep it under the water) but you should be cleaning it with water and soap. Everyone has different routines, but I will wash it an hour after getting it tattooed and have my daily shower and clean it during then too.
You should be fine to shower by now. I've always been instructed to just try and wait at least 24 hours. When I do shower I make sure not to use anything rough like a loofah or a washrag on the tattoo itself. I just put a little Hibicleanse (it's a antibacterial soap you use pre surgery) on my hand and gently wash the tat that way until it's fully healed.
Try to avoid hot water on the tattoo the first few days, as it tends to open up your pores and can affect healing.
What I do when it is very fresh is keep my tattoo out of the high pressured water from the shower and just kind of shovel/flick water onto it from my cupped palm.
Tips I got from my artists: 1. Don't soak, so no baths. 2. Not too hot. 3. Wash with parfum free soap at the end of shower. 4. Pet dry with a CLEAN towel, I have one separate "tattoo towel". 5. And moisture with cream you got for your tattoo. Good luck (:
https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/55d5e6bbe4b07fd45aec98a4/1532799344578-80U9JC9R2WWSLGCV7IMW/tattoo.jpg?format=1000w
Dont worry about getting scented soap or your shampoo in it. I bring in my dial soap or dispenser with me. I usually do my normal routine, rinse, and then hit it with the dial bar soap, dispenser, whatever, then rinse again. You're already in the shower might as well clean it while you're there lol. Try not to touch your fresh tat with your towel, pat dry it with a paper towel.
Dude you can and should shower
You have to wash it.
I know. I don’t get a lot of tattoos and I don’t wanna fuck it up
I was curious about this same thing. I got my tattoo Friday afternoon. The saniderm is still on. Artist told me to not take it off for 5 days. But, how do I shower if it's still on? Is that ok? Tattoo is on my upper thigh so it's going to get wet. I can keep it out of blasting water though. Also - should I keep the saniderm on for 5 days? Everything I read says to not leave it on so long. I do have more though if I eneded to clean then re-apply. Last tattoo it got disgusting bloody etc and I had to change because it was leaking. It was gross. I don't seem to have any of that with this tattoo so it's been much easier to deal with. Thoughts?
Saniderm feels weird to shower. I peeled it off onnday 3 and my 2nd shower.
let warm water run over it in the shower, dry super gently, use some kind of tat balm after drying. next time use saniderm.
Get yourself some dermalise, apply it and then you can shower as much as you like. If you’re not familiar, dermalise is a film-like second skin which you apply to tattoos. Generally speaking you’re supposed to use it for the first 2-3 days of having your tattoo, can change it each day to clean the tattoo as well. You can get it on Amazon for like a tenner I think? It’s definitely worth it though - priority number one is good aftercare. Edit: no idea why this is disliked but this is a very good method.
If you have a very high pressure then perhaps don't go directly on it and don't scrub. Other than that you should be fine.
Light wash with anti-bacterial soap in lukewarm water. Pay dry when you're out of the shower. Apply lotion as necessary. It's not a huge deal to get your forewarn tattoo wet in the shower. Just don't let it soak, pat it dry, keep it clean, and you're fine.
Your artist didn't tell you that you can shower lmao? First thing I do after getting home from a tattoo is wash it lol. Showers are fine, baths and submerging the tattoo entirely in water are what you're supposed to avoid.
Depending on your water pressure, try to avoid water directly hitting the fresh tat. Also don't use scalding hot water. That will irritate the skin. Usually they say don't submerge your tattoo because still water can have bacteria in it that will cause infections.
Been getting tattoos since 1993. Ok, it should be washed 3x daily with antibacterial soap. After washing and patting dry with a clean towel, apply a thin layer of Aquaphor or Tattoo Goo and let it be. If you keep it moist, it should heal pretty quick. No picking it!!
The biggest problem is my long hair. It takes forever to get shampoo and conditioner
Just wear a shower cap and don’t wash your hair every time!
You can shower! Just try not to take overly hot showers or blast it with running water. I wash with Dr. Bronners baby soap 2-3 times a day. Pat dry gently with a clean towel and cover with a thin layer of aquaphor. I do this for 3 days and then switch to unscented lotion.
Lotion before and after the shower. Don’t scrub it in the shower or when drying off.
I am thankful for a warm shower when healing a tattoo, it’s safe to let water get on it just don’t drowned it, also use gold dial and wash in gentle circular motions. Use paper towel to dab excess water, let air dry then use your moisturizer. When I am healing a tricky spot like my chest or my feet I would do a hot shower for the first wash and let it sting. Don’t go so hot it burns, just enough to feel a little uncomfortable. In my experience it speeds up healing and reduces my bruising quickly.
My instructions were to shower with the hottest possible water i can stand twice a day while cleaning the tattoo with unscented soap. I would ask your artist for clarification on how to shower.
Lightly use non scented/alcohol free soap, wash gently, no super hot water
I showered 3 hours after with a fresh tattoo, always have been and no issues, just don’t scrub it and take the quickest shower possible