What to Expect When Healing a Tattoo

If you've never been through the healing process of a tattoo before, or haven't been through it several times, you may not know what to expect. Although everyone is different and no two healing processes are the same, there are some phases that typically accompany healing a tattoo. For this video, I used my own personal experience, as well as the experience of others, and made an average of not only what one might expect to deal with a healing tattoo, but an estimate timeline to expect it in.

Because I'm always asked...
Lipstick I'm Wearing 💄// Cherry Wet by Jeffree Star

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[kaylagordon]

Tuning into this the day after the start of a sleeve. My skin is on FIRE.

[maryannlamb]

Thank you for sharing this! I was worried when my new tattoo started looking dull, but like you said, it was just one stage in the healing process. A week or so later, it looked and healed great!

[natalieasdparentandcarer]

So glad I came across the video, I also get the sick feeling after the tattoo, anyone or thing that touches it knocks me sick.

[patriciasmarandescu]

Thank you so much for calming our alarmed as*es, girl. You're awesome 🥰

[darialevac]

My blackwork/dotwork usually only take a week, maybe one and a half weeks to fully peel and stop itching. However, by colour tattoo peeled twice over two weeks before I considered it healed on the surface.

The itch, like any other scab, is part of the healing process. It's super important to not scratch because, in addition to lifting ink like you mentioned, it reopens the wound and you can risk infection.

[itzelpimentel]

Thank you!! I’m on phase one (day 3) and my skin is on HEAT!!! Lol it didn’t feel like this with my first tattoo but this second one was longer & he didn’t go deeper and a whole lot more shading so I figured it was a normal but you just confirmed it 😅😅 yay!!

[thequietone]

Thank you for this video, I just got a tattoo and I suffer from redness and heat. The redness and heat goes up and down a lot, in the evening it was very bad but this morning it is completely gone. On the internet I could find that the redness was normal but about the heat I could only find that it could be a starting infection, so I was very concerned. But now I know it's normal.

[WinLindsay_CushingContent]

This is absolutely what I needed! I got my first tattoo on Monday.
Stay safe,
Win Xx

[krazykat]

Planning to get my first come this fall. Super excited and yet super nervous. My brother tells me the itching faze is by far the worst ever, even over getting the work done. But again every body is different so time will tell.


Cute bat, love the little tongue sticking out.

[frannie]

Never have gotten a tattoo but this was interesting information.

[megalopolis]

Your bat has a little tongue. I Love it. That was probably the most entertaining video on tattoo healing I've seen. The way you described phase one reminds me of Dr. Pimple Popper fans (of which I am one). :0)

[opallutzz]

yo my tattoo was sooo itchy after wards. all I wanted to do was scratch, and would sometimes without thinking scratch it :(, but luckily I hadn't lift up any ink

[coreyellis]

I'm so glad I saw your video. I just got a large thigh piece yesterday and its my first tattoo in 6 years and it's so red and swollen 😫 hearing it'll be red and swollen for a few days makes me feel better and less worried!

[throughthewoods]

Great info - currently moving into the tail end of the itchy phase on my first tat....eek!
Really appreciated the fact that you gave your ideas on WHY you shouldn't do certain things as well as the fact you shouldn't do them 🙂
Just FYI you should NEVER take more than the recommended dose of vitamins...this can be very dangerous for your body and you don't absorb twice as much if you ingest twice as much. Many people have gotten seriously ill and hospitalised after overdosing on Vitamin C etc.

[LauraNgo]

I love this tattoo!! the placement is super unique and it looks great on you!

[kimj]

Love love your new tattoo, it’s really pretty 😍😍😍😍

[randompastacat]

thank you. I'm on day 3 of my first tattoo and the sounding area is very red swollen, kinda almost looks like a rash and was kinda scaring me cause I wasn't sure what to expect exactly.

[ChloeASMR]

i start itching flaking and peeling in the first week

[DowntonAbbeyBranson]

I got my first tattoo start of the month this is so helpful and informative

[Blind_Bibliophilic_Life]

Just got my 4th tattoo 2 wks ago, it peeled really quickly but now I have what feels like a rash. I’m hoping this clears up and that it’s not going to stay bumpy.