Moisturizing is Essential Using a good moisturizing lotion on your tattoo can also help it look better while it's scabbing and peeling. The dried, flaky pieces of skin will soak up moisture and start to look more like the surrounding areas of healthy skin, camouflaging them somewhat.
During the first two-ish days, you're gonna want to avoid lotions, but once you start to feel some tightening, drying, and peeling a couple of days after application, that's when you'll want to start using light layers of lotion after washing it.
As a general rule, it is recommended that you moisturize your tattoo 2-3 times a day, which is every 8 - 12 hours a day. However, the process of moisturizing is personal to each individual.
However, "once healed there is no difference in absorption rates between tattooed skin and not tattooed skin. It should be moisturized based on your needs, at least once daily." If your tattoo is looking dull or dry, it could benefit from moisturizing.
Here are some tattoo aftercare tips to keep the skin healthy and a tattoo looking its best: Use water-based cream: If the tattoo and surrounding skin feel dry, use a water-based lotion or cream to moisturize the area.
Pat it with a clean soft cloth or paper towel and let it air dry for 10-20 minutes or until the skin begins to feel tight. This allows for excess moisture to evaporate out. It is very important to let the tattoo "breathe".
It's normal for a tattoo to peel and lose a little bit of ink as your skin heals. Care for your tattoo diligently by keeping it clean, moisturized, dry, and out of the sun.
It is still important to wash the tattoo, even while it's peeling, and even if you notice some ink coming away as you do it.
Unmoisturized skin makes room for thick, tight and painful scabs to form. These may crack when you move and cause early flaking, which pulls the tattoo ink away as the scabs fall away. The result means that your new skin can't heal properly, leaving it scarred and potentially distorting the tattoo's look.
The third phase is when the itching will stop, but your tattoo may look faded during this stage. This is because a new layer of dry skin will form over the ink, which will eventually exfoliate itself over time and show your tattoo in all its glory. In the final phase, the tattoo may look fully healed and vibrant.
Ideally, you should wear loose and comfortable clothing throughout the entire tattoo peeling process. The less you have rubbing up against your tattoo, the better. DO – Give your body time to heal through its own natural processes.
Once the peeling begins, it usually goes away within a week or two. There are many reasons why some tattoos will peel off earlier than others. These include the location of the tattoo, size, color, saturation, and the depth of penetration of the needles into the skin.
Until the surface of the tattoo is healed (at a minimum of two to three weeks), wash the area gently 2-3 times per day. After cleaning the tattoo during this two to three week period, gently apply a thin coat of a lotion-based care product. We recommend After Inked tattoo moisturizer and aftercare lotion.
Unfortunately, in most cases the intensely saturated colour you see when you first get a tattoo, won't actually be the finished result. The ink will usually end up looking a tiny bit darker and less vibrant once healed.
Many reputable artists will guarantee their work and throw in a touch-up free of charge.
So what product should you use? You may have heard some rumours that Bepanthen shouldn't be used on new tattoos, but this absolutely isn't the case. Bepanthen is by far one of the most highly recommended tattoo aftercare products and is the go-to ointment for most tattoo artists and studios.
Don't worry, this is completely natural. It happens because the old skin, damaged during the tattooing process, forms a thin layer over your tattoo and masks its true appearance. In time this old skin will naturally exfoliate itself, revealing your tattoo underneath in all its vibrant glory.
You do not need to apply any creams, ointments, or lotions for the first seven days, your body will naturally heal your new tattoo. Starting around day three, your new tattoo will start to peel/exfoliate and the temptation to pick and scratch will be great. Don't do it!
Ink is driven deep into the skin by the tattoo needles, but some will be on the surface of the skin, and some others will collect in scabs above the tattoo. It is normal for some of this excess ink to be lost as the body tried to repair the wound that the needles made in your skin.
As your tattoo dries out and begins to heal, you will no longer need to wrap it overnight. The problem now is making yourself comfortable while sleeping with a new tattoo. The main thing is to try to keep pressure off of the new tattoo, so if you are a side sleeper with a new arm tattoo, sleep on the opposite arm.