How To Take Care of Your New Tattoo
You just finished your appointment, paid for your tattoo, and are now walking out of the shop with a pamphlet on how to care for your fresh ink. You may catch yourself wondering if all the steps your tattooist told you before you walked out the door are important and yes they very much are. Improper aftercare can actually cause damage to your new tattoo. No matter how amazing your tattooist is if you do not care for your tattoo properly, especially during the healing stage, you could end up with a blurred, faded, scabbed, color fall out mess. Keep in mind that every shop will give you aftercare instructions and all have slightly different product recommendations when it comes to aftercare. However, when tending to your new tattoo there solid must-dos that will aid the healing process and lead to you having a gorgeous long lasting tattoo.
1) Free the tattoo! The first and most immediate thing you must do after receiving fresh ink is to remove the wrap placed by your tattooist after 1-2 hours. Do not rebandage your tattoo, it needs to breathe!
2) Wash and lotion! Once you remove the wrap it is incredibly important that you wash the tattoo with unscented antibacterial soap with your hand. Washcloths, loofahs, and other such bathroom supplies can be harsh on the tattoo, remember it is technically one large area of many small open wounds so be gentle! Once you are finished washing the tattoo pat it dry with a paper towel and let it air dry. After about 10-20 minutes apply a thin layer of water based unscented lotion, just enough so the area is shiny and moisturized but not slathered in product. Be sure that you don't add too much lotion and that the lotion is not vaseline or petroleum based as these can all cause issues in healing. For the first week you should wash your tattoo twice a day minimum, moisturizing afterward and when you feel the area is too dry. If you are in an environment where you are sweating a lot or have contact with large amounts of people, anything that could cause contamination to the open wound, you may need to wash more frequently.
3) Peeling like a banana! At around day 3 you will begin to notice your tattoo feeling itchy, scabbing, and beginning to peel. DO NOT PICK OR SCRATCH AT IT. This is just the top layer of skin falling off! During this process the tattoo may look a little strange, do not be alarmed this is totally normal and your tattoo will look right again once it is finished peeling. Immediately after peeling your tattoo will appear shiny, this will dissipate within the week. The peeling can last anywhere from the entire first to second week after you are tattooed.
The entire healing process can take anywhere from 2-3 weeks. During these two weeks it is imperative that you avoid long showers, baths, swimming, soaking in any water, saunas, waxing, shaving, scratching, rubbing, picking, exfoliating the area, and keep the tattoo out of the sun as much as possible. A fresh tattoo is particularly susceptible to sunburn and you cannot apply sunblock to it while it heals because it is too heavy for the healing wound.
Aftercare doesn’t stop after you finish peeling!
When your tattoo is completely healed always apply sunblock to it when exposing it to sunlight to minimize fading and continue to moisturize the skin to keep the tattoo hydrated and healthy. While tattoos fade and age and blur slightly over time proper aftercare, both during the immediate healing process and long term aftercare, can slow that process and avoid as much damage as possible. Your beautiful new tattoo is suppose to be for forever, with the proper aftercare it will be.
Image from Authority Tattoo by Dan Hunter
