Getting a tattoo nowadays is very common. It is so popular these days, kids can’t wait to reach their legal age to get a one. But remember, before getting a tattoo, it is very important to learn about tattoo aftercare. Don’t go under the needle unless you are well informed on proper tattoo care and what to expect while your tattoo is healing.
A fresh tattoo is considered a minor skin wound, so you need to properly take care of your tattoo to prevent any infections. But the way you take care of your tattoo is totally different from regular wound care.
Below are some major differences between tattoo wound care and regular wound care.
The Bandage
As you will find in any hospital, typical wound care procedure is to wrap the wound with a bandage or dressing. This will prevent any dust or microbes from infecting the fresh wound. Also, the bandage will absorb any oozing fluid. A doctor will also advise you change the dressing from time to time until the wound is dry enough to form a scab.
In tattoo care, the initial approach on wound care is similar: applying a bandage to prevent the wound from getting infected, some tattoo artists use plastic wrap for the same purpose. The difference is that a fresh tattoo doesn’t need to be re-bandaged.
Ointment, Cream or Lotion
With your typical wound care, antibacterial ointment or cream is applied on the wound before bandaging. This is to prevent any infection from occurring because of unclean conditions when the injury occurred.
With tattoo wound care, antibacterial ointments are not needed because all of the instrument used when getting a tattoo are sterilized, even the inks are sterile because they are alcohol-based. Before tattooing starts the artist will shave any hair and apply alcohol or povidone-iodine to sterilize the skin. So there is no need for antibacterial ointments as everything is clean and sterile. Instead, a tattoo aftercare lotion is used mainly to moisturize a new tattoo.
The Wound
With typical wound care, the faster your wound dries the better. You want that scab to form as soon as possible because the scab functions as a natural barrier to any microbial invasion while the skin underneath heals.
With tattoo wound care, it is important to keep the fresh tattoo constantly moist with the use of a good tattoo aftercare lotion. Also, a thin soft scab is preferable for a healing tattoo than a thick dry scab.
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