How to care for a new Tattoo

There you have it; you finally decided to go get that tattoo you have been thinking about. You agonized over the design, worried about if it was going to be sore, what your mother might think and now have a beautiful tattoo just the way you dreamt it.

NOW WHAT? All new tattoos have to be cared for. The skin following a tattoo has been damaged and how you care for that abrasion can affect the healed tattooed skin.

The healing of your tattooed skin will be influenced by the artist’s skill that placed the ink, the size of tattoo, where it is placed, your general health, what type of job you have, how you care for your skin and your choice of aftercare. The tattoo studio will have given you aftercare advice. This will vary from studio to studio

Q. After your tattoo session – what happens next?

A. You can expect a little swelling and redness which can last for a few hours. There may be some bleeding, and weeping. Some people have no discomfort.

You will need to decide how you are going to clean the tattooed skin and what aftercare to use. Tattooed skin will heal on its’ own without an aftercare but the process can be uncomfortable. The skin can go very dry and itchy, scabs may form and the chance of picking these due to the itch will increase the risk of infection and loss of ink.

AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS
DO:

? Wait 2-4 hours after you leave the tattoo studio before removing the dressing.

? Where possible wait until you are home to remove the dressing. Make sure you have antibacterial soap for
hand washing only.

? Wash your hands with antibacterial soap before removing the dressing.

? Use PLAIN WARM WATER to clean the skin over your new tattoo

? Do not use a face/wash cloth. Skin on Skin is best. Gently use your hand to remove any old blood, mucous or debris.

? Pat dry using a paper towel or clean hand towel. Allow to air dry for a few minutes.

? Wash your hands again using antibacterial soap and rinse thoroughly.

? Apply a small amount, a light film, of your aftercare product. Gently massage into the skin. Do not over apply.

? Do not recover the skin unless your tattoo is oozing lots of fluid. Loose clothing should be sufficient to protect your skin. (If you do need to recover new tattoos due to working in a dirty environment use sterile gauze dressing which will allow the skin to breathe and keep the dirt off.

? Apply another light film of your after fours later.

? Wash the tattoo again at night with WARM WATER and apply another fine film of aftercare.

? Keeping the skin supple and moisturized during the healing process lessen the chances of scabbing.

? As healing progresses washing the tattooed skin once a day with water will be sufficient cleansing.

? Apply a light film of aftercare 2-4 time daily until the skin has healed.

AFTERCARE INSTRUCTIONS
DO NOT:

› Show your ink to all your friends within the first couple of hours. Try to avoid this temptation as good hygiene practices mean everything. The risk in getting an infection is much higher in the first few hours after tattooing.

› Do not share your aftercare product with anyone.

› During the healing period, stay out of swimming pools, saunas, and partaking in water sports until the skin has completely healed. Soaking a new tattoo can cause it to lose it’s brightness. It is okay to shower as long as you don’t soak the tattooed skin for long periods.

HEALING PROCESS
As the skin heals any weeping would have stopped. The top layer of skin will start to heal. Sometimes the skin can scab. Some people are prone to scabbing, overworked areas can cause scabbing. Using a good aftercare can help prevent scabbing.

The skin might also start to lightly flake (like skin that peels after sunburn. This is normal and more noticeable with heavily coloured and full black tattoos. This light flaking may continue for a few days then the skin might go shiny – also a bit wrinkly.

DON’T PANIC this is the top layer of skin healing. During this time the skin may become itchy and will be fragile. Using a good quality aftercare like TAC will help stop the itching.

After few days the skin will look duller. This is not how your tattooed skin will be. As both layers of skin heal the tattoo will start to look brighter.

If you skin does scab don’t pick them. This can introduce infection into the skin. It can also pull ink out leaving gaps in your ink work. Keep the area moisturized and allow the scabs to fall off naturally.