The tgi

Before you write

How do I wash it in the first week?

Warm water, unscented soap, the flat of your fingers, twice a day. Pat it dry with a clean towel or let it air, then a thin layer of balm — thin enough that the skin is not shiny. Do not soak it, do not scrub it, and do not pick at the flaking, however much it itches.

Can I swim, or go back to the gym?

Not in the first fortnight. A pool, the sea and a bath all put the piece under water it is not ready for, and a hard session under a fresh wrap is how a heal goes patchy. Walking and lighter work are fine from the day after; anything that has you sweating into it can wait until the surface has closed.

Will it need a touch-up?

Sometimes. A line can drop out where the skin bends, or where a scab came away early, and that is ordinary rather than a mistake. Send a photograph once it has settled at six weeks and we will book the touch-up into a session — not before, because a piece that is still healing cannot be read.