Heal it beautifully.

The first 24 hours

Wipe away any excess lymph fluid that drips — it can happen with brows or lips whenever skin is open. Don’t let it harden into thick scabs, which pull out color unevenly.

• Lips: reapply a thin layer of ointment after each wipe.
• Brows: just wipe and keep dry.

For brows

Keep them completely dry. After 7 weeks you can apply your regular moisturizer if they feel dry.

For lips

• Reapply ointment every 3–4 hours once the lymph fluid stops (within the first 24 hours), letting lips dry in between — for the rest of the week.
• Apply ointment before brushing teeth, showering or washing other areas of your face.
• Avoid staining foods: red wine, soy sauce, black coffee and strongly colored foods.
• Sour, spicy, hot and acidic foods will irritate your lips. Avoid greasy or saucy foods while healing.
• Use less toothpaste and spit frequently. Cut food and place it gently in your mouth.

Do not…

• Apply makeup, skincare, soaps, face washes, exfoliants, creams or sprays to the area.
• Touch or pick at scabs or peel shedding skin — you’ll take color with it. Itching is normal; don’t scratch, and don’t sleep on them.
• Wet the area for 7 days. No hot steamy showers or direct water spray. Sweat and steam are bad for color retention — no workouts for at least 3 days, then only sweat-less weights, light yoga or stretching for the rest of the week.
• Expose healing skin to direct sun (3–4 weeks or until fully healed), tanning beds (1 month), hot tubs, saunas, steam, salt water or chlorinated pools.

Signs of infection

Soreness usually lasts only a few hours. There should be no persistent redness, pain, swelling or pus — if there is, consult your physician. Infections are rare thanks to disposable needles and products. For cold sores or other bumps, consult your physician.

Once healed

Use at least SPF 15–30 daily for the best long-term results, and avoid exfoliating your tattoo with facials, scrubs, acids or retinols.

• Keep the area clean and open to the air. Do not cover it with a Band-Aid, and don’t touch it unless you’ve just washed your hands. Full healing can take up to 2 months, even if it looks healed sooner.
• It will look darker before it peels off. Redness or pinkness, even for a few weeks, is normal. As the ink fades you may not like the color it fades to: that comes from the ink. The removal solution is clear, with zero color.
• Cleanse 2× daily, morning and evening, with saline (sterile contact-lens saline is perfect). Dampen a cotton pad or gauze and blot the area. Do not use alcohol or antibiotics. The skin must stay dry and open to the air.
• Do not ice: it constricts the blood vessels.
• Do not soak the treated area. In and out of the shower, avoiding getting it wet; if it does get wet, gently pat dry. No bathing, swimming, saunas, hot tubs, tanning or exercising.
• Do not pick, scratch or disrupt the scab.
• Once the skin feels hard and all the scabs have fallen off on their own, apply one drop of Vitamin E oil 3 to 4 times a day for at least 4 weeks. Do not start the Vitamin E oil until every scab has fallen off naturally.

Removal almost always requires more than one session. The first session pulls ink to the surface to scab off, and with a lot of ink it may still look dark and need further sessions.