Rules for caring for a tattoo after application

The topic of tattoo healing is a hackneyed one, but new questions still arise about how to care for a tattoo. The answers to them must be found out before the start of the session in order to avoid infection or loss of brightness of the pattern. If you are just thinking about what to put on your body, be sure to read this article. In order to understand exactly what needs to be done and how, and whether you are ready for it.

Why you need to know how to care for a tattoo

The main and most important rule of tattoo care is consciousness. Regardless of the artist, the salon, or the size of the design, you should always take care of your tattoo.

Note. The process of tattooing itself is damage to the protective epithelium. The needle with ink penetrates under the top layer of skin, after which it begins to actively peel off.

Do you remember how you pinched your scratched knees as a child? The skin on them became tight with a film, or worse, a crust, and later began to become rough and itchy. If you accidentally tear off the top layer of the wound, then under the crust you will find tender skin that has not yet healed. There was a possibility of scar formation. This is approximately how things are with a new tattoo.

It is in the first days after tattooing that you need to pay attention to the condition of the skin. If it is taken with a film or, even worse, a crust, then the probability of removing the latter along with the paint is very high. There is a risk of suppuration.

Important! If pus forms, a visit to the doctor cannot be avoided, and a beautiful tattoo should be forgotten for a very long time, if not forever. That is why it is necessary to adhere to certain rules!

Caring for a tattoo in the first days after application

To obtain an excellent drawing, you need an experienced craftsman and, of course, a good healing cream. There are a lot of the latter in the world, but most often the masters advise which one is better, since they have already encountered the healing process more than once.

For the first couple of days, ichor will collect over the tattoo. This is the epidermis actively trying to expel everything foreign from the body.

The ichor appears almost immediately after the tattoo is applied. If you do not wrap the area of ​​skin and do not lubricate it, then after some time the ichor will dry out and simply stick to the tissue that will be adjacent to it. Tearing off this area of ​​skin will be very difficult and painful.

Therefore, certain actions should be taken to help avoid skin injury.

Algorithm of actions after a tattoo session

1. wash your hands with antibacterial soap;
2. carefully remove the bandage;
3. Gently rinse the tattoo area without pressing;
4. blot with a napkin or let dry on your own;
5. apply healing cream;
6. make a bandage out of a diaper, which is secured with tape or film.

If the bandage is secured with film, it should not be done very tightly. The tattoo must breathe, but the film, due to its properties, does not allow this to happen. The diaper will not only help the pores open, but will also absorb some of the paint that will stand out. In addition, the remains of cream, paint and ichor can ruin clothes.

Some experts allow you to walk without a bandage at home, after a shower and in clean and loose clothes. This will promote healing.

Before going outside, be sure to apply a bandage. Because not only dust, but also exhaust gases can have a detrimental effect on a tattoo.

Care actions in the first days should be continued for a week. This will help the skin recover and completely avoid infection. In addition, if you wear such a compress, the skin will not dry out, so the paint will adhere better and will not fade too much.

A week after getting the tattoo, you should stop applying the bandage. For the next 7 days, you need to wash and lubricate the tattoo on average three to four times a day. Bandaging should be avoided. During the late healing period, the body must breathe fully. If you block the access of oxygen, the skin will begin to dry out and peel off.

Features of tattoo healing

The most important period after getting a tattoo is the first three to four days. At this time, you should pay maximum attention to the skin and pattern, otherwise the result will be much worse than expected.

In the first few days, the tattoo is covered with a film. Thanks to the use of healing cream, it remains very thin. If the film is thick and rough, the drawing will be slightly distorted, and some of the paint will go away with it. Therefore, it is necessary to monitor dry skin; during this period it should remain soft enough.

After active healing, a thin film of skin over the tattoo begins to peel off. This is a natural process that should not be scary. As a result of the fact that ink was applied under the skin, its integrity was violated. In this regard, it is completely natural that the top layer of skin will die. Don't be afraid when it starts.

Moreover, there is no need to call the specialist with cries for help and accusations that the skin is peeling off. You just need to wait until the epidermis layer is restored naturally.

When the film begins to actively fall off, there is no need to tear it off under any circumstances. This will compromise the skin's natural defenses and lead to uneven healing. Remember knees and prematurely torn scabs from wounds. Many of them turned into scars and remained forever.

A couple of days after application, the tattoo begins to actively itch. This is perhaps the most difficult period that needs to be endured. You should never scratch a tattoo. In the best case scenario, an area of ​​skin will simply be affected, and the paint will not adhere properly there. At worst, the wound becomes infected from bacteria from the hands and festers.

