Stick And Poke Tattoo Aftercare in 7 Steps: [DOs & DON’Ts]

“Stick and Poke” tattoo aftercare and maintenance are an essential step if you want to heal the tattoos properly and make them look their best. Imagine your skin as a canvas that you have done your new painting on. Now it must cure properly to accurately display the scene properly.

Same with the tattoos. But what’s the stick and poke tattoo aftercare?

The next two days after getting a stick and poke tattoo are a struggle against germs. In these two days, you have to clean them, bandage them, and apply aftercare balms. Even after these two days pass, you have to look after your tattoos, moisturize them, and be careful about how you clean them.

Although these all sound a bit too hard to take care of a tattoo, if you follow some of the basic guidelines mentioned below and maintain basic hygiene, you will be most likely to be safe in every aspect.

Stick And Poke Tattoo Aftercare: 7 Steps

1. Clean And Use Aftercare Balm

This step has to be done right after you are done tattooing. What you need to do is:

• First, a bar of green soap and warm, soapy water should be used to clean the newly done tattoo.
• Once the washing is done, start wiping it down with some alcohol pads. This step will hurt, so be careful.
• After that, leave the area to dry. After that, use a soaker pad on that area.
• This pad should be discarded after 5 hours.
• Then wash the tattooed area gently with odorless liquid soap and warm water.
• Use a clean cloth or a soft paper towel to gently and thoroughly blot the area dry.
• After that, use an aftercare balm.

These cleaning and treatment steps should be repeated until the wound is completely healed. If your tattoos are dense or massive, they will take more time to heal.

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2. Use A Bandage For Your Newly Done Tattoo

After you are done applying the aftercare balm, you should cover your tattoo. Use saran wrap to bandage your fresh tattoo.

Avoid using a cloth, towel, or band-aid since they will soak up the ink from your newly done tattoo, and that will cause the tattoo to fade more quickly.

Allow the wrap to stay for 1 to 3 hours. Don’t keep it for more than 6+ hours.

3. Maintain Hygiene Of Your Tattoos

You need to maintain the cleanliness of your tattoo religiously. It’s the most important part of the stick and poke tattoo aftercare.

Strip off the first wrap and clean the tattooed area gently with lukewarm water and a bar of gentle, non-scented soap. Do not rub or scrub your tattoo. You only need to wash it with your clean hands.

Don’t try to soak the tattoo in water. Avoid using extremely hot water to wash it. Because it won’t do you any good. It might scorch your skin, and it will remove the ink from the tattoo.

4. Moisturize Your Tattooed Skin

You need to apply lotion to the area where your tattoo is. Choose a basic, unscented moisturizer once the swelling has subsided as well as the skin has begun to heal.

For this, you can choose either Lubriderm or Aquaphor, as these are recommended by the majority of professionals. And,

• Apply it in a very thin layer because your skin has to be able to breathe, and then your skin will be able to heal completely.
• Apply lotion to your tattoos 3–5 times every day. If it becomes dry even after that, apply a few additional drops to properly moisturize that area.

5. Allow Healing

Keep an eye on your tattoo for the first 7–10 days. The tattoo will scab over, and then you’ll need to take additional steps to keep it clean. Also, you will have to avoid specific activities such as cleansing and moisturizing it. Additionally,

• To prevent your tattoo from fading, you will need to avoid exposing it to direct sunlight. The sunlight will also make you feel like you’ve had a horrible sunburn.
• Pools, ponds, seas, and other bodies of water should be avoided as they are shared with other people. They’re loaded with bacteria that can make you sick.
• Try to avoid high-contact sports or activities that cause significant sweating, such as working out.
• And allow your tattoos to breathe by wearing loose-fitting clothes. Tight clothes make this impossible.

6. Be Aware Of Infections

After tattooing, you have to keep a close eye out for all the seeping or swelling surrounding your tattoo, along with redness or severe scabbing, as every one of these symptoms points to an infection.

Maintain the cleanliness of your tools and surroundings. Take very good care of your tattoos to reduce the chance of infection. It’s still conceivable that your tattoo will get infected. In these cases, it’s best to check with your doctor.

7. What Cautions Must You Take?

While you are in the healing stage and for a few weeks after you heal, you must be cautious about how you take care of your tattoo. Because this period is very important in regard to how safe your tattoo is and how long it will last. Follow these steps to avoid any negative repercussions:

• Don’t use scented soaps or cosmetic soaps.
• Don’t pick at your skin. Because picking at your skin around the tattooed area may cause most of the tattoo’s ink to seep out, resulting in uneven lines and perhaps scarring.
• During the first week after recovery, avoid using any creams or lotions as they can block and clog the pores in the tattooed area and expose it to the danger of infections.
• After healing, you should use sunscreen to avoid any sunburn in the tattooed area.
• Avoid using strong chemical cosmetics in the tattooed region.

Take Care Of Your Stick And Poke!

Stick and poke tattoo aftercare is mandatory if you want to keep the original shape of your tattoo while also avoiding any sort of infection. The aftercare of this sort of tattoo is very straightforward as you need to take care of it based on how many days have passed since the day you got the tattoo. For example, for the first two days, it is mandatory to clean, apply after balm, and then wrap up your tattoo.

After two days and the days after the tattoo recovers, you have to avoid the sun. You have to avoid using a lotion that might clog the tattoos.

After healing, you have to use sunscreen for safety. All the while, you have to avoid scented cosmetics and soaps.

And that’s it. Just follow these steps, and you will have the perfect stick and poke tattoo.