How often should you apply Aquaphor to a tattoo?

How should you apply it?

1. 1Keep the original dressing on for the time your tattoo artist specifies. Some adhesive dressings stay on for several days.
2. 2Wash your hands before removing the dressing or handling the tattoo.
3. 3Once the dressing is ready to come off, gently wash the tattoo with warm water and mild, fragrance free soap. Do not scrub.
4. 4Pat the area dry with a clean towel and let the skin dry before applying ointment.
5. 5If Aquaphor is the ointment your artist recommends, apply a thin layer to the clean, dry tattoo.

General tattoo aftercare routines use a thin layer of a suitable ointment two or three times daily after cleaning during the first two or three days. That is general ointment advice, not an Aquaphor specific schedule. Moisturizing helps maintain a moist healing environment; the aim is to prevent drying, not to keep adding ointment regardless of how the tattoo feels.4

How many days should you keep using it?

There is no fixed Aquaphor stopping day for every tattoo. General aftercare can include ointment until the crust disappears, followed by a fragrance free moisturizing lotion for two or three weeks. Ask your artist when to make that change rather than treating the whole healing period as an instruction to use Aquaphor.4

Itching, flaking and some scabbing are common in the first two weeks. Scabs and flaking often improve around three weeks, but deeper healing can take months, especially with larger tattoos. Keep moisturizing as directed, and let scabs fall off without picking or scratching.1

Is Aquaphor good for tattoos?

Aquaphor can serve as the ointment in an artist's aftercare plan, but it is not the automatic choice for every tattoo. The US Healing Ointment is fragrance free and contains 41% petrolatum. For tattooed skin that feels dry after healing, choose a water based lotion or cream instead, so the ink does not require a permanent ointment contract.56

The US and Canadian products have different listed active ingredients: the US label lists 41% petrolatum, while Canada's registered Healing Ointment lists 52.74% mineral oil. Follow your own package directions rather than transferring the US formula details to a Canadian tube.27

What does Aquaphor do for tattoos?

Aquaphor is a skin protectant that helps relieve dry, cracked skin and temporarily protects minor cuts, which is a narrower job than being a tattoo maintenance subscription. The US formula contains glycerin and panthenol to help moisturize skin. In tattoo aftercare, moisturizing helps prevent the healing area from drying out, cracking or bleeding.125

How often can you use Aquaphor?

For its general skin protectant uses, the US label allows application as needed. That does not make frequent reapplication a requirement for a tattoo. Stop using Aquaphor and ask a doctor if the condition worsens, symptoms last more than seven days, or symptoms clear and return within a few days.2

When should you get medical advice?

See a doctor for increasing pain, fever, hot skin, an unpleasant odor, significant drainage, spreading redness or red streaks extending from the tattoo. Increasing redness or swelling also needs assessment. These are reasons to seek advice, not reasons to increase the ointment frequency.13