Taking Care of Tattoos

About Taking Care of Tattoos

Your artist is responsible for giving you great artwork in a clean and safe environment. The rest is up to you. Following the right aftercare techniques can make all the difference in the way your tattoo looks after it has healed and beyond. Whether you've just gotten your first tattoo or you're a body ink veteran, the following tips will help you maintain your tat for many years to come.

Caring for a Fresh Tat

You'll spend the most time caring for your tattoo in those first days and weeks of getting it. During the tattoo process, thousands of holes were created by the tattoo machine's needle, and those holes need to be protected to prevent infection, promote healing and keep your ink from leaching out.

Here are the general steps for taking care of new tattoos. Many artists will give specific instructions based on methods they have found reliable, so when in doubt, follow your artist's recommendations.

Aftercare instructions:

• Your artist will clean and bandage your fresh tat before you leave the shop. Leave that bandage on at least a minimum of two hours, but no more than eight.
• When you remove the bandage, give that tat a very light washing with a mild soap, and then rinse it thoroughly. Pat it dry with a fresh paper towel.
• Apply a thin layer of ointment, such as A&D, Aquaphor or Tattoo Goo. Gently tissue off the excess so the skin is left moisturized but still able to breath. Do not rebandage the tat from this point on.
• Continue to wash the tat twice a day, applying a thin layer of ointment each time. As the tattoo begins to truly heal, you can switch from using ointment to using a good water-based moisturizing lotion such as Lubriderm or any product your artist specifically recommends. By the end of two weeks your tat should be healed and only require routine care.

Things to avoid:

• Never use petroleum jelly on your tattoo. Products like Vaseline tend to leach the ink out of an open tattoo.
• Resist the urge to pick at any scabs or crust, and absolutely do not scratch your tattoo if it becomes itchy during the healing process. Proper moisturizing should keep this problem to a minimum.
• Do not soak your unhealed tat in a bathtub. This can promote an infection and leach your ink as well.
• Do not go swimming until your tattoo has finished healing. Chlorinated water can ruin your color. Unchlorinated water likely harbors harmful bacteria that can infect your tat.
• Avoid direct light on your body art. The sun's rays are extremely powerful, and they can fade a fresh tattoo very quickly.

Protecting Your Tattoo from the Sun

As mentioned, UV rays can rob your tattoo of vital color. This is most evident during the two week healing period after getting a new tattoo, but the risk doesn't completely end there. You should always protect your body art any time you plan to spend time in the sun. Plan to cover your ink with sun block with an SPF 30 or better. An SPF 50 sunscreen provides even more protection from fade, but you might also consider covering your artwork with lightweight clothing if the weather permits.

Caring for an Aging Tattoo

Body Changes

As great as any fresh tattoo looks, the clock is ticking from the moment you get it. As people age, their tats age right along with them. Older skin tends to be drier than it was during youth, so regular moisturizing can keep your tattoo from looking tired. Weight gains, loss of body tone and even dramatic weight loss all alter your body shape; this can have a direct affect on the look of your tattoo. Think of your body as the canvass for your tattoo. Eat right, get moderate exercise and plenty of rest; keeping yourself in shape gives you a better chance keeping your tat in shape too.

Refreshing Your Color

Nearly all tattoos fade a bit from that first brilliant color they had when they were fresh. This is natural as your body's immune system tries to break down the "foreign" material of the ink and flush it out of your system. It may be necessary to visit your artist and have the color enhanced with fresh ink from time to time. If you do this, all the rules of caring for a fresh tattoo apply.

Taking care of tattoos never really ends for the serious body art enthusiast, but it's certainly worth the time and effort to maintain body art that you love.