So you’re thinking of getting a tattoo. You’ve done a lot of research and finally got the tattoo design you’ve always wanted. You’ve even visited some tattoo studios and finally picked the tattoo artist to do the job. But have you done or researched on the most important part of getting a tattoo?
A lot of people don’t know it, but the most critical part of getting a tattoo is tattoo aftercare. Yes, a beautiful tattoo design and a very good artist is important, but once you’ve got your fresh tattoo, you’re on your own and if you don’t have the proper knowledge to take care of it, then all your efforts will go down the drain. It’s a hard to see a magnificent piece of art go to waste just because of tattoo aftercare negligence.
A tattoo is treated like an open wound, but the actual care is very different. It may sound complicated, but if you know what you’re doing, tattoo aftercare is really not that difficult. Below are some basic tips on proper tattoo aftercare.
First of all before going to the tattoo studio, you should have all the things you need to take care of your new tattoo. Doing so will prevent any unwanted contamination from occurring. You will need: a premium tattoo aftercare lotion, cotton towels or lint free paper towels, anti-bacterial soap and antibiotic cream. The latter will only be used if an infection occurs; it is good to have it already with you than going out buying the medicine, but most of the time the antibacterial cream will end up on your medicine box, unused.
After the tattoo session, ask your artist to wrap it up with a cotton bandage, this material absorbs excess ink and blood and allow the tattoo to breathe, which helps in the healing process.
Next go straight home and after two hours, carefully remove the bandage. If it sticks, moisten the cotton bandage with warm water to loosen any dried blood. Once the bandage is removed, wash of excess ink and blood with your antibacterial soap. You will also notice a clear amber colored substance oozing out of your tattoo. This is called plasma and when this dries it turns to a thick scab, we do not want this to happen, so wash this thoroughly. Then pat dry, do not rub. Air dry for a few seconds, then apply your tattoo aftercare lotion. Do not re-bandage.
Repeat if you find plasma oozing out of the tattoo, you will be busy for a few hours because we don’t want that plasma drying up, so we need to repeatedly wash the tattoo until it stops oozing.
And that’s it, in a week or so, your tattoo will form a thin scab. This is what we want, by the way, and we need to constantly apply tattoo aftercare lotion to keep the scab moisturized and soft until it falls off. After that your new tattoo should look really brilliant, ready for display.
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