Hello everyone,
i’m new to the forums and looking for Tattoo aftercare advice. i hope that some of the more experienced tattoo wearers can help me.
i recently got a tattoo (just over 2 days ago) on the back of my left calf. 7-9inches long and 2-4inches wide. i got the tattoo and was very happy with the way it looked and the colour intensity (just black no colours, although i am planning on getting it coloured at a after the black has fully healed)
however after i had gotten the tattoo done i was so overwhelmed i forgot to ask about aftercare. i got an instruction sheet on what to do during the first day of the tattoo but after that I’m pretty much just winging it from posts I’ve read on forums and other places.
I’m using bepanthen at the moment at a rate of 3 times a day i read that your supposed to lightly clean the tattoo and then apply ‘tattoo goo/chosen product’ lightly after a soft wash.
my question is how long should i continue doing this for? am i supposed to let the plasma dry and scab then fall off naturally. or continue washing it softly to prevent the scabbing.
also the colour in my tattoo seems to have faded a small amount. i don’t know weather this is because i its coming on 3days and the skin hasn’t scabbed/peeled (and the upper layer needs to fall away before the colour returns) or because i was using sudocrem for the first day of care.
also, is it ok to cover the tattoo lightly at night with cling film to stop the bepanthen rubbing off on the sheets and to stop the sheets rubbing the tattoo?
I’m probably over-worrying but as its permanent and I’m planning on getting it coloured at a later date the information would be very useful to have for future referance.
*** also, I’m a keen runner and love my almost daily runs.
of-course for obvious reasons i haven’t ran since my tattooing. but i was wondering how long should i wait before i can start running again, or what (if any) are the signs of a ‘healed’ enough tattoo to run with.
if anyone can help me out by sharing some information, please do it would be brilliant. thank you very much in advance.
Hi
I have written a piece on tattoo aftercare that can be found on my blog on here or click on my sig and it is on wordpress it is all free and should help you out.
You want to avoid clingfilm as can create bacteria build up with sweat – means more washing for a week but don’t lather on too thick.
Running should be fine as long as not too much stress on the skin area or clothes rubbing against it.
