Your tattoo is an open wound. How it looks in five years depends almost entirely on what you do in the next four weeks. Read this once before you leave the studio, and come back to it whenever you are unsure — nothing here is optional.
Diego will tell you at the end of your session which wrap he used. Follow only the matching method below — mixing the two will cause problems.
Wash two to three times a day. Clean hands, lukewarm water, fragrance-free antibacterial soap. Rub gently with your fingertips until the tattoo no longer feels slippery, then rinse.
Pat dry, then moisturize thinly. A thin layer of unscented lotion or aftercare balm — thin enough that the skin looks matte, not shiny. The tattoo needs air. Thick product suffocates the skin, traps bacteria and pulls ink out of the healing surface.
Keep it covered when you are out. Loose, clean clothing over the area. Change your sheets and pillowcase, and keep pets off the bed while you are healing.
Look after yourself. Drink water, eat properly and sleep — healing is metabolic work, and a run-down body heals a tattoo badly.
Redness, swelling, warmth, and weeping of plasma and excess ink. The area feels bruised and tender. All of this is normal on day one.
The skin tightens and starts to dry out. It feels like a sunburn — a dull, warm ache. Light flaking begins toward the end of this window.
Heavy flaking and intense itching. Coloured flakes will come off — that is dead skin, not your tattoo. Do not scratch and do not pull the flakes: tap the area or apply a little lotion instead. Picking a scab pulls the ink out with it and leaves a permanent patch.
The tattoo may look cloudy, dull or slightly grey. This is a fresh layer of skin sitting over the ink, and it clears on its own. Do not panic and do not exfoliate it — this stage worries almost every client, and it always passes.
The deeper layers finish healing and the final contrast and colour settle in. Only now can a touch-up, if one is needed, be properly evaluated.
Contact a medical professional promptly if you notice any of the following:
This page is aftercare guidance, not medical advice. If you are in any doubt, see a doctor first — then let Diego's team know so we can note it on your file.
Wait until your tattoo is fully healed — a minimum of one month, ideally two — before asking about a touch-up. A tattoo in the peeling or milky stage cannot be assessed, and no reputable artist will work over skin that is still healing.
If your tattoo healed unevenly through no fault of your own, message Diego's team with a clear photo taken in natural daylight and we will evaluate it.
As agreed in the consent form you signed, any touch-up required because of negligence in aftercare is at the client's expense — this includes sun damage, picked scabs, swimming or soaking before healing, and infections caused by poor hygiene.
If anything looks or feels wrong, message Diego's team directly — send a clear photo taken in natural daylight. We would much rather answer an unnecessary question than see a preventable problem a week later.