Aftercare, heal it like you mean it
The tattoo is half the job.
Healing is the other half.
A great tattoo can be ruined in two weeks of bad decisions, and in South Florida, most of those decisions involve sun, salt water, and chlorine. Here's the whole routine.
Days 1–3
Keep it clean
Leave the bandage on as long as Clayton directs, then wash gently with lukewarm water and mild, fragrance-free soap using clean hands, never a washcloth. Pat dry with a clean paper towel and apply a thin layer of the recommended ointment. Thin means thin: the skin should look moisturized, not glazed.
Week 1–2
Moisturize & hands off
Wash once or twice daily and moisturize lightly two to three times a day. The tattoo will flake and itch like a healing sunburn. That's normal. Do not pick, scratch, or peel it. Let flakes fall on their own; pulling them pulls ink with them. Loose, clean clothing over the piece, always.
Weeks 2–4
Settle & protect
The surface heals first; the deeper layers take longer. Keep moisturizing, expect a slightly cloudy "settling" look while the skin finishes, and don't judge the final color until the piece is fully healed, then book a quick check-in if any spot healed light.
The South Florida rules
Sun: a healing tattoo and UV are enemies. Keep it covered with clothing while it heals (no sunscreen on broken, healing skin), and once healed, make high-SPF sunscreen a permanent habit on the piece. Florida sun is the number-one cause of premature fading, especially for color work.
Ocean & pools: no submerging until fully healed, that means no ocean, no pool, no hot tub, no baths. Showers are fine; soaking is not. Salt water and chlorine both dry, irritate, and invite bacteria into skin that is still an open wound.
Sweat & gyms: light activity is fine; heavy sweating, friction from equipment, and shared gym surfaces are not, for the first stretch. If it stretches, soaks, or grinds the healing skin, skip it.
Call Clayton if…
- Redness keeps spreading after the first few days instead of retreating.
- The area feels hotter, more swollen, or more painful over time rather than less.
- You see unusual discharge, or develop a fever.
Normal healing itches, flakes, and looks a little angry for the first days. Anything that gets worse instead of better deserves a call, to Clayton at (561) 281-2563, and to a doctor if it looks like infection.