Is it okay to get your tattoo wet?

i got two wrist tattoos. i got one friday (my first time gettin a tattoo) and the other sunday(my second tattoo). for each one.. a hour after i got them i clean them with pump soap and cold water, and pat dried them. not knowin, for the first 3-4 days i used vaseline.. that was all i had. i stoped using it tho once i found out that you werent suppose to use it. now its wednesday and my first one was starting to peel. so i called my tattoo artist and told him i'd be in so he could look at it. he said i was fine and to start using sented-free lotion (Lubriderm) and that i could use hydrocortisone to stop the itch. Today is Thursday (noonish) when i woke up i washed my hands and my tattoos got wet. i when i pat dried em this time the first one pealed a lot, so i put lotion on them. ima beginner at this tattoo thing, just wanted to know if i was fine. and if it was okay to clean them or not?