Tattoos are personalized and permanent work of art which are engraved by professional artists. Those artists use high-speed microneedles to inject ink inside the skin. As human skin is penetrated with an outside object, this process mandates special aftercare to preserve the art and more importantly to avoid any kind of infection. Most of the tattoo artists are bound to provide written aftercare instructions mandated by the public health departments. Unfortunately, in most countries, this process is not regulated by proper laws. So, it is important to take care of your tattoos beyond the instructions provided by the artist. Here is the aftercare schedule for your tattoo.
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Initial Bandage
Tattoo aftercare starts in the tattoo shop, immediately after the tattoo is done. Artists would apply a thin layer of petrolatum jelly or a moisturizer over the entire tattooed skin.
Make sure that after applying jelly he covers it with a bandage. It is a protective cover to save your skin against bacteria, sunlight, rubbing against clothing. You must keep this covering intact for 6 hours to avoid any type of infection.
First Wash
After six hours, wash your hands thoroughly and remove the bandage. Then mentally wash your tattoo with antimicrobial, hypoallergic, and fragrance-free soap and lukewarm water. You will notice fluid oozing out of the tattoo. This is blood and some extra ink.
Your skin will also look reddish and soar and it might feel slightly warm to the touch. Don’t worry about it, it’s normal. After washing your tattoo, apply petrolatum ointment and leave the bandage off so the tattoo can heal.
First Week
In addition to the reddish skin, the tattoo would also look less vibrant as the healing continues. During this type avoid submerging in the water or getting the tattoo wet except while washing it. Washing techniques should be similar to the one told above. Try not to wear clothes that stick to your tattoo and avoid direct sunlight and warm water too. All this care should be observed for at least one month.
Second Week
The Redness should start to feed by the second week. There would be light scab over the tattoo. Don’t ever pick the scab, otherwise, you will get infection or scars. By the end of the second week, these scales would be hardened and will begin to flake off. Let them come off naturally. In the meantime, the skin may feel itchy. You can apply moisturizers for relief several times a day.
Third and Fourth Week
This is the last stage to heal. Most of the flakes should be gone. There could be some dead skin that would eventually clear up too. Keep moisturizing to keep the skin hydrated. The outer layer is almost healed by the time. The inner layer requires three to four months to heal completely. After four months your tattoo would look as vibrant and vivid as intended by the artist.
Maintenance
After your tattoo is healed, you excel in maintenance mode. There are no tough things to do after that but you need to keep the skin clean and hydrated as much as possible. Avoid excessive weight gain or loss, otherwise, your tattoo would be distorted.