After the top layer of skin peels off, the tattoo will become much paler than at first. You shouldn't be afraid of this either:

1. firstly, the epidermis was partially renewed, but the basic ink remained at a deeper level;
2. secondly, if the artist did everything correctly, then after 3-4 days the tattoo will take on the required color.

Note! Tattoo artists specifically make the colors much more expressive when applied, so that after removing the film, the design acquires the required shade.

With proper work by the artist, the pallor of the tattoo will disappear in a few days, the skin will continue to renew itself and the colors will fully regain their brightness. That is why it is worth knowing how to properly care for a tattoo. Without a sequence of a specific set of actions, the result can be not only pale, but also painful. It is worth remembering about suppuration that occurs due to improper care.

What not to do when caring for a tattoo?

Prohibitions for the first days after tattooing, in addition to those listed above, are as follows:

1. you cannot visit the bathhouse/sauna;
2. hit the tattoo site;
3. it is necessary to avoid going to the gym;
4. do not drink alcohol;
5. Avoid sunbathing and visiting the pool and sea.

If all the prohibitions are understandable, then the contraindications to alcohol are a little confusing for a beginner. This fact can be explained simply. When you drink alcohol, your blood pressure rises and your body begins to actively eliminate it. This also happens through the pores. In our case, the area of ​​skin with a tattoo is very vulnerable, so sweat can negatively affect the healing process.

Avoiding the sun is necessary to avoid drying out your skin. In addition, the dark shade of the body makes the tattoo much less bright. The sun's rays kill the richness of the pigment used in ink. This is why tan lovers have to have their tattoos corrected much more often than those who avoid ultraviolet radiation.

A reliable sunscreen remains your salvation from the sun. It must be used according to the instructions or even a little more often. These simple steps will keep your tattoo bright and attractive longer.

How to care for a tattoo: to summarize

Tattoos require attention, so you can't just get them and forget them. If you do not properly care for the drawing in the first few days, the result will be obvious.

First of all, wounds may form. They will be minor, but healing will slow down. A feature of such wounds will be their centering at the end. This is where a white spot is formed, not covered with paint. This is the dermis that should be inked with tattoo ink. If healing is improper, this does not happen; the dermis is completely renewed, leaving a white spot in the center of the wound.

If you correctly understand how to care for a tattoo, you can not only avoid complications, but also enjoy an excellent design for a long time that will not require correction. Everything depends on desire and consciousness.

But if you ignore advice on tattoo care, you can get suppuration, injury and a destroyed tattoo.

Today we will discuss with you the care of tattoos immediately after application and during the first month. The article will contain real experience (not without a tattoo), so all advice and recommended medicinal compositions have been personally tested.

Content:

A few parting words: you should not treat a tattoo as an ordinary decoration. This is a living creature that can tell a lot about its owner, therefore, in the first days of its “life”, it, like any living creature, needs care and attention. If you don’t want your skin to become inflamed within a week after application, the drawing to lose its clear outline, fade or partially change color, then read and remember.

General rules for tattoo care

Let's start with three simple rules. If you do not adhere to them, no amount of care will guarantee your tattoo brightness and clarity.

First: try to spend 5-7 days after application at home as much as possible. Firstly, during this period the tattoo is most vulnerable to sunlight. Secondly, it is important to prevent infection from entering the bloodstream, and for this you need to properly and promptly treat the application surface. Thirdly, there is a risk of damage to the pattern even from simple friction of skin with clothing. Tested from my own experience: a week of calm and measured care without gyms and football with friends guarantees high-quality healing and the subsequent attractive appearance of the tattoo.

Second: perhaps this is obvious, but it never hurts to repeat - before choosing a tattoo artist, study the portfolio and reviews on the Internet, trust only an experienced professional to work with your skin! Important: no subsequent care will correct the blurriness of the lines caused by the inability of the beater to dampen the vibrations of the machine, nor will it save you from scars and minced meat into which an amateur will turn your skin, ineptly trying to even out the color of the surface!

A striking and not isolated example of the work of an amateur

Forget once and for all about tempting discounts for the work of “beginning artists” or friends getting tattoos for a bottle of beer with a homemade machine. Sometimes they succeed, but only sometimes. Alas, there are more depressing examples.

Third: you should not get a tattoo if you are allergic to dyes, have low coagulability or skin diseases, have a cold, diabetes, bronchial asthma, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are intoxicated.

