Aftercare — after your laser session
Everything below matters most in the first 48 hours. Follow it and healing is usually uneventful.
Right after the session
The area will look white or frosted for a few minutes — that's normal and it fades. Expect redness, swelling and a feeling like sunburn for one to three days.
Day one — cool it every hour
Use the ice compress you took home. A couple of minutes every hour while you're awake, for the first day. Wrap it in a cloth rather than putting it straight on the skin. This is the single most useful thing you can do — it brings down swelling and makes the next few days much easier.
Keep it clean and dry
- Wash gently with mild soap and cool water, pat dry — don't rub
- A thin layer of a simple healing ointment (Bepanthen, Aquaphor or similar) keeps it from drying out
- Cover it with a non-stick dressing for the first two or three days, especially in dusty or humid conditions
- Loose clothing over the area, nothing that rubs
Blisters can happen — don't panic
Blisters usually mean the area wasn't cooled quite enough in the first hours — they're not a sign anything went seriously wrong. Keep the area calm with a soothing ointment for sunburn or minor burns (panthenol, Bepanthen or similar — any pharmacy or minimarket in Bali will have something) and don't pop them, don't pick at scabs, don't scratch. Picking is the main cause of scarring and of pigment loss. Let everything come off on its own.
Water — wait until it's fully healed
No ocean, pool, rice fields, hot tubs or long baths until the skin has completely closed — usually 7 to 14 days. Showers are fine from day one.
Skip for a few days
- Gym, sauna and anything that makes you sweat heavily — 3 to 5 days
- Shaving over the area until it's healed
- Alcohol on the first day (it increases swelling)
Sun — the long game
Keep the area out of direct sun completely while it's healing, then SPF 50 on it every day between sessions. Sun exposure on a treated area is the main cause of permanent light or dark patches, and a tan means your next session has to be adjusted or postponed.
Between sessions
Your tattoo keeps fading for weeks after the session — that's your body clearing the broken-up ink, and it's supposed to be gradual. Next session in 4 to 5 weeks minimum; we'll confirm the timing based on how the area healed.
Message us if you see
Increasing pain after day two, spreading redness beyond the treated area, yellow discharge or pus, or a fever. These are uncommon, but they should be looked at rather than waited out.