Dry Healing A Tattoo: Pros & Cons

When picking the best strategy to heal your new tattoo, everyone will have different opinions on the matter. Some will have every confidence in dry healing their tattoos, while others will claim that it doesn’t give your skin enough care during the recovery process. And we get it... all these opinions make it confusing to know what’s the best for your tattoo and your skin.

That’s why we want to make sure you know what goes behind dry healing your tattoo and the possible pros and cons when following this process; to keep your piece of art looking as vibrant as you hope!

What is tattoo dry healing

Dry healing tattoo instructions

Dry healing a tattoo is a very similar process to traditional tattoo aftercare, but made simpler. You will pretty much follow the same care instructions, such as keeping it out of the sun and keeping the skin area clean using antibacterial fragrance-free soap. The only real difference is that you don’t apply a tattoo aftercare cream to your new ink.

Your tattoo artist may also give you common protection and caring instructions for your dry healing tattoo, such as wearing loose clothes to avoid any rubbing against the skin, and staying hydrated from the inside to help your tattoo heal effectively.

Dry healing tattoo stages

All tattoos should go through the usual healthy healing stages, whether you follow the dry healing strategy or not.

Right after the tattoo session, and for about a week, your skin will show possible signs of redness and could look a bit swollen. The second week is probably the less fun part, with the dreaded itching and flaking. In the last healing stage, your tattoo could look a bit cloudy, but will soon look its most vibrant self.

The difference with dry healing your tattoo, is that your skin will most likely go through these healing stages looking and feeling extra dry, which can contribute to added irritation and itching during the healing process.

Dry healing VS moisturised healing

In caring for and protecting your new piece of art, there are two main processes of healing people opt for: dry healing your tattoo VS healing with an aftercare product. To make a conscious choice, you need to have all cards in hand and know the benefits and downsides of both moist and dry healing strategies.

Pros of dry healing a tattoo

When it comes to dry healing your tattoo, it’s important to remember that all tattoos are wounds, and wounds require care. There are only a few reasons as to why tattoo artists would recommend dry healing as an appropriate option, the main one being sensitive skin.

For people with sensitive skin and or strong allergies to remedy creams, dry healing your tattoo is often the only viable option in order to avoid additional irritation due to the ingredients in aftercare lotions. However, more often than not, artists will recommend a substitute remedy cream to ensure your tattoo doesn’t lose any hydration during the healing process.

Cons of dry healing a tattoo

As we explained previously, a healthy tattoo will go through different recovery stages that will cause the skin to temporarily change its appearance and feeling. Dry healing your tattoo will potentially result in increased uncomfort through the scabbing and itching stage, as no products are helping your skin balance out its dryness. And because the flaking of your recovering skin has more chances to expand, you could also be more tempted to pick or scratch your skin – which can affect your tattoo’s integrity and contribute to potential scarring.

Another disadvantage of dry healing your tattoo is the possible onset of cracks in the art due to extremely dry skin. When cracks appear and when the itching sensation is heightened as a result of a general lack of moisture to the wound, your art is likely to be damaged and altered as a result.

On the contrary, keeping your tattoo hydrated with the use of a tattoo-specific remedy cream can help reduce the irritation to prevent itching and cracking, thus avoiding any potential damage to your tattoo.