A tattoo usually takes about 1‑2 weeks to look fully healed, but takes another few weeks to be truly healed at all layers of the skin. The healing timeline can depend on the type of ink you get, the style, and the size. Different parts of your body have slightly different sensitivities and types of skin, which will affect how well they absorb the ink and how quickly they heal. Completely healing all the layers of broken skin can actually take up to 4 months, even though your tattoo will appear healed before that point. The healing process varies depending on a person’s immune system, ability to fight infections, and aftercare treatment, especially cleaning and sun protection.
You’ve just gotten freshly tattooed, and it looks amazing. You’ve got your artist’s directions on aftercare, and you’re ready to follow them to a T. Over the next few weeks, your skin is going to go through a healing process — here’s what you can expect throughout that process, and how to take care of every stage. Just remember, everyone is a little bit different physiologically, so your healing process won’t look exactly like this, but it’ll be pretty close. It will usually take 2‑3 weeks for your tattoo to heal completely. Doing your research before by choosing a reputable tattoo parlor will minimize your risk of any complications and infections. Keep in mind that we’re not doctors and your artist isn’t a doctor, so call your doctor immediately if you suspect infection.
Day 1: Taut, bright and fresh
Your tattoo looks just like the flash on the walls when you walked into the shop! This is the best time to see how it’s essentially going to look healed, albeit a little brighter than its final form. Your tattoo is still an open wound at this stage, so keep it safe and clean this first day and night. In the first few days, it is extremely important to rinse your tattoo with antibacterial, fragrance‑free soap and hot water 2‑3 times daily. When you shower during this stage, be sure not to rub your tattoo with a towel or you will aggravate your skin and disrupt the healing process.
Days 2‑6: Oozy
Once you’ve got your tattoo wrapped and walked away from the shop, your skin is probably pushing plasma out of that open wound. This is your skin’s normal response to your new ink. Plasma is essentially the liquid protein that makes up 50% of your blood; it aids in the healing process by helping to form clots, scabs, and move other substances through your bloodstream. When you remove the wrapping from your tattoo, there’s going to be oozy ink everywhere — this is the ink combined with blood cells and plasma, pushed out through your tattoo to heal the broken skin.
Your tattoo might also be giving off some heat — hold your hand above it and that particular area of your skin is probably fiery. This is also a part of the healing process. Your white blood cells and plasma are reacting to the open wound — this is natural inflammation, a way for your body to destroy any toxic agents (as in, potential for infection) and restore tissue. Your body is doing the hard work to basically close up that first layer of skin, the epidermis, so the tattoo can live in your second layer of skin, the dermis. Some people who have immune‑disorders, struggle with dehydration, or are prone to bruises may experience additional bruising at this stage. Keep an eye on it, but this isn’t uncommon. Once again, keep your tattoo clean and follow your artist’s aftercare instructions. By the end of this stage, your tattoo will probably start scabbing.
Days 7‑14: Scabby and flaking
Your tattoo, especially if it’s more than just line work, is going to be scabby by this point. Your epidermis is healing itself and is no longer an open wound — your white blood cells, the protectors of your immune system, have worked together with the plasma proteins in your body to create a scabby cap where your open wound was. The ink is still there, underneath, but the first layer of it that was hovering in the epidermis will flake away. Don’t pick, don’t peel, don’t press, don’t mess with it. The way you treat this stage can really affect the art — trust us, we’ve slammed our fresh scabby tattoos into enough table corners to know. You can use a bit of moisturizer to keep your skin hydrated, but don’t overdo it!
Healing taking a long time? Signs to spot infection: These are NOT normal and NOT part of the healing process!