Can I work out after getting tattooed or pierced?

Light movement is usually fine, but avoid anything that soaks the area in sweat, stretches it, or tugs on the jewelry. Skip pools and hot tubs while healing and keep the area clean and dry.

What aftercare product should I use?

For tattoos, use a gentle, unscented aftercare lotion or ointment as recommended by your artist. For piercings, use sterile saline. Avoid alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, heavy ointments, tea tree oil, and homemade salt mixes.

Aftercare · Niles, Ohio

Tattoo & Piercing Aftercare

Good aftercare is what keeps a tattoo crisp and a piercing healthy. Below are Blackwater Ink's standard instructions for our clients across Niles and the Mahoning Valley. Always follow the specific guidance your artist gives you for your piece.

Blackwater Ink tattoo studio in Niles, Ohio

For your new tattoo

Tattoo Aftercare, Step by Step

Leave the initial bandage or wrap on as directed by your artist.

Wash gently with clean hands and unscented soap, then pat dry.

Apply a thin layer of the recommended aftercare product.

No soaking. Skip pools, baths, and long swims while healing.

Keep it out of direct sun, and do not pick or scratch.

Repeat the wash-and-moisturize routine for the first two to three weeks.

For your new piercing

Piercing Aftercare, Step by Step

Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your piercing.

Spray sterile saline directly onto the piercing, two to three times a day.

Let it soak for 30 to 60 seconds, then gently pat dry with a clean paper towel or sterile micro-swab.

Do not twist, rotate, or move the jewelry.

Avoid pools, lakes, rivers, and hot tubs while healing.

Leave the jewelry in until fully healed, and see us for any downsize or change.

Clean, sterile tattoo studio at Blackwater Ink in Ohio

Tattoo ink and supply shelf at Blackwater Ink in Niles, Ohio

What Is Normal vs. Signs of Infection

What Is Normal

Mild redness, swelling, and tenderness are normal early on, along with some clear or light fluid as things settle. It should ease steadily over the first days and weeks as the area heals.

See a Professional

Spreading redness, heat, or unusual discharge are not normal. If you see those, contact us and see a medical professional. When in doubt, reach out.

Every client leaves the chair with instructions tailored to their piece. This page is a general guide, not a substitute for your artist's or a doctor's advice.

Aftercare FAQ

A tattoo's surface usually heals in about two to three weeks, while the deeper layers keep settling for a couple of months. Piercings vary a lot by placement, from a few months for earlobes to a year or more for cartilage and navels. Keep up your aftercare the whole way through, even after it looks healed on the surface.

Light movement is usually fine, but avoid anything that soaks a fresh tattoo or piercing in sweat, stretches the area, or tugs on the jewelry. Skip pools and hot tubs while healing, keep the area clean and dry, and ease back into heavy training once things have settled.

For tattoos, use whatever your artist recommends, usually a gentle, unscented aftercare lotion or ointment applied in a thin layer. For piercings, use a sterile saline wound wash. Avoid alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, heavy petroleum ointments, tea tree oil, and homemade salt mixes on healing skin.

Come see us once a piercing is ready for a downsize or jewelry change, and never swap it yourself before it is fully healed. If a healed tattoo needs a small touch-up, stop in and we will take a look. And any time something does not look right, reach out.

Still healing? We are here.

Not sure if something looks right, or need to come in for a downsize or touch-up? Reach out and we will help.

Questions? Contact Us →

Tattoos Body Piercing Full FAQ