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Caring for that New Tattoo

It is probably safe to say more people think about getting tattoos than get them. One of the problems people have is the concern for the process of getting a tattoo from a health perspective and knowing how take care of the tattoo once you get one. On top of that worry, there is a misperception that tattoo artists are not professionals and we see them in the same category as circus people and pawn shop operators. But it is important to note that there are many very professional and sanitary tattoo parlors who will do their part to make your experience both fun and safe when you get your first tattoo.

This is not to say that there has never been a tattoo artist that didn't conduct himself in a sanitary way. There are bad elements in any business. So the first step of taking care of a tattoo is to be discriminating in who you use to put the tattoo on you. Make sure they are running a good business that has been there a while and is in good standing with the community. Get references and then go and check them out yourself. If you look at their facilities for giving you a tattoo and you are not convinced they will take care to apply the tattoo in a safe fashion, just keep looking.

The tattoo artists should put your health at a high priority which will be reflected in three things you will get from them while getting the tattoo. First, they will use a reliable ointment that is antiseptic throughout the process to keep your skin clean and free of infection. Second, the post application process will include additional cleaning and a bandage on the tattoo to help your body heal from the needle work. Finally the tattoo artist should be the first one to teach you how to take care of the tattoo when you get home.

When you get home with your new tattoo, in that it might still sting or itch, you should resist the urge to wash it too much. The very act of getting the tattoo, if it's done right, is completely clean so it's fine. But it will be up to you to keep it sanitary and to change the coverings so the tattoo area is always free of anything that could contaminate it. But also work to keep it dry, at least for the first few days as the wound of the tattoo heals. And if you can go without the covering or bandage for a little while each day, you should because the oxygen will speed the healing process.

Your tattooist should be available to help you wish questions even after you have paid him for the tattoo and he can guide you on the right medicated ointments to buy for the important few days and weeks after the initial application of the tattoo. Most of what you will need can be found at the local drug store so it shouldn't be a big expense. Just be sure to be faithful to use the ointments he has you buy and avoid using harsh soaps on the tattoos area because the skin is still very tender and recovering from the tattoo.

The skin where your tattoo will continue to need special care even after the initial three to six days of using the medicated ointment. So some very basic moisturizing lotion can help keep that skin soothed and moist as the healing continues. One of the major name brand baby lotions is just the right thing because if it is safe for the delicate nature of a baby's skin, it will be right for the skin you are nurturing back to health.

The final step of healing will be phase that may be the hardest for you of all of them but you have to be ready for it so you preserve the beauty of the tattoo you have worked so hard to get. When the tattoo area develops scabs, you will feel an instinct to work on them with your fingers. Resist that instinct because allowing the skin to heal as it already knows how to do will sure you don't remove some of the tattoo itself by working on that scabbing before it has finished doing its job.

Taking care of a tattoo is as much a part of the life of being a lover of body art as getting one was in the first place. By caring for the skin that proudly displays your tat, you will assure good health and a great looking design for a long time. And when you invest the effort, the money and the discomfort into a pattern that will be on your body forever, that tender loving care is certainly justified.