Day 0–3
Under the film
We cover it with second-skin film. Leave it on for 3 to 5 days unless it lifts or fills with fluid. Fluid under the film is normal: plasma and a little ink.
(How it heals)
Aftercare
What a new tattoo looks like each week and what to do with it, shown on the same swallow from our one-sitting photos. Piercing aftercare is further down.
Day 3–5
Wash it
Take the film off in a warm shower. Wash with unscented soap, pat dry with kitchen roll, let it air for ten minutes, then a thin layer of the balm we give you, two or three times a day.
Day 5–14
Let it peel
It flakes like sunburn and it itches. Don’t pick or scratch: the flakes carry ink. It will look milky and dull while new skin forms over it.
Week 2–6
Keep it dry and dark
No swimming, baths, saunas or sunbeds until it has stopped peeling and shining, usually two to four weeks. At six weeks, check it in daylight. Touch-ups within three months are free.
For good
Sun cream
Sun fades ink faster than anything. SPF 50 whenever it’s out.
(New piercings)
Piercing aftercare
- 01
Clean
Spray sterile saline twice a day, let it run off, and pat dry with clean paper. Nothing else: no alcohol, no tea tree.
- 02
Leave it
Don’t twist, turn or take out the jewellery. Movement drags bacteria in and irritates the channel.
- 03
Downsize
Come back after 4 to 8 weeks. Once swelling has gone, we swap the long starter bar for a shorter one so it doesn’t catch. The check is free.
- 04
Sleep
Keep pressure off new cartilage. Sleep on the other side, or on a travel pillow with your ear in the hole.
- 05
Bumps
A small bump is usually pressure or a bar that’s too long, not infection. Come in and we’ll look.
- 06
Infection
Spreading redness, heat, yellow or green pus, or a fever: see your GP and keep the jewellery in so it can drain.
Worried about something? Call 0141 496 0418 or come in during walk-in hours. We would rather see it early.