Care for Newly Tattooed Skin

A tattoo gets done after hours of patience and pain. After a tattoo is complete, you may feel great and admire the freshly made art. However, a fresh tattoo is no less than a wound and there are lots of precautions that need to be taken for your newly tattooed skin. This will make your tattoo heal better and look great. 

Usually, your artist provides you with all the tips and care procedures you should follow after a tattoo is done.

Here are some tips you should follow to take care of your newly tattooed skin:

1. After your tattoo is complete, your artist will put a bandage around the skin. You should leave the bandage or covering for at least three hours after the tattoo is complete. This process involves the collection of goop, blood and ink from the freshly done tattoo.
2. You must wash your new tattoo a number of times each day using a soft, anti-bacterial soap for keeping the skin clean and to avoid infection. Continue this practice for three weeks until the tattoo gets fully healed. Do not touch the tattoo without washing hands.
3. For the first week after a tattoo is made, apply an ointment on the tattooed skin after cleaning. This will keep the skin hydrated. Aquaphor is an effective ointment for this purpose. Apply a thin layer instead of a thick one.
4. After using the ointment for some days, you should switch to a lotion to apply to the skin after cleaning.
5. Do not wear tight clothes for the first few weeks to reduce the risk of scarring and ink loss because of clothes rubbing against the tattoo. Try to avoid sleeping on your tattooed skin.
6. During the healing process of a tattoo, do not go into water bodies such as swimming pools, oceans or tubs. Avoid working out so that excess amount of sweat is not produced. You should also avoid direct exposure to the sun for the first few weeks. All these can reduce the healing process of the tattoo.
7. Do not prick on, peel or scratch on the hard layers of the tattoo during the healing period. Pricking these layers will damage the tattoo and will remove the color.

After getting fully healed, the tattoo will lighten up. This is normal as the layers of the skin grow back over the ink layer. Try to put on sunscreen when going out, especially on hot summer days. A tattoo takes some hours to be made and lasts for a lifetime. It is a permanent thing, so you should take proper care of your freshly tattooed skin to ensure that it comes out well after healing and to prevent any kind of damage to the skin.