how do you take care of a tattoo?
How to take care of a tattoo: do's and dont's
Proper aftercare treatment with your tattoo is necessary. You may be wondering how to take care of a tattoo and what to pay attention to. Or maybe you think it is not necessary and skip this crucial step... Don't!
We would like to give you a hand. In this post, in addition to care tips and tricks, you'll read why it's important to maintain good aftercare.
Why is taking care of a tattoo important?
The first few days after tattoo placement are crucial to the healing process and the final result. Why?
1/ prevents blood and/or wound fluids
Proper aftercare is important to avoid blood and/or wound fluid. This will otherwise cause scabs to form.
2/ Avoids infections
It avoids irritation and inflammation. Proper aftercare is important to keep the skin supple and avoid bacteria. If you don't do this, irritations can arise and your tattoo won't heal as well. It is also important to keep infections away. Otherwise, you will damage the tattoo and the end result (such as the colors) may not be as beautiful.
3/ Keeps colors vibrant
Proper aftercare is important to keep the colors vibrant and the lines smoother or tighter. This way you avoid unnecessary side effects!
tips & tricks for proper Tattoo care
1/ use a good aftercare product
After placing the tattoo, our artists apply a protective film to the tattooed skin. You may quietly remove this after 4 hours. Please note with this. Always wash your hands first to prevent infections. After all, it is a wound that needs to heal. Do not apply any aftercare product on the first day, but wash off all dirt. You do this by running water over the tattoo and gently rubbing it. You may use pH-neutral soap while doing so. Then pat the tattoo dry with some kitchen paper or a towel.
We recommend ordering this soap: Bepanthen Tattoo Wash Gel
Once the tattoo is no longer moist, usually after 1 or 2 days, you may start using the aftercare ointment. For the first 2 weeks, you wash your tattoo 3 times a day in the manner just described. Then you apply a thin layer of ointment. Don't be afraid to rub this in well. Halfway through the first or second week your tattoo may start peeling and then it is enough to apply ointment only once or twice a day.
What product should you use now? Using a correct ointment is very important for proper aftercare. With an oily ointment you are going to protect your skin from irritants and friction. If you never or not enough ointment for your tattoo, your skin is going to dry out which will result in a less beautiful result.
Free aftercare product by inksane
With our artists, you will always receive a free tube of our own Inksane Tattoo Aftercare Ointment. We had it specially developed to help you on your tattoo journey. Our ointment contains a high level of Dexpanthenol (6%) and is designed to care for stressed skin.
Would you rather use a product you might already have at home? You can, too. Below the picture you can read which one you may use.
What aftercare products can I use?
Bepanthen or Bepanthol: oily and restorative ointments that help to protect the natural skin barrier. These care ointments are going to form a transparent layer that is going to insulate the skin from unwanted substances and makes the skin breathe. You may definitely use these products during the aftercare of your tattoo, and are available without a prescription at any pharmacist.
Flamigel: will heal and protect the skin, but it is not going to moisturize the skin. If in doubt, you can always use our Inksane Tattoo Aftercare.
Nivea: you may certainly apply it to your tattoo, but it will not begin to promote the healing process. People with a perfume allergy better watch out with this cream. Nivea products contain perfume and this can cause unwanted redness and itching. When in doubt, you can always opt for our Inksane Tattoo Aftercare.
2/ do not swim, sunbathe or exercise during the healing process
You should definitely not soak your tattoo in the first two weeks. Which means no bathing, swimming or taking a sauna. You should also not sunbathe or exercise during this process. The duration of the healing process depends from person to person. If everything goes well, you can count on about 2 to 5 weeks before your tattoo is fully healed. When your tattoo is almost completely healed and still shines a little, you may still apply a small amount of ointment to prevent dryness.
3/ in case of inflammation, visit immediately
Fortunately, it doesn't happen often, but a tattoo can sometimes get inflamed. Sometimes your tattoo can turn a little red and that is perfectly normal, but as of when is it not completely normal? If inflammation is suspected, we recommend immediately disinfecting the infected skin 3 to 4 times a day with cedium spray or another colorless and odorless disinfectant spray + lubricate with Terramycin ointment, replacing our tattoo aftercare. This ointment is without a prescription available here. You certainly can't do anything wrong with using these 2 products, even if there is no inflammation. So from the slightest suspicion we already recommend this. And then as soon as it is appropriate, visit our reception or a doctor..
It is only when the intact skin around the tattoo begins to turn red, there is severe inflammation. If this is the case, you should immediatelygo to the family doctor! Then the Cedium and Terramycin will no longer help enough either.
Therefore, if the inflammation is no longer a suspicion, but has been really painful for more than a day, it is best to see your family doctor quickly. In case of questions or doubts, you can also always send an email or drop by. In the studio, we can then work with the artist to see what, if anything, went wrong and what ointment or spray you can use. If we see that it is really serious we will immediately refer you to your doctor.
The best solution is still to prevent inflammation. So cover your newly placed tattoo some more in a work environment with a lot of dust and disinfect or wash your hands when you treat your tattoo. During aftercare, definitely do not exercise, swim or sunbathe and do not wear exciting or synthetic clothing at the tattoo site.
Do you have doubts about your aftercare? Discuss it with your tattoo artist or contact our front desk. They can evaluate whether you indeed have an infection, or a normal reaction to your new tattoo.
Want to stop by? Feel free to pop in, or make an appointment below!
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