What happens if you ignore aftercare rules
Healing a tattoo always involves specific rules, guidelines, and some restrictions during the special care period. But what happens if you break those rules?
P.S. This article is based on my personal experience, the experience of other tattoo artists, and articles/videos from credible sources online.
1. Not protecting the tattoo with a bandage/special film during the first days
A fresh tattoo is an open wound that produces bodily fluids (blood, lymph, excess ink, etc.). All the dust and dirt floating in the environment will gladly stick to that moist area of skin. If bacteria get into the bloodstream, it’s easy to catch an infection or deal with other unpleasant issues. A bandage acts as a barrier that prevents all the bad stuff from getting into that moist area and causing complications.
Another important benefit of the bandage is that it protects the injured skin from friction. If your new tattoo is exposed to constant rubbing from clothing (jeans, tight outfits, etc.) in the first few days, it will heal slower, and in some spots, it may even scar. The same goes for scratching it or rubbing it with a sponge or your dirty little hands.
The right way: wear the bandage for the first 2–4 days (depending on the tattoo) after the session.
2. Not moisturizing the tattoo
Skipping aftercare can lead to your tattoo drying out. Dead skin cells, excess ink, blood, lymph, and more will dry on the surface and form a crust. When that crust eventually peels off, it can take some pigment with it — pigment that should’ve stayed in the deeper layers of the skin. This can leave behind wounds and scars that will heal with new skin — in other words, you get a scar and a patch of skin without ink. Often, this can be fixed with a touch-up, but the re-inked area may look slightly different — scar tissue tends to be smoother, shinier, and has a different texture from the rest of the skin.
Honestly, it doesn’t even matter much what you use to moisturize — a special tattoo ointment, Panthenol, or even plain Vaseline. The main goal is to keep the tattoo from drying out, and all of these options do the trick.
The right way: wash and moisturize your tattoo every 3–4 hours (for the first 2–4 days while using a bandage, then continue for another 5 days without a bandage, just washing and moisturizing).
3. Not changing your bandages, or doing it too rarely
This one ties into the previous point. Rarely changing your bandage = rare moisturizing = dry, messed-up tattoo in the end. On top of that, if the tattoo stays covered for too long (especially with a tight wrap), you might get heat rashes, pimples, or other skin issues that won’t exactly add charm to your new body art.
The one exception to frequent bandage changes is sleep — no need to wake up at 3 AM to swap it. Just change the bandage right before bed and again in the morning when you wake up.
4. Sunbathing with a fresh tattoo
Direct sunlight fades tattoos — if you sunbathe with a fresh tattoo, it’ll likely lose a few shades of brightness. That’s because the sun causes a light burn on the surface of your skin. As your body heals, it replaces that skin layer — and takes some of the pigment with it. This makes your tattoo appear lighter. Sun exposure doesn’t just dull the tattoo, though — it can also mess with the colors. Black can turn bluish, red may go rusty, and white can disappear altogether in just one summer. Tanning beds? Same deal, sometimes worse. If you hit the beach or tanning salon while your tattoo’s still healing, expect the damage to be even more noticeable.
In summer, I strongly recommend using sunscreen not just at the beach or cottage, but also around the city when you’re out for long periods — even after the first two weeks of active healing. That way your tattoo will stay bold and vibrant for many years.
The right way: completely avoid beaches, saunas, and tanning beds for the first two weeks.
5. Working out
Like I mentioned before, a fresh tattoo is basically an open wound that bacteria love to invade. When you work out, you sweat — a perfect playground for those bacteria to multiply. Sweat droplets can seep under the bandage, mix with blood, dirt, and bacteria, creating a lovely cocktail inside your body. Best case? Longer healing. Worst case? Infection and illness.
Plus, when you move a lot, your skin stretches, including the wounded area. Your body is busy stitching that injury with new skin, but working out rips it open again, making healing way harder. And we all know from childhood — if you keep tearing the same wound, you end up with a scar.
The right way: skip the gym for 9–10 days if you want your tattoo to heal clean and sharp.
In one of his videos, popular tattoo blogger Dmitry Naboka ran an interesting healing experiment. Here’s what was set up:
one person (client);
two identical spots on their body (left and right thigh);
two tattoos of the same style and nature on each spot;
tattoos done on the same day, at the same time, by the same artist.
The experiment was simple: the client healed one tattoo exactly following the artist’s recommendations, and completely ignored the care for the other. The result is shown in the photo.
I’m sure you can guess which one healed right and which didn’t. Don’t want your tattoo to look like the one on the right? Then take care of it properly and follow the aftercare instructions. At this stage, the look of your tattoo and your health are 100% your responsibility.
Good and high-quality tattoos!