Caring for tattoos in the first days after application - video

The tattoo artist will apply an antiseptic to the newly filled tattoo and cover it with a regenerating compress. This will protect the pattern and affected skin from infections and unwanted interaction with the outside world. You can remove the compress after 5 hours, but it is better to wait 12 hours, when capillary bleeding will probably stop. If you remove it before 5 hours of wearing, the ichor will form a crust, the removal of which can harm the brightness and clarity of the pattern. The healing compress from the film should be easily removed, but if it sticks, lightly wet it with warm water and it will come off.

After removing the protective coating, wash off the ichor and antiseptic with liquid soap and warm water. No washcloths or cloth, do everything by hand. Use a paper towel or napkins to dry the tattoo.

Next we process the surface of the tattoo. Suitable solutions:

Tested by personal experience. The solution is applied with cotton swabs, which are changed as needed. If the tattoo is large, treat its surface from the center to the edges, while “entering” the “clean” areas of the skin around the perimeter of the tattoo.

The next step is to apply the medicinal composition. No baby creams or oils. Proven compositions:

I've heard a lot of good things about Tattoo goo, but haven't tried it myself. Do not mix products. Choose one composition for each stage and use only them until complete healing. My personal choice is Miramistin and Bepanten +.

Then, for 7-10 days, moisten the tattoo with warm water 3 times a day to prevent a crust from forming. After the water procedure, dry the tattoo with a paper towel or napkin and cover with the medicinal composition. When the affected surface stops becoming wet due to lymph secretions, exclude warm water. Simply apply the medicated mixture to allow the skin to dry.

Caring for tattoos during the first month

In their first month of “life,” tattoos are still very vulnerable. Ultraviolet rays, chlorine, alcohol, sweat and mechanical stress can cause the image to lose shape, as well as fade or change the color palette. To avoid this, follow these simple rules.

Do not scratch the application site or the skin around the application site.

You will be desperate, so it’s time to demonstrate your “iron” will. If you give your hands “freedom,” you cannot avoid side effects: tissue regeneration will slow down, the tattoo will fade, and inflammation will occur. If the surface becomes inflamed, no self-medication, immediately drop everything and run to the doctor. Does the itching completely overcome? Lubricate the tattoo with a SMALL amount of olive oil, but this is a last resort.

Protect your tattoo from UV exposure

This applies to both beach holidays and solariums. Do not get tattoos before going on vacation at sea: the affected skin should not be steamed, dry or wet, and salt water actively pushes out the paint. In the first month, appear outside only in clothes that cover the area of ​​application, and to prevent the fabric from sticking, place cling film on top. If you really want to show off your tattoo, and even your “iron” will is no longer your help here, use a sunscreen with protection class A and an SPF value of more than 50 in the first week, and more than 30 in the first month (all this is indicated on box with ingredients).

Avoid exposure to sweat, alcohol, chlorine and petroleum jelly

Vaseline discolors tattoos, so all cosmetics that contain it are taboo. Have you seen guys in movies happily pouring alcohol on their tattoos immediately after application? This is not for you. As well as swimming pools, saunas and gyms. Alcohol, chlorine, and sweat will make the tattoo fade much ahead of time (life hack: cling film or a tied bandana will help).

Take more vitamin E

Eat foods with this vitamin, take tablets and drink plenty of water. This will help maintain the brightness of the tattoo. There are products that are described as extending the “life” of a tattoo by 5-6 years, but personally, I have not yet had time to experience this urban legend in practice.

P.S

Perhaps in the first days the tattoo will lack brightness. This is normal, the color will subsequently be restored. But if “gaps” or discolored spots appear in the drawing, it means that during healing not all pigments have taken root (remember which of the rules you violated). This can only be corrected through correction.

Treat your tattoo with respect, and then it will “live” happily ever after, delighting you and those around you.

The quality of a tattoo depends half on the artist and half on you. Proper care preserves bright colors and straight lines, the design remains juicy and clear longer. Next, we talk about two ways to care for a fresh tattoo, why film is a bad idea, and what not to do after the session.

How they looked after you before

Somehow, that's how



The tattoos were smeared with Vaseline and covered with cling film - the skin was rotten, the pigment did not come out, and the smell was also not the most pleasant. This beauty could fester, leading to scars. All the instructions contained the phrase “do not rip off the scabs!”: they actually appeared, falling off with the pigment. Now, crusting or peeling is a sign of poor healing, the tattoo should be moisturized and soft. If the artist recommends cling film to you, we recommend that you contact a more professional person who follows the latest innovations in the tattoo industry.

