How long does the milky phase of a tattoo last? (2023)

How long do tattoos stay milky?

Days 2 to 3

Over the next couple of days, you may notice that your tattoo looks dull and cloudy. No need to panic or start thinking about a touch-up. This happens as your skin heals and new skin starts to form. Excess ink and plasma may still ooze from your skin during this time.

My tattoo looks like it's fading. Is that normal? A tattoo is VERY bright when it is first completed but during the healing process, it starts to look discolored and dull. Don't worry, when the tattoo is finished healing, the color will come back.

Tattoo may develop transparent white patches within 7 days of healing, don't panic, think it as a baby skin, its very new and fresh and it's still healing. Tattoo can never look as dark as it looked on the day one, you will see at last 20 percent faded colours once it is coldly healed.

Why is my tattoo still milky after a month? Your tattoo is still healing. It looks nothing like it will look in 3 more weeks when the surface skin is fully grown over, replacing the pealing skin; you're seeing new skin growth over the tattoo which is why it appears cloudy.

If your tattoo artist overworked you, your tattoo will scar up or show white spots in the overworked areas. This form of skin abuse can happen from running the machine too fast or just going over an area too many times to try to saturate filling.

When you over moisturize your tattoo, you can actually delay the healing process. Excess moisture in the skin creates the perfect environment for bacteria and germ growth, so one of the key signs is irritated, inflamed skin. Another key sign of over moisturizing is clogged skin.

Week two. Around the beginning of the second week, the scabs will start to flake off. It is important to be especially gentle with washing and moisturizing during this week, as it is easy to tear away scabs and damage the tattoo. The skin is likely to feel very itchy during this week.

Your tattoo will scab over because it's a wound, but a properly healed tattoo shouldn't scar. Signs of scarring include raised, puffy skin, redness that doesn't fade, distorted colors within the tattoo, or pitted skin.

Most sources indicate that tattoos generally take about 2 weeks to heal. However, it may take up to 4 weeks for the skin to fully recover. Some complications may prolong the healing process. The following is what a person can typically expect.

Why does my 3 week old tattoo look faded?

Sometime between two to four weeks after getting a new tattoo – when your tattoo scabs and/or peels - your new ink may appear more faded and duller than expected. Don't worry, this is completely natural.

After the first month, your tattoo will look vibrant and fully healed. It's easy to remember aftercare in the first few weeks, but it's essential to keep it up for several months. Doing so will help the tattoo stay clean and look its best.

It may not have healed properly and the milky cloud that you see is actually called a "milk scab." Your tattoo will heal eventually and the cloudiness will disappear.

In all cases, tattoo blowouts cause the lines in your tattoo to blur, and the ink used to create the lines usually moves well outside the edges of the tattoo. It may look like the ink in your tattoo is bleeding outward, giving your tattoo a smudged appearance.

The rule of thumb is to moisturize your new tattoo at least 2-3 times per day for the first two weeks (or until the healing process is complete). Many tattoo enthusiasts continue to moisturize their tattoos every day! As for what type of moisturizer to use, lotion is generally the best.

Traumatic tattoos are undesirable tattoos caused by different foreign bodies such as fireworks' particles, sand, metals, glass, gunpowder, asphalt, dust, or petroleum products embedded forcefully in the dermis.

Use the Aquaphor for the first 2-3 days then switch to a regular FRAGRANCE-FREE lotion such as Lubriderm, or any other fragrance-free brand. 5. Fresh tattoos sometimes “weep” during the first couple of days, meaning that plasma and ink form a thin moist coating on the skin.

When should you switch to lotion? There will come a point during your washing-drying-ointment routine when you'll have to switch from using ointment to using lotion. This is usually after several days to a week or so after you first received your tattoo.

Around the 4th or 5th day of a tattoo's healing process, you will see similarities to a sunburn, such as dry and peeling skin. It's important to remember not to pull at flaking skin as it may be connected to new, healing skin as it sheds.

Is Aquaphor good for healing tattoos?

“Aquaphor has the added benefit of anti-inflammatory effects, which can make the tattoo healing process more speedy and less itchy,” Kuo says. “It absorbs the skin's natural moisture, which keeps the tattoo fresh and promotes healing.”

Rub A&D ointment diligently into your skin, your tattoo should not be greasy or shiny. Do not use store-bought A&D. After 2-3 days, switch to a quality fragrance-free lotion, like Curel or H2Ocean.

The takeaway: Peeling is normal (to an extent) but that doesn't mean you should peel it yourself. Let your skin do its thing for the two-ish weeks and keep the tattoo clean and dry while it heals for the best results.

By day six or seven, scabs should start to cover and thicken on the freshly tattooed area. During this week of your healing journey, the skin will be flaky and may start feeling a bit itchy. This is completely normal as the dry skin is getting ready to exfoliate itself away as the top layer of the skin heals.

Avoid abrasive soaps or loofahs and hot showers, and allow your tattoo to fully heal for 3-4 weeks before swimming or taking a bath. If you make sure to gently clean and rinse your tattoo and avoid submerging it in the bath, pool or ocean, you'll keep your tattoo vibrant for years to come and avoid bacterial infection.

Let it heal properly

Despite the fact that it may be tempting to show off your new tattoo right away, you should wait at least 10-14 days until you let it get in contact with direct sunlight.

Katz, like Valentine, recommends Aquaphor ($14; amazon.com) to his newly tattooed patients, “advising them to use the ointment twice daily as that can help the wound heal more quickly.” Because Aquaphor keeps the skin moist while still allowing oxygen flow to the freshly inked skin; a quality attributed to its active ...

The Final Takeaway

Swelling, pain, and oozing typically resolve by day three and are followed by itching and peeling for another week, in our experts' experience. Your tattoo may even look darker and duller than expected for the first month.

It may look cloudy, faded, patchy, or even blurred, and this can be concerning when you've just dropped a few hundred on it. At this stage, don't worry. You need to let the tattoo completely heal and settle into your skin, which could take around a month.

So in summary, it all depends on the size of the tattoo, the placement and the individual. But it is safe to say that your fresh tattoo should generally feel almost 'normal' and healed, approximately 5 - 10 days post tattoo procedure.

Can I workout 3 days after tattoo?

After finishing your tattoo, your tattoo artist will most likely suggest that you wait at least 48 hours before strenuous physical activity and heavy sweating. The important words are “at least.” It generally takes 4 to 6 weeks for a wound to heal.

Keep the tattooed area out of the sun for at least a few weeks. Avoid swimming. Stay out of pools, hot tubs, rivers, lakes and other bodies of water while your tattoo is healing. Choose clothing carefully.

After 3 weeks or so, the scabs should have completely fallen off and a thin layer of skin should have appeared over the tattoo. This layer of skin is called 'silver skin' and will make the tattoo look a little shiny and dull. The brightness will return in time once the tattoo is fully healed.

Tattoos tend to peel without any ink underneath as they heal normally. In rare cases, they can have missing ink due to an artist's error. Peeling tattoos with missing ink aren't usually anything to worry about. It's normal for a tattoo to peel and lose a little bit of ink as your skin heals.

A fading tattoo is much easier to remove during the laser process. Your body is not happy with your tattoo and will try to remove the tattoo naturally.

Week two. Around the beginning of the second week, the scabs will start to flake off. It is important to be especially gentle with washing and moisturizing during this week, as it is easy to tear away scabs and damage the tattoo. The skin is likely to feel very itchy during this week.

The Scabbing Stage (Days 4-6)

The tattoo often takes on a cloudy appearance as scabs start to form over the ink. Scab formation is an essential part of the wound-healing process and means that a healthy, fresh skin layer is forming – a key sign your skin is on the path to recovery. Do not ever peel off the scabs.

After a few weeks, a tattoo's milky appearance is a typical component of the healing process. The milky phase is one of the final stages of healing before your new tattoo is complete, and it lasts roughly three weeks.

After the first month, your tattoo will look vibrant and fully healed. It's easy to remember aftercare in the first few weeks, but it's essential to keep it up for several months. Doing so will help the tattoo stay clean and look its best.

After getting a tattoo, the outer layer of skin (the part you can see) will typically heal within 2 to 3 weeks. While it may look and feel healed, and you may be tempted to slow down on the aftercare, it can take as long as 6 months for the skin below a tattoo to truly heal.

How often should I moisturize my new tattoo?

The rule of thumb is to moisturize your new tattoo at least 2-3 times per day for the first two weeks (or until the healing process is complete). Many tattoo enthusiasts continue to moisturize their tattoos every day! As for what type of moisturizer to use, lotion is generally the best.

Weeks 5 and 6: completely healed

You'll know you're in this phase — and that your tattoo is fully healed — because all the dry skin and scabs have sloughed off to reveal new, smooth skin with a vibrant tattoo and you no longer feel the burning and itchiness because the body has repaired itself.

The first phase involves your body reacting adversely to the needle and ink. In this stage, your tattoo is treated as an open wound. You may notice a lot of side effects, such as oozing, redness, swelling, and an uncomfortable burning sensation. Your ink may appear milky during this period.

Wait 4 to 7 days before you sleep on your tattoo.

Your tattoo will ooze and bleed for a few days after you get it. Avoid sleeping on the tattoo at this point since it needs air circulation. Once the new layer of skin has formed over your tattoo, usually after 4 to 7 days, you can begin to sleep on it.