How Long Does It Take for a Tattoo to Heal?

Knowing how long a tattoo takes to heal is vital before getting a new one. Typically, a tattoo takes one to six months to heal completely. The healing time of a tattoo depends on the artist’s expertise and how you manage the tattoo healing and aftercare process.

Generally, the healing process of a tattoo happens in four stages. The initial swelling and redness are the healing procedure’s first and most painful part. After this stage, the tattoo only requires proper care and attention to heal completely.

We’ll break down the four stages of tattoo healing. After that, we’ll discuss the factors that influence the recovery timeline for tattoos and how to ensure your tattoo heals quickly.

What to Expect After a Tattoo

Here’s what to expect during the tattoo healing process:

First Week – Pain and Swelling

The skin interprets tattoos as an injury. Like every other injury, the skin sends blood to the tattoo area, causing redness and swelling.

The redness and swelling of a tattoo lasts for the first five to fourteen days of the tattoo. How much pain and redness you’ll feel depends on the size of the tattoo and your general skin reaction.

Alongside, you may notice signs of tattoo ink and blood coming out of the tattoo.

If you visit an experienced tattoo artist in Toronto, they’ll cover your new tattoo with a bandage or a nylon — usually transparent. The tattoo artist would advise when to remove the bandage and other aftercare instructions.

The bandage or plastic bag keeps the tattoo clean and free from any possible contact. It’s usually safe to remove it after about twelve hours.

Second Week – Itchiness

The redness and pain should have reduced during the second week of your tattoo recovery. But what replaces it isn’t comfortable — flaking and itching.

Flaking skin is a normal reaction to injuries, as with tattoos. You may also notice scabs around the tattoo area, depending on your skin type.

The annoying part is you can’t itch the area no matter how it scratches you. It’s always better to allow the tattoo to heal at this stage. Scratching the tattoo area will only cause scars and can affect the tattoo design. Scratching can affect how long it takes a tattoo to heal.

If the scratching urge persists, speak to your tattoo artist to recommend a good soap moisturizer to wash and hydrate your tattoo, respectively. This application will reduce the itching.

Note that rashes and hives aren’t a part of flaking skin. Instead, it’s an early sign of infected tattoos. Visit a doctor immediately if you notice hives after getting a new tattoo.

Third and Fourth Week – Peeling and Tattoo Dullness

There should be no redness or soreness at this stage of the tattoo healing timeline. In fact, your tattoo should appear dull. Let a professional check the tattoo if you still feel itchiness or redness.

Within the third and fourth weeks, the outer layer of the skin should have regenerated. It first forms as dry skin over the tattoo. This dry skin will make the tattoo look dull and less attractive. But it shouldn’t cause so much itchiness.

It’s only a matter of time before the dry skin peels off. After that, your new tattoo will look bright ad beautiful.

Fifth Week to Twenty-Fourth Week – Final Healing

This is the final stage of the recovery timeline for tattoos. Here, your tattoo is already looking vibrant and attractive. But it doesn’t translate to complete healing.

The inner layer of the skin under the tattoo heals slowly and takes months. During this period, your inner skin creates new cells to help the outer skin heal better. That’s why tattoos may suddenly look better some months after getting the design.

This stage happens subconsciously without any direct input from you. All you need to do is to keep a good diet to help cell formation.

How to Speed Up the Recovery Timeline for Your Tattoo

The recovery timeline for tattoos is a maximum of six months. But you’ll spend less time with the correct tattoo aftercare practices. Here are some ways to reduce your tattoo recovery period;

Listen to Your Tatoo Artist

Following your tattoo artist’s instructions is the first and most critical step to a quick tattoo recovery period.

The tattoo artist is an expert with lots of experience in the field. So they know what tactics to aid quick recovery.

That’s why you shouldn’t go for just regular Toronto artists. Having a tattoo studio with medical backing and legitimate licenses would be best.

For instance, our standard tattoo artist in Ontario may use breathable bandages that need frequent redressing.

Avoid Sun Exposure

The UV rays from the sun aren’t so great for a new tattoo. It elongates the recovery timeline for tattoos.

The best solution to this is to stay away from the sun. But if you have no option, try to cover it with clothing.

If your tattoo is in a position you can’t cover with clothes, you need sunscreen.

At the initial stage of the healing process, only use a mineral sunscreen recommended by your tattoo artist. But you can use good sunscreen after confirming with your tattoo artist after the first month.

Do Not Scratch

The second week to the first month of the tattoo healing requires discipline. This process will cause flakes that will be tempting to scratch.

Avoid scratching as much as possible — as it can elongate how long a tattoo takes to heal and affect the eventual design.

Wash Tattoo Gently

If you want your tattoo to heal quickly, wash it regularly. Two to three times daily is a good standard for washing your tattoo during healing.

Here are some tips to wash your tattoo properly;

Avoid using a soap that has alcohol or fragrances.
Ensure that the soap is an antibacterial one.
Use warm water to wash the tattoos. The water shouldn’t be cold or hot — only warm.

Apply Lotion On Tattoo

A good tattoo artist in Toronto should recommend a cream to moisturize your tattoo. This cream should be scent and alcohol-free.

Factors Affecting How Long It Takes A Tattoo to Heal

Here are some factors that affect how long a tattoo takes to heal;

The Tattoo Artist

The choice of tattoo artist is very crucial to the recovery timeline. You shouldn’t just walk into any tattoo studio in Toronto to add new ink to your body.

A brilliant artist knows what to do before and after your new tattoo to ensure it heals nicely. They can also provide expert recommendations for aftercare and tattoo management.

The Location of the Tattoo

Where you have your tattoo will always indirectly affect how long it takes a tattoo to heal.

For instance, washing a tattoo on your arm with soap and water is easier than washing your back. As such, back tattoos won’t enjoy the healing benefits of washing like tattoos on the arm would.

Tattoo Hygiene and Exposure

Hygiene is critical in the healing process of a tattoo. Your tattoo will look vibrant and heal better with a steady wash. Similarly, how much sun you expose your tattoo to will slow the healing progress.

How to Identify an Infected Tattoo

Here are a few signs to check with:

Consistent Redness and Swelling
Increased Pain
Fever
Fluid around the tattoo
Rashes
Hives

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How can I make tattoos heal faster?

Your tattoos will heal faster if you follow the tips in this article. Avoid exposure to the sun, wash and moisturize, then avoid scratching.

Why is my tattoo not healing?

If your tattoo isn’t healing, there’s a high chance that there’s an infection on the tattoo. See a doctor immediately.

How can I Keep my tattoo looking fresh?

The best way to keep a fresh tattoo is to take advice from your tattoo artist. They’re experts and know what products you need to make your tattoos new.

How to Know a Healing Tattoo?

The easiest way to know your tattoo is healing is when you feel the itching sensation around the tattoo area.

What to do when you notice a tattoo infection?

Visit a medical doctor as fast as you can. Intimate your tattoo artist, but an infection is a medical condition.

When can you expose your tattoo to sunlight and swimming?

Wait for a month before exposing yourself to sunlight and swimming. But you need to ensure the tattoo healing process is over.

Tattoo Healing Timeline: Don’t Ruin Your Tattoo

The best way to ensure how long your tattoo takes to heal isn’t out of the ordinary is with an experienced tattoo artist. The best tattoo artist for your new ink will offer preliminary recommendations, use new needles, and follow sterilization and safety practices to ensure a smooth healing process.

These and more are some of the measures we incorporate into our tattooing services. Piranha Tattoo Studio uses advanced tattoo equipment and techniques to deliver body art that looks great and heals normally.

Our tattoo artists in Ontario also provide services that extend to post-tattoo consultations to ensure your new tattoo heals smoothly and comes out great. Call +1 905 605 9191 to book an appointment with us today.