Learn how to take care of
your new
tattoo.
Tattoo artists, and people
with tattoos, vary widely in their preferred
methods of caring for new tattoos. Some artists
recommend keeping a new tattoo wrapped for the
first twenty-four hours, while others suggest
removing temporary bandaging after two hours or
less. Many tattooists advise against allowing
too much contact with hot tub or pool water, or
soaking in a tub for the first two weeks. This
is to prevent the tattoo ink from washing out
or fading due to over-hydration and avoid
infection from exposure to bacteria and
chlorine. In contrast, other artists suggest
that a new tattoo be bathed in very hot water
early and often.
General consensus for care advises against
removing the scab that forms on a new tattoo,
and avoiding exposing one's tattoo to the sun
for extended periods; both of these can
contribute to fading of the image. Furthermore,
it is agreed that a new tattoo needs to be kept
clean. Various products may be recommended for
application to the skin, ranging from those
intended for the treatment of cuts, burns and
scrapes, to cocoa butter, salves, lanolin,
A&D or Aquaphor. Oil based ointments are
almost always recommended to be used in very
thin layers due to their inability to evaporate
and therefore over-hydrate the already
perforated skin. In recent years, specific
commercial products have been developed for
tattoo aftercare. Although opinions about these
products vary, there is near total agreement
that either alone or in addition to some other
product, soap and warm water work well to keep
a tattoo clean and free from
infection.
Ultimately, the amount of ink that remains in
the skin throughout the healing process
determines, in large part, how robust the final
tattoo will look. If a tattoo becomes infected
(uncommon but possible if one neglects to
properly clean their tattoo) or if the scab
falls off too soon (e.g., if it absorbs too
much water and sloughs off early or is picked
or scraped off), then the ink will not be
properly fixed in the skin and the final image
will be negatively affected.
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