We wanted to do a post that is both helpful and educational about tattoo aftercare. After you have decided on what you want your tattoo to look like and go through the commitment of getting it done, you don't want to waste your time, paid and money by not taking care of it properly. Since Bee has 1 tattoo and Dee has 5, we know what its like to go through the decision process, get the tattoo, and take care of it afterwards.
#1 Rule: Listen to your artist
Every artist has been specially trained to not only do the tattoo itself safely, but to also give instructions and advice for the after care of their work. So the best rule is to follow your artists instructions and these instructions can and will differ from artist to artist. But if you have lost the paper they gave you, you forgot what they said, or you want a second opinion, keep reading.
Disclaimer: we are not tattoo artists ourselves so we do not claim to know more than an artist since they have been specially trained and are experts in their field. We are however a nurse and a biologists specialized in cell biology and genetics, which gives us expertise in the skin as an organ and at the cellular level, infection, specifics on bacteria and the kinds of infection they cause, and also the risks and complications of infections. We have also gone through this process many times and have personally implemented these steps with great success and with no infections.
Step #1: Give your skin a break
Just after you finish your tattoo, you want to keep it covered for as long as possible. Your skin has gone through a lot of trauma by getting the tattoo and it needs some time to start the healing process before you start cleaning it. If your shop offers what's called secondskin then you can leave it on for a few days even. There are two approaches to healing a tattoo, the open air method and the covered method. These can go by different names but the steps are the same. Open air is when you clean the tattoo often and have it exposed to the air. The covered method is when you keep the tattoo covered completely until it is fully healed. We have personally only been instructed to do the open air method and that is what we will be talking about in this post.
Step #2: Cleaning
When cleaning a tattoo, you want to use a very mild cleanser. One that Dee has used for almost every tattoo is the Cetephil gentle facial cleanser. What you use to clean your tattoo does not have to be a body cleanser, it can be any gentle cleanser that will not irritate your skin and preferably contains NO fragrances as this will definitely irritate the skin and cause unnecessary pain. AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU EVER USE AN ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP!! We use the shouty capitals only to get your attention and to make sure you remember. I (Dee) am going to go on a biology rant but bear with me and it will make sense. Our entire skin surface is covered with bacteria but most of these bacteria are good for us and are harmless. What antibacterial soaps do is kill all of the weak, which are the good ones, bacteria. The good bacteria make up the majority of those found on our skin so when you use an antibacterial soap, you are essentially killing only the good bacteria because the bacteria that cause harmful infections are usually resistant to the soap. Now normally this isn't a problem because we don't have open wounds, but when you have gotten a tattoo, that is exactly what you have, an open wound. So using antibacterial soap will leave more room and opportunity for the bacteria that cause harmful infections to gain access to your open wound and start an infection. Your body was build to withstand and battle some infections but if they are too severe or are caused by certain bacteria that are resistant to medical treatment, it can cause irreparable damage and even death. So now you see why we wanted to use shouty capitals to get your attention. But enough with the rants for now :). But I recommend cleansing the tattoo twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. Obviously if it is exposed to dirt or harmful substances, clean the area as soon as you can.
Step #3: Moisturize
After you properly cleanse your tattoo, you want to moisturize it. For this step you want to use something that has no fragrance. If you can get your hands on it, a product called Tattoo Goo is amazing. Shoppers Drug Mart recently started carrying it near me so check them out, it will be in the first aid section most likely. This product is specially made to moisturize fresh tattoos and creates a thin barrier which helps to protect your skin from the elements. It has a balm/wax texture that will warm up and melt in your hand and you only need a really thin layer. If you cant get your hands on that product, some shops will sell the cream they want you to use or popular options. But if all else fails, go with unscented Lubriderm. Depending on how your skin is or how large and detailed your tattoo is, its going to sting no matter how gentle your moisturizer is, especially in the beginning. Dee found that no matter what she used, her large tattoo on her thigh stung like crazy when ever cleansing and moisturizing it but it was simply because there was so much detail in the piece which meant more trauma to the skin. But if it does sting, it shouldn't be excruciating, it should be bearable. If it isn't bearable, you should consult your doctor. And above all else, you should adjust what you use with respect to how sensitive your skin is. If it is super sensitive I wouldn't recommend Lubriderm as the best option but Tattoo Goo or a specialty tattoo moisturizer first. You also want to make sure you are only putting a thin layer of product over the affected area. Your skin still needs to breath and you can apply moisturizer throughout the day. You never want your tattoo to get dry and tight, especially in the first few days.
Step #4: Protect
You want to protect your beautiful tattoo to prevent it from fading and being damaged in any way because you spent the money and went through the pain to get the piece done. First of all, if at all possible, try to avoid rough fabrics on or around the tattoo area. If it is unavoidable such as it is on your leg and you only wear jeans, try and put a barrier with a softer fabric or non-stick gauze pad. Dee had to do this with her thigh tattoo on a few occasions and just used first aid tape to keep the barrier in place. The tattoo will begin to scab within a day or two, and it is EXTREMELY important that you do not remove the scabs but let them come off naturally. If you remove the scabs prematurely, it will cause that area to scab again, pulling ink from the skin and fading the tattoo. You also want to always protect a tattoo from the sun by covering it until it is healed. And even after that, you always want to apply sunscreen at an SPF of 30 when ever it could be exposed to the sun. This will prevent fading as well.
Some helpful tips and tricks
- Always have a full stomach when getting a tattoo. If you have an empty stomach it will lessen your pain tolerance and the stress put on your body will actually lower your blood sugar and if you don't have enough food in you or sugar, it can cause you to lose consciousness, not to mention making the tattoo even less unpleasant.
- Bring a chocolate bar or some candy with you just in case. Depending on how long your session is, you might want to ingest more sugar.
- Bring both water and a drink that contains electrolytes with you. It is important that you stay hydrated at all times and having electrolytes (salt) is important. So bring a sports drink such as PowerAde or Gatorade with you. If you don't want to bring both, dilute your sports drink with 1/3 water.
- Take an anti-inflammatory such as ibuprophen an hour before going to your appointment. This will help with the pain and swelling.
- If you need a break take it. Artists are used to this and it is much better to take a 5 minute break than passing out. But do not take too long of a break. During the process you will build up endorphins that will help you deal with the pain. The skin can also become numb after a time and if you take a long break, your endorphins will drop, and the skin will begin to properly heal and when you go back to the tattoo, it will be exponentially more painful and you are at a higher risk of swelling.
- If you can, cleanse and moisturize the tattoo yourself, especially if you don't have daily access to someone who has had tattoos. First of all, it can help lessen the pain because you know what you are doing to yourself. And it is sometimes difficult for others to do the steps properly, especially with respect to being gentle with the cleaning, and only putting a very thin layer of moisturizer over the area.
- Do not use a numbing cream that has to be placed on the area before a tattoo begins. These types of creams only last a short time and when it eventually wears off, it will be at the most painful part of the tattoo process and because you haven't built up the endorphins to help you manage the pain, you are more likely to lose consciousness.
Here are a few pictures of Dee's tattoos
Hopefully this was educational or helpful to you, if not, we hope it was an interesting read. Until next time
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