You should stay away from heavily scented products and exfoliators. Your best bet is to stick to gentle soap and water during the 2 week (or longer) healing period. Don't use any exfoliators or strongly scented body washes. These have extra ingredients that can cause your tattoo to fade or become irritated.
Exposing the tattoo to sunlight
It can damage your fresh ink and also feel like hell when it burns. So wear clothes that cover the new piece or stay out of the sun as much as possible. Remember to use sunblock AROUND it (not on it - this is important!) as applying directly to a new tattoo will encourage infection.
After cleaning your tattoo, using a moisturizer is a crucial step in tattoo aftercare. Keeping the area moist will protect it from cracking, drying, and bleeding. Use a moisture-sealing product two to three times daily (every 8 to 10 hours) until the scabs have fully healed.
Aquaphor's all-purpose ointment won a top spot in the 2022 Good Housekeeping Beauty Awards for its nourishing glycerin and panthenol formula. It creates a protective barrier that allows skin to heal and prevents moisture loss, according to the GH Beauty, Health & Sustainability Lab's data evaluation.
This may indicate that it'll be useful for treating sensitive skin, but it's not! Bepanthen isn't suitable for tattoos because it contains many harsh chemical additives: Petrolatum. Lanolin and lanolin alcohol.
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.
It's recommended you wait at least 24 hours before showering after getting a new tattoo. This allows the tattooed area to begin the healing process and reduces the risk of infection. Showering too soon after getting a tattoo may expose the open wound to bacteria and increase the chances of complications.
You'll want to keep the tattoo wrapped for at least the first night because it will take a while for it to settle down and stop leaking. You don't want an open wound like that touching your bed sheets, getting blood everywhere, or dirt and dust getting into the wound itself.
You should start moisturizing your new tattoo right away and not stop for some time. Love says there's an immediate need to keep a new tattoo moisturized: Moisturizing helps to prevent scabbing and promote healing. "During the healing process, you should moisturize your tattoo three to six times a day," Ladna says.
What NOT to do? DON'T re-bandage your tattoo, rub, scratch or pick at your new tattoo. DON'T apply alcohol, Neosporin, Vaseline, or petroleum jelly (they can trap dirt and germs and cause infection).
Pressure can cause irritation and disrupt the healing process. Instead, try sleeping on your back or on the side opposite the tattoo!
Knowing how long and when you should cover your tattoo plays a large role in effective aftercare. So, how long should I have my tattoo wrapped? Keep your tattoo wrapped for 2-4 hours after leaving the tattoo shop. If using protective tattoo film instead of plastic foil, keep the wrap on for 3-4 days.
You may also see redness, swelling, and some mild bleeding. DAYS 3-14 (or until healed): After the first 2-3 days, your tattoo should begin to feel dry and tight.
After the first day, the tattooed area may appear red, swollen, or even bleed a little. This is completely normal.
The most painful spots to get a tattoo are your ribs, spine, fingers, and shins. The least painful spots to get a tattoo are your forearms, stomach, and outer thighs.
It will still look great as long as you take care of it and let it heal properly. Your tattoo will naturally fade over time. For some people, it can take only a couple of years for them to start to notice that the ink doesn't look as strong anymore. For others, tattoo fading won't be noticeable for decades.
Black ink and black and gray tattoos tend to last longer and require fewer touch-ups than most color tattoos. Color tattoos, specifically pastel ink colors or watercolor-style tattoos, tend to fade much faster than black tattoo ink and require more frequent touch-ups over the years.
Do not use Savlon, Sudacrem, Bepanthen or any other creams that contain Lanolin or (Liquid)Paraffin on your new tattoo. These creams are not suitable for use on tattoos as they are too thick and can block the pores in the skin, potentially causing an infection.
You should apply Bepanthen Tattoo Intense Care Ointment up to four times a day as part of your personal skincare routine. Follow your tattoo artist's advice for how to best care for your tattooed skin.
On the fourth day, wash it like normal, let it air dry and from that day stop wrapping it in cling film and stop using Bepanthen. Now start moisturising it. I use E45 moisturising lotion. It works for all different skin types.
A lot of tattoo artists recommend sleeping with the wrap that was put on. Others recommend re-wrapping, or just applying healing ointment and keeping the tattoo clean. The important thing is avoiding infection.