Recover
How Long to Leave Second Skin on a Tattoo
Most artists advise 3 to 5 days for second skin film, often with a fresh sheet after the first day.
The SKINGRAPHICA Academy
Academy
Clear, evidence-led guides to every stage of a tattoo’s life. How to prepare your skin, heal well, protect your ink from the sun and keep it sharp for decades.
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Latest · Recover
Tattoo Peeling and Itching Explained
Peeling and itching usually start around day 4 to 7 and settle by week 3. What is normal, why you should never pick or scratch, how to calm the itch and when to see a doctor.
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Every guide, newest first.
Prepare
Tattoo Pain Chart and Where It Hurts Most
Ribs, spine, feet and hands hurt most. The outer arm, thigh and calf hurt least.
Protect
When Can You Use Regular Lotion on a Tattoo?
Once the surface has fully healed, usually 2 to 4 weeks after your appointment, a fragrance-free everyday moisturiser is fine.
Recover
How to Choose the Best Cream for a New Tattoo
The honest answer to which is the best cream for a new tattoo is that it isn't one product - it's the right product for the stage you're in.
Protect
The Complete Guide to Sunscreen Lotion for Tattoos
Sunscreen lotion for tattoos is the single highest-impact product you can put on your skin if you care about how your ink looks in twenty years.
Recover
How to Shower With a New Tattoo
The first shower with a new tattoo is one of those small, oddly stressful moments in the healing process.
Recover
Is My Tattoo Infected? Warning Signs and What to Do
A new tattoo is going to look red, feel warm, and possibly swell in the first few days. That is normal.
Recover
How Long Does a Tattoo Take to Heal?
The technically correct answer is roughly 30 days for surface healing and several months for the skin underneath to fully remodel.
Recover
When Is It Safe to Swim With a New Tattoo?
There is a near-universal moment in the modern tattoo experience: realising you have just booked a fresh sleeve and a beach holiday in the same fortnight.
Prepare
How to Prepare for Your First Tattoo
Getting a tattoo for the first time is one of those events you remember in granular detail decades later. How well it goes is largely decided in the two weeks beforehand.
Recover
How to Sleep With a New Tattoo
The first night with a new tattoo is the most awkward part of healing - and the part most people get wrong.
Recover
A Dermatologist's Guide to Tattoo Aftercare
A new tattoo is technically a wound. Treat it like one for the first month and you'll end up with a piece that holds its sharpness, depth, and colour for decades.
The SKINGRAPHICA protocol
Put the guides into practice.
Ink-Safe™ care for every stage of a tattoo’s life. Delivered to more than 20 countries, duties paid.
LOCK
Tattoo Ink Grip & Recovery Complex
50 mL · 1.7 fl oz
Holds pigment in place through the 14 days that decide how much stays.
4.8 (9)S$215
SHIELD
Tattoo Fade & Blur Defence Cream
50 mL · 1.7 fl oz
Keeps healed lines sharp and colour true against everyday light.
5.0 (8)S$185
SYSTEM
Curated system
Contains PRIME and LOCK
Everything a new tattoo needs, from 21 days before your appointment to the last day of healing.
5.0 (4)S$349Valued at S$420
The SKINGRAPHICA library