Why is my tattoo peeling?

Where the ink actually is

The needle puts ink into the dermis, the layer below the surface. What peels is the epidermis above it, which was damaged during the session and is now being shed.

This is why the flakes look alarming. They carry a little pigment from the surface and appear to be your tattoo coming off in your hand. They are not.

What it should look like

Fine flaking, like light sunburn, starting around day three to five and finishing inside a fortnight. Larger pieces peel in patches and different areas finish at different times.

It will itch, often badly, right when it is peeling most.

What not to do

Everything here is the same instruction said four ways: leave it alone.

• Do not pick or pull a flake, even one hanging by a thread. Pulling early takes ink with it and that is how a patchy heal happens.
• Do not scratch. Slap it gently, or put moisturiser on, or hold something cool near it.
• Do not scrub in the shower. Warm water and a hand, nothing else.
• Do not add extra cream to speed it up. A thick layer softens what should be drying.

When it is not peeling

Thick, hard scabs rather than fine flakes usually mean it was worked heavily or has dried out. Keep it moisturised lightly and do not pull them.

Spreading redness, heat, swelling that worsens after day three, or any discharge that is not clear plasma, is a reason to see a GP rather than to read a website. Send us a photograph too, so we know.