There are stories when guys used aftershave cream and “Rescuer” - in the latter case, “Rescuer” saved everything, including paint. The tattoo came out completely



If you want a high-quality drawing, heal according to the instructions above.

Caring for a tattoo in the first days

Tattoo culture has moved away from care using cling film and strange creams quite a long time ago, about 10 years ago. Previously, the drawing dried out, crusts formed, and the chances of successful healing decreased.

Now there are two ways to preserve a tattoo so that it remains bright, clear, heals without gaps and requires almost no correction.

Method 1. Ointment and disposable diapers

Ointment
We recommend ointments that contain D-panthenol and additionally some healing oils, disinfecting chlorhexidine and soothing vitamin F. Listen to your specialist, he will tell you what to choose.

Disposable diaper
This is the best thing that humanity has come up with for tattoo care. It protects the drawing from dirt and dust - like cling film. But if the skin breathes under the film, then under the diaper it breathes. The fabric also absorbs unaccustomed pigment: it is easier to wash the skin, and “snot” from lymph and paint does not form.
Choose the cheapest diapers: the composition is the same, but they cost half as much as well-known brands. They are sold in the children's section of any supermarket.

3-4 hours after the session remove the diaper and wash the tattoo with soap and warm water. Apply cream and cover with a new diaper. Before applying the cream, you can blot the drawing with chlorhexidine to disinfect the wounds.

First 4 days repeat the same every five to six hours. If you got a tattoo in the summer, change the diaper every three to four hours. There is no need to get up at night, just repeat the care before and after sleep. During the first few days, the diaper absorbs pigment - this is normal, don’t be alarmed, it won’t take away any excess.

In 5 days the tattoo becomes lighter - this is a normal defense of the body. Don't be alarmed either, after healing the color will appear again. You don't have to cover it with a diaper, just ointment and rinsing for a week is enough.

Method 2. Special healing film

This is a breathable film under which the tattoo heals itself. There is no need to constantly wash, change diapers, or carry cream with you. 5-6 days - and you’re done, the tattoo has healed. The film is made with hypoallergenic glue, sticks tightly to the skin and does its job. You can wash yourself carefully and go about your normal activities.

On the first day after the session The tattoo under the film looks as it is.

On the second day The tattoo site is getting warmer. An ichor is formed under the film, mixed with unaccustomed pigment. It looks like floating dark goo, see first photo below. That's how it should be.

On the third or fourth day the liquid evaporates, the film seems to crack, and the skin tightens a little. This is fine.

On the fifth or sixth day It's time to remove the film. Not on dry skin, definitely on steamed skin! A hot bath (20 minutes) will do. This is enough to steam the film and be patient. Take your time and gently pull the film from all ends. Looks like snake molting



If it doesn't come off well, get out of the bath and dry it with a hairdryer. Removal takes 15-20 minutes. After this, rinse the tattoo and apply any moisturizer. If you feel dry during the week, continue to apply.

The author of the article healed tattoos using both methods. I liked the first one better



The healing film came off with difficulty, and the sensation was not pleasant. But here it is for everyone: there are a lot of positive reviews about the healing film, you don’t have to think about where, how and what to rinse with. Try it and find yours!

Permanent tattoo care

Apply sunscreen with SPF 50 every time you go outside. If you swim, renew the cream every time after.

Keep an eye on the drawing: the lines spread a little after a couple of years, if this happens earlier or the tattoo completely changes and becomes scarier, contact a tattoo artist.

Renew your tattoo every 10-15 years: this will preserve the richness of the picture.

After the session you can't

First week. Take hot baths (unless you are healing with suprasorb - except this time you can’t), actively play sports, sunbathe.

The first two to three weeks. Swim in rivers, lakes and seas, visit baths, saunas, swimming pools and solariums.

An unhealed tattoo should not be scratched. No way. This will harm the drawing, it will heal worse, and not all of the paint will take root. But she itches!



Try tapping it or gently running the side of the pencil without the lead - it will become easier.

When you know that proper tattoo care is easy, it’s easier to decide. See the portfolio of our masters, choose yours and sign up for a free consultation.

If you want to get a tattoo in Moscow or find out its cost, call +7 (495) 725-13-13 or write to +7 (903) 725-13-13 on WhatsApp and Telegram.

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