Caring For That New Tattoo

Caring for that New Tattoo

James Beckett

It's easy for people thinking about getting a tattoo to get a little nervous about the process. After all a tattoo is virtually a medical alteration to your body and concerns about health and care of the tattooed area are rational. Add to that how the movies portray tattoo parlors like they were opium dens and it's easy to get the wrong impression up front. So doing your homework early will help you to see that tattoo artists are usually professionals who have training and sanitary standards to make sure your first tattoo is safe and healthy and as much an exciting moment for you that you hoped for.

This is not to say that there has never been a tattoo artist that didn't conduct himself in a sanitary way. There are bad elements in any business. So the first step of taking care of a tattoo is to be discriminating in who you use to put the tattoo on you. Make sure they are running a good business that has been there a while and is in good standing with the community. Get references and then go and check them out yourself. If you look at their facilities for giving you a tattoo and you are not convinced they will take care to apply the tattoo in a safe fashion, just keep looking.

There are several ways you will see a truly professional tattooist make sure experience with your first tattoo is both safe and enjoyable so you will come back for a second and a third tattoo from them. Before they start, the tattooist can discuss the ointments and cleaning procedures that will go on throughout the application of the tattoo to raise your confidence that all is well. In addition to good hygiene as the tattoo is applied you can expect your hygienist to know how to dress the "wound" so the tattoo is well cleaned and bandaged for maximum protection as you leave the tattoo parlor with it. But before you go the last act of making sure your tattoo experience is complete will be for the tattooist to instruct you in the care and cleaning of the tattoo over the next week or two so it heals into a beautiful work of art on your skin.

When you get home with your new tattoo, in that it might still sting or itch, you should resist the urge to wash it too much. The very act of getting the tattoo, if it's done right, is completely clean so it's fine. But it will be up to you to keep it sanitary and to change the coverings so the tattoo area is always free of anything that could contaminate it. But also work to keep it dry, at least for the first few days as the wound of the tattoo heals. And if you can go without the covering or bandage for a little while each day, you should because the oxygen will speed the healing process.

The tattoo parlor and the experts there can help you find good ointments and salves to put on the tattoo so make the healing move along properly and to keep it clean. And most treatments that work well are not prescription so you can get them when you go to the market. Be sure to find out what kind of tape or bandage to use and stock up so you can change it every day for a week or two. Also avoid harsh soaps on the affected area or anything else that could irritate the affected area.

The important time of more intense care will be the first week after you get the tattoo but you will need to continue to favor it for a week or two afterward until it is completely healed. In addition to medicated ointment, after things are moving along on the recovery trail, you can switch to a non-perfumed lotion to keep the skin smooth and soft as well. Any baby oil or lotion that is good enough for a newborns skin is perfect for yours during this delicate time.

The next phase of the healing process will call upon you to show some discipline not only for the health of the skin but so as not to damage the artwork you are working so hard to preserve. The natural healing process leads to scabbing but if you were to remove those scabs, it could harm the tattoo and remove some of the color. So work on your resistance to leave your tattoo area alone so it will heal naturally.

Getting a tattoo is just the beginning of your life as a tattoo owner. Taking good care of it and the skin under it will assure that it will continue to look cool for a long time to come. And that's what you want from something that you made an investment for both time and money in and that will be with you for the rest of your life.

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