A New Tattoo? So What Do You Do Now?
You've endured the procedure and now your skin is graced with some new artwork. Congratulations! However, getting the tattoo work done is just the first step. You now need to take care of the tattoo and help it heal.
How can you do this?
It's not hard, it only takes a little understanding of what you put your skin through, and what you need to do to help it heal.
Always Listen To Your Artist
First and foremost, always listen to your tattoo artist. Unless you are getting your work done in someone's garage, your tattoo artist should explain to you everything you need to know to properly care for your tattoo after the tattoo session is completed.
If you begin to see an infection or an allergic reaction to the ink used or the process itself, consult your tattoo artist or a medical professional. DO NOT WAIT to see if the symptoms will go away on their own. They just might go away on their own, but could also skew or distort your tattoo, turning what should be a nice piece of artwork into an embarrassing mess.
Caring For Your New Tattoo - Tattoo Aftercare
Caring for your new tattoo is easy, and all you really need to do is listen to what your skin is telling you.
The aftercare you provide your new tattoo depends upon the size and location of the tattoo. If you get a tattoo on part of your skin that is constantly rubbing against clothing or other body parts, you might have a harder time healing, and thus increase the number of days of healing time required.
With that in mind, and every tattoo being unique, as well as every person being unique and having varying degrees of healing rates, the following general outline describes what you will go through and what you should be doing during hours to days after getting your new tattoo.
Keep your new tattoo out of sunlight, this is a really important part of your tattoo aftercare! (you will be reminded about this if you do catch any sunlight on this as you'll feel an intense stinging), stay out of any swimming pools, the ocean or anything else that would submerge the tattoo and keep it from getting oxygen. Once the tattoo is fully healed, you can resume these types of activities.
Your new tattoo will also have a pretty red glow about it. After all, you just tortured your skin with a million needle pricks. The red glow will go away naturally and is a normal part of getting a tattoo. Some say tattoo's look their best with the red glow there.
Follow these simple steps as part of your tattoo aftercare routine:
- 1 Hour after - Around an hour or two after getting your new tattoo, you should give the skin a good cleaning using soap and water. Feel free to rub the skin a little and work up a good lather. The goal is to remove all loose ink and blood from the skin. Allow it to air dry and then apply a thin layer of A&D ointment to the tattoo.
- 3 hours after - Check your skin for anything new happening. It is within the first few hours that you might notice certain inks (like red for instance) might begin to show signs of an allergic reaction. If this is you, get yourself to a medical professional for assistance immediately.
- 1 hour to 2 days after - You should clean the tattoo regularly, allowing it to air dry and then applying a thin layer of A&D ointment.
- 2 to 4 days later - By this time your skin should be well on it's way to being properly healed. If any scabs have shown up, continue to apply A&D ointment to your scabs and don't you dare pick at them. Allow them to heal naturally.
- 4 to 7 days - You are now ready for lotion if the tattoo appears to be well healed. Your skin will begin to flake and become dry, and keeping it well moisturised is now your number one priority.
- 7 days and beyond - A tattoo will be on you for life, and the best way to maintain that fresh look is to keep your skin moisturised. That's right, time to buy stock in Lubriderm. Maintain a daily ritual of applying lotion to your skin and tattooed areas.