Visual Expressions Tattoos & Piercings

Congratulations on your new tattoo. Whether it is your first tattoo, or your 50th, please take a few moments to look this over. Your new tattoo can and should last you a lifetime, it’s up to you!!!

Our artists have put their best into giving you a top quality tattoo. However, it’s up to you to take care of it. How you take care of it for the next 3 weeks will greatly determine how well it will look down the road.

Leave the plastic wrap or bandage on for at least 4 hours and up to overnight. When you remove the plastic, wash your tattoo gently with a good antibacterial soap, such as liquid dial. Liquid soaps are better than bar soap (Bar soaps can hold in bacteria!!). Wash Gently until all the dried blood, ointment, and excess ink is removed. Your tattoo is probable a little sensitive and red. This is Normal and may last a few days.
Pat your tattoo gently with a clean cloth or paper towel until dry. Apply a thin coat of either an Ad ointment, bacitracin or a triple antibiotic ointment over your tattoo. Just enough to make your tattoo moist (so that your tattoo shines). Do not over do it. More is not better and you can actually damage your tattoo. It’s much better to apply thin coats more frequently. Do this about every hour for 4 days. Washing your tattoo between coats is recommended. You will also want to wash your hands before applying the ointment.

After the initial 4 days of A and D, switch over to a good skin moisturizer, such as Lubriderm, Curel, Jergins, or even cocoa butter. Just make sure your lotion does not have perfumes or dyes in it. You will probably notice your tattoo is scabbing. This is normal and is part of how your body naturally heals. The scabs will come off at their own pace. Do not pick or scratch at your tattoo. You will damage it!!! Picking off scabs results in loss of color. If your tattoo becomes itchy, it’s probably a sign that your tattoo is dry so apply more lotion. Continue applying lotion for about 2 weeks even after the scabs fall off. The lotion will help with your skins rejuvenation. At this time your tattoo will look shiny under your skin. If it looks ashy or dull, keep putting on moisturizer.

Don'ts

Do not soak or scrub your tattoo.
Just wash it gently. Showers are fine, but avoid baths, hot tubs, pools and the ocean.
Do not pick or scratch at your tattoo. This is the worst thing you can do. Don’t do it.
Do not let your tattoo see the sun or tanning lights, especially while healing.
Sun and tanning lights will fade tattoos. When in the sun, apply a good sun block, the higher the better.

Do not listen to your friends. If you have any questions or concerns come see us or give us a call.

General Piercing Aftercare Instructions

Liquid Dial Antibacterial Soap / Sea Salt / Bactine cleaning Procedures: wash 3- 4 times a day as follows. Lather jewelry w/ antibacterial soap removing any discharge and crust the may form on the jewelry and piercing. (note: it is normal for a little white / yellow discharge to be secreted this discharge is called lymph and is your body's natural way of healing itself.) After lathering the piecing rotate the jewelry 5-6 times to remove all the soap. After washing salt water soaks are recommended. It is a little time consuming but will help your new piercing heal. Salt water soaks: With a cup of warm water dilute a teaspoon of salt (non-iodized) and cup over piercing letting it soak for at least 10-15 minutes 2-3 times daily or as often as possible.

Oral Piercing Aftercare Instructions

Tongue piercing: Listerine / Ibuprofen / Sea Salt lip / Liquid Dial cleaning Procedures:

Rinse w/ Listerine for thirty seconds after anything you eat, drink, or smoke. Avoid dairy products such as milk, yogurt, and ice cream for the first few days of healing these contain a lot of bacteria and should be avoided. Refrain from oral sex and heavy kissing for process as well as loosen the beads or your piercing. Cold foods such as ice chips and freeze pops along w/ an ibuprofen will reduce swelling. For lip or cheek piercing also was the outside w/ an antibacterial soap same as you would any general piercing.

Do's and Don'ts

Never touch piercing with dirty hands allow saliva or other bodily fluids come in contact w/ the area. Keeping your new piercing clean is a must. It should only be touched during the healing while your are cleaning it. DON'T PLAY WITH IT! Playing with piercings with dirty little fingers is a huge factor in getting infections. Do not remove the jewelry while you are healing even a full healed piercing will shrink or even close up if left out to long. With navel piercings do not wear high waistbands or belts that may rub against the area causing irritation. For genital piercings condoms is a must at least until the piercing is fully healed. If you think you may have an infection piercings condoms is a must at least until the percing is fully healed. If you think you may have an infection DO NO remove the jewelry. This is the worst thing you can do. Your piercing heals from the inside out if you remove that jewelry you will trap the infection inside and in some cases cause a staff infection. If you feel you may have an infection contact your piercer for help in clearing it up. And finally DO NOT use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. These will dry out the piercing and remove the white blood cells.