How long after a spine tattoo can you shower?

Now that you have your fresh new tattoo, you need to take good care of it. From this point on, your artist is not responsible for any infection or problems you might have with your tattoo that results from improper care—it's all on you. And safety aside, a really beautiful tattoo can turn into a disaster if you don't follow proper aftercare guidelines. Now that we have your attention, here are a few things to do (or not) to make the most of your investment in that beautiful body art.

Table of Contents Show

Leave That Bandage Alone
Wash and Treat
Bathing, Showering, Hot Tubs, and Swimming
Scabbing and Peeling
Protection From the Sun
How Long After Getting a Tattoo Can You Shower?
How to Shower with a New Tattoo Correctly
1. Set Water Temperature and Power
2. Wet the Tattoo
3. Gently Clean the Tattoo
4. Quickly Get out of the Shower
5. Dry Your Tattoo
6. Moisturize the Area / Apply Lotion
Can you shower after a back tattoo?
How soon after getting tattoo can I shower?
How long does it take spine tattoo to heal?

Leave That Bandage Alone

Open wounds are breeding grounds for bacteria and infection—and, as pretty as your new tattoo is, it's a wound. Your artist took care to cover it up to keep airborne bacteria from invading it. Leave the bandage on for a minimum of two hours. The excitement of having a new tattoo will make you want to remove the bandage so you can show your friends, but you must resist the temptation.

The only exception to this rule is if your artist covered your tattoo with some kind of plastic. This will prevent air from reaching your skin and may be extremely detrimental to a tattoo, so you should remove it immediately. You're better off not having any covering than to be suffocating your new tattoo with plastic wrap. Better yet, ask your artist to use bandaging rather than plastic in the first place.

Wash and Treat

After you remove the bandage, you should wash your tattoo. Use lukewarm water and mild, liquid antibacterial or antimicrobial soap to gently remove any ointment, blood, and plasma and to completely clean the area. Provon Antimicrobial Lotion Soap is a good choice; it's a mild moisturizing cleanser specifically made for piercing and tattoo care. Never use a washcloth; it's too abrasive. Your hand is your best tool.

If your tattoo feels slimy and slippery, you have probably been oozing plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible; scabs may form if it is allowed to dry on the skin's surface.

Then, pat—don't rub—the area firmly with a clean towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a very light application of A&D, Bacitracin, or a similar antibacterial ointment—but not Neosporin. This is a wonderful product for cuts and scrapes, but not for tattoos. Many people have allergic reactions to Neosporin, which can cause little red bumps. When the bumps go away, so does the ink, and you can end up with a polka-dotted tattoo.

If you prefer, you also can use a specialty product such as Tattoo Goo Aftercare Salve. It's petroleum-free and made with herbs and oils meant to soothe and heal your new tattoo.

After that, continue to keep your tattoo clean. After some time has passed, you can use a dye- and fragrance-free lotion when needed instead of ointment to keep the skin soft.

Bathing, Showering, Hot Tubs, and Swimming

Getting your tattoo wet is OK, but soaking it is not. Yes, you can (and should!) shower with a new tattoo, as long as you don't completely soak it. Avoid swimming—whether in a pool, lake, or the ocean—and submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub for two to three weeks, though; this may cause serious damage. If you get soap or shampoo on your tattoo, just remove it quickly with water. No shaving, either.

Scabbing and Peeling

After a few days, you'll notice some peeling and possibly a little scabbing. Excessive scabbing could indicate a poorly done tattoo, but a little is normal, and there's no need to panic. Apply warm, moist compresses to the scabs for about five minutes two or three times a day to soften the scabs, and they will eventually come off on their own. (Do not apply ointment or lotion to a softened scab; wait for it to dry.)

Your tattoo will start to itch as it heals, just like a sunburn. It might peel more, too. Whatever you do, don't pick or scratch! If the skin itches, slap it. Your tattoo is almost healed. Why ruin it?

Protection From the Sun

After your tattoo is healed, you should always protect it from the sun's ultraviolet rays. These can fade and damage a brilliant tattoo very fast. Make it a habit to protect your tattoo with a minimum 30SPF sunblock anytime you plan to be outside for any length of time. This will go a long way in keeping your tattoo vibrant for many years.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer T. Haley, M.D., FAAD

Independently fact-checked by Chronic Ink Tattoo

You’re probably wondering whether it’s safe or not to have a shower straight after getting your awesome new tattoo. The short answer is yes, you can shower after getting a new tattoo, but you must be careful. There are also a few instructions to follow to ensure you don’t do any damage to your new ink.

This article will show you how to safely shower while your tattoo is healing without causing any damage to the final appearance of your ink.

While getting a new tattoo wet is okay, you should refrain from submerging it or leaving it to soak in any body of water. Thankfully, this means that it’s definitely fine to shower with a new tattoo. However, what this does mean is that you should avoid any kind of bathing or swimming until your tattoo has completely healed, which typically takes between two and three weeks.

How Long After Getting a Tattoo Can You Shower?

Once you’ve taken the protective wrap off of your new tattoo, you should be able to shower whenever you feel you’re ready to, although some artists suggest you wait at least 24 hours before trying to shower.

Remember

It’s always best to listen to your artist first-and-foremost, as they will always know your tattoo better than anybody else, and will therefore always be able to advise of the best possible aftercare routine for your personal body art.

Although you’re able to shower soon after getting your new tattoo, there are a few rules you should always follow to ensure you don’t potentially ruin your tattoo in any way during the showering process.

You must remember that your new tattoo is essentially an open wound, and therefore needs to be treated with utmost care at all times during the healing process.

How to Shower with a New Tattoo Correctly

Follow the steps below to make sure that you don’t damage your tattoo in the shower:

1. Set Water Temperature and Power

Turn on your shower and run the water until it’s either cool or lukewarm. Always check the water with your hand before getting in.

Do not get in a hot shower with a new tattoo. Your skin will be extremely sensitive and the hot water will cause pain and stinging to the area, as well as possibly causing the area to swell more than it already has done.

Warm/hot water also has the ability to open up the pores in your skin, which could, in turn, lead to ink being lost, leading to a faded or patchy tattoo.

For this same reason, you will want to make sure that the shower isn’t set to blast water out too powerfully, in case your tattoo comes into contact with the jetstream. The powerful water jets could cause your tattoo to sting, and they may possibly force ink out from the area.

2. Wet the Tattoo

Very carefully dampen the tattooed area with the shower water. Never apply water directly onto the tattoo with the showerhead.

Instead, make sure that you cup the water with your hand and wet the area this way. This is less harsh on the sensitive skin and limits the possibility of the jets coming into contact with the area.

3. Gently Clean the Tattoo

Ensure you have a skin-sensitive and fragrance-free soap available to clean your tattoo with.

Remember

Always check the ingredients to ensure the soap doesn’t contain any harsh ingredients that are harmful to your skin and tattoo, such as alcohol or any artificial fragrances.

Proceed to very gently rub the soap over the tattooed area, ensuring you rub off as much loose and excess blood, ink and plasma as possible. Once you’re satisfied that the area is clean, cup water over the area again and make sure all soap has been washed away.

Alternatively, you can clean your tattoo before you get into the shower; this way you can be more careful and attentive to the tattoo. We also have an entire article based around properly cleaning a new tattoo.

4. Quickly Get out of the Shower

Once you’ve cleaned yourself and the tattoo, leave the shower as quickly as possible.

You will want to keep showers as brief as possible so your tattoo is exposed to steam, water, and soap for as little time as possible. Any of these things in excess can lead to problems with your tattoo fading, or becoming extra-sensitive.

Too much water can saturate the area and may dilute/wash out the ink. Too much soap can dry out the area out too much. Too much steam can open the pores of your skin and cause ink to draw out from the area.

5. Dry Your Tattoo

Be very careful not to dry the area with the towel you normally use to dry yourself with after a shower.

You are welcome to dry the rest of your body with this towel but either let the tattooed area air-dry naturally, or blot it dry with a paper towel.

Remember that your tattoo is still an open wound and your regular towel is likely to contain many types of various germs and bacteria that are dangerous to your wound, and can potentially cause an infection.

Warning

Never scrub or rub your new tattoo. Always dry it by air-drying it or lightly and gently dabbing/blotting the area with a clean and non-abrasive paper towel.

This ensures you don’t accidentally pull away any scabs or pieces of peeling skin that are not yet ready to come off. This can lead to prolonged healing, scarring, fading and infection (due to the lack of scabs protecting the wound).

6. Moisturize the Area / Apply Lotion

After your tattoo has completely dried, you will want to add a good quality tattoo-safe lotion to the area to ensure the skin doesn’t dry out too much. Specially-sold tattoo lotions are usually full of added vitamins and ingredients to help speed up the healing process.

Ensure your hands are clean before applying any lotion, and make sure you only apply a very thin layer to the tattoo. A thick layer can suffocate the area and prolong healing times.

This is FAR too much lotion and some should be blotted off with a paper towel

There are many various tattoo-specific lotions available which help to keep the area well hydrated and promote faster healing by containing quality organic ingredients.

The best tattoo lotion I’ve ever personally used is a vegan aftercare product called After Inked Tattoo Aftercare Lotion. This stuff works amazingly well during the healing process; not only by keeping your tattoo really well hydrated but also by soothing any annoying itching and irritation. When using it from the very start of the healing process, this lotion will help to decrease tattoo healing times and work towards eliminating any lingering dryness and scabbing.

Summary

Showering with a new tattoo shouldn’t be a difficult or painful process. Just follow the steps above and ensure you treat your new ink as well as you possibly can during the initial tattoo healing stages.

After 2-3 weeks, or once your tattoo has finished scabbing and peeling, you should be able to go back to your usual showering routine and get the tattoo as wet as you like with no problems.

Can you shower after a back tattoo?

Bathing, Showering, Hot Tubs, and Swimming Yes, you can (and should!) shower with a new tattoo, as long as you don't completely soak it. Avoid swimming—whether in a pool, lake, or the ocean—and submerging your tattoo in a bath or hot tub for two to three weeks, though; this may cause serious damage.

How soon after getting tattoo can I shower?

So, Can you shower after getting a tattoo? If you are looking to shower without washing your tattoo, you can do it 3-4 hours after the artist has wrapped the tattoo. It's important to avoid soaking the area for at least 2 weeks, and remove any soap immediately.

How long does it take spine tattoo to heal?

After getting a tattoo, the outer layer of skin (the part you can see) will typically heal within 2 to 3 weeks. While it may look and feel healed, and you may be tempted to slow down on the aftercare, it can take as long as 6 months for the skin below a tattoo to truly heal.