Tattoo After Care
Butterfly Tattoos
Skull Tattoos
Angel Tattoos
WAY TO GO! Mission accomplished! You thought long and hard, finally worked out the design you wanted, and got your first tattoo. Now that your virgin skin has been dutifully abused, your artist has bandaged you up, most likely given you some advice on what to do now, and sent you on your way. The big issue in your face right now is suddenly tattoo after care!
But are you sure you have all the right answers? How do you know there isn’t some point or points you haven’t covered and would like to get another opinion on?You really want to have the best advice possible to take care of your health and treat your new tattoo with the finest care and are not sure where to look.
Make no mistake, tattoo after care is very important. Here, we will use this article like a forum and answer some common, important questions. Read them over and then make your own decisions.
What we have eventually come up with concerning the many questions asked is that there is no one answer for everyone, so use your judgement.
We are all different and have unique needs. So know yourself:
Q: When leaving my artist’s shop I was bandaged and told to leave it on for the rest of the day. I wanted to show it to my friends so I took it off for a while and put it back on again. Did I do any damage?
A: Be patient.Your primary goal here is to prevent infection which can be dangerous to you as well as to your tattoo.You want to keep the new wound (which is what it is) antiseptically clean and safe from air borne bacteria. That’s why you have the bandage, and it must be undisturbed for at least 2-3 hours.
Before attempting to remove it, be sure that your hands are absoluutely clean. An antibacterial soap would be a good idea but don’t go into overkill mode. Be gentle. Use lukewarm water and a mild soap (also antibacterial) such as Provon or Satin. Do not use a washcloth. Use your hand and carefully rinse off any ointments as well as the blood and plasma likely to have accumulated.
When the plasma dries it will create scabs.Using a hygenically clean towel, just pat (do NOT rub) the tattooed area until it is dry, after which you should apply, gently, a coat of your ointment.There are several good choices of an antibacterial ointment which will be fine, but you must avoid any which may have a petroleum base, like Vasoline or something containing lanolin.
A&D ointment is a good choice. So is Bacitracin. Neosporin is NOT recommended because many people have reported allergic reactions to it when used for this purpose. You don’t want that to happen for several reasons, but one is that the reaction creates small, red bumps and when these go away, they take the ink along leaving little blank areas where you used to have a nice, smooth line or color.
Q: Once I take off the original bandage, how long I wait until I change the new one? Also, which other kinds of lotions should I put on after a few days have passed?
A:You don’t. Leave the tattoo open to the air with no covering once the original is removed. You must carefully wash it at least two times a day for the first week or so and apply ointment to it about 6 times a day to keep the skin from drying.
Keeping it moist will reduce the amount of peeling and reduce scabs and thus reduce color fade. And remember to always keep your hands CLEAN when doing this.You will be changing over to a moisturizing cream from the antiseptic ointment after the first 3 or 4 days. Use caution and be certain it is a non-fragrance and color free lotion so as to avoid irritating the raw skin. Lubriderm and Eucerin are both good choices. There are specialty products out there which also work well.
Some of the names these tattoo after care products go by are Tattoo Goo, H2OCEANFOAM, TatWax, Ink Fixx and more. Be sure you check out the ingredients of any of these you are considering to be sure they don’t contain something you would be allergic to!
Q: I’m worried my tattoo isn’t healing right. It looks like the ink is leaking out and it’s getting muddy. Is that right?
A: Stay calm! It’s unlikely that anything is wrong, unless of course you did something you shouldn’t have like parading it out in the sun, not keeping it properly clean and letting it overscab, using a petroleum product or a washcloth, poor hygiene, etc..
Check with your artist if you need reassurance, but remember that a tattoo goes through normal healing stages.Plasma will ooze and new ink will “bleed. This is normal.After about a ten day period when all this fussy part is behind you, you should see the tattoo brightly shining as you had envisioned.
Q: Do you have any additional comments you could offer on tattoo after care besides those already stated?
A: Yes!
• Showering with the tattoo is perfectly fine. You can get it wet, but do n ot soak it, especially in a hot tub. Swimming pools and baths are not a good idea!
• Within the first few days you will notice that scabs will appear. If there is too much, that could indicate a poorly created tattoo, but a small amount is occasionally normal. Use warm and moist compreses for about 5 minutes a couple of times a day to make them soft, and they will eventually fall of by themselves.But do not apply moisturizers to a scab. You want it to get dry.
• You will likely want to scratch. Don’t!!Remember that a tattoo is an insult to your body when first applied, and it will naturally itch as it heals. You can slap it, but just don’t scratch it. If you see that it’s peeling, just apply some of your lotion to it, and if you see it scabbing, ignore it!
• When outdoors on a sunny day, or eben in a bright, cloudy day, be sure you have it covered with a good SPF30 (or more) skin protectant. Thise UV rays will not be nice to your tat, and you must remember that this will always be true. So like a seatbelt, UV up!
And for now, my friends, that covers most of the basic stuff about how to deal with your new tattoo. Remember that it is now part of you and needs to be respected as you respect yourself. Be good to yourself, and enjoy!
