How to take care of your new tattoo
Hey, everyone!
If you've just gotten a tattoo or are planning to get one soon, this video is for you!
I'll teach you exactly what to do to keep your tattoo looking beautiful and healthy. From the care you need right after leaving the studio to protecting it as it heals, I cover it all here.
So, get ready to learn how to take care of your new tattoo and keep it looking amazing for a long time!
Can't watch the video now? Here's a description of the care steps below.
1. LEAVING THE STUDIO
Hey, everyone. How’s it going?
You just left the studio with that awesome piece of work and don’t know how to take care of it. Don’t worry, I’m here to give you all the recommendations to preserve your work in the best way possible. Remember, there’s no consensus or strict protocol. This is how we take care of it here in our studio. Cool?
Here in the studio, we use Vitaldermewhich is an adhesive, microporous, and transparent plastic film that we apply as soon as we finish your work. Ideally, keep it on your skin for 3 to 5 days, but if it comes off, don’t worry. Just apply regular kitchen plastic wrap and change it every 4 hours, always cleaning and drying the area well between changes. It’s very important to keep your tattoo dry, because moisture can lead to the proliferation of fungi and bacteria that can cause infections.
If it’s still very red and maybe swollen, apply an ice pack for about 20 minutes as soon as you get home. This can help reduce swelling and close the pores, aiding in the retention of the pigment in your skin. This is something I do for my own work as well.
2. IMMEDIATE TATTOO CARE
Do not expose your tattoo to the sun. It’s one of the biggest enemies of tattoos because it burns the pigment in your skin and can damage your skin.
If possible, stay in the shade and wear light clothing that doesn’t cause friction.
Avoid going to the beach, walking in the sun, or any similar activities.
Besides the beach, don’t engage in physical exercise, go to the gym, swim, or do any activities that could compromise the tattoo. Physical exertion can cause the pigment to move under the skin, leading to what we call a blown-out tattoo. This will help keep your tattoo looking beautiful for longer.
3. SCABBING, ITCHING, AND MOISTURIZING
Got scabs and itching? Now what?
Don’t scratch or remove themInstead, apply some moisturizer! It can be neutral and unscented, like Nivea Milk, Nivea Cream, Coconut Oil etc. These types of natural or neutral moisturizers help keep your skin from drying out.
The main cause of itching is dry skin, so you can combat this by simply moisturizing. Here in the studio, we don’t recommend any kind of ointment unless there’s an inflammation.
Our body is a perfect machine and can heal any type of wound. Using ointments can sometimes speed up this process, expelling the pigment. This will end up making your tattoo look faded.
We always recommend not using ointments, unless there is some kind of inflammation.
4. DIET
Regarding your diet, avoid foods that are greasy or high in sugar and fat..
These foods pose a great risk to our bodies, even more so when there is a wound like a tattoo. So avoid pork, shrimp, very greasy foods, like hamburgers, pizza, and sausage things we know aren’t very good for our bodies in general. Now imagine when you’re trying to recover from a wound like a tattoo.
We also recommend that you document your healing process day by day to discuss with your artist, if there are any issues. If any problem arises along the way, they will know how to intervene and give you the best advice to take care of your tattoo and correct any issues.
THAT'S ALL!
These were my recommendations.
Remember that tattooing is a team effort. We, as tattoo artists, do our job by inserting the pigment into your skin, and you keep that pigment there by following our recommendations. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the comments. If you want to share your experiences, that’s also very interesting. And for anything else, we’re always here to chat. Cool?
Thanks and see you at the next tattoo!
