Post-Operative Tattoo

You will have ointment and a gauze dressing placed inside your bra or taped onto your breast reconstruction. You will need gauze and Bacitracin or Aquaphor at home in order to change the dressing every few hours for the first few days.. It is best to use a non-adherent type of gauze dressing and a generous amount of ointment on the tattoo. For the first day, the tattoo will bleed or ooze a mixture of ink and blood. The color of the tattoo will appear to be quite dark. Do not panic, this is completely normal. You will need to care for the tattoo for several days. During this period, the ink and blood will scab off, and the true color of the tattoo will be revealed. It is important not to let the tattoo get dry. While in the comfort of you own home, if you can sit without clothing and maintain the ointment over the tattoo, the healing process will be faster. Having clothes rub against the tattoo may be uncomfortable, and the ink or scabs may stain your clothing.

The tattoo will mature over the course of several weeks. If you find the color is too light, you can always go back and have more pigment added. If you already had an emotional boost from having your nipple surgery, once the tattoo has healed, you are officially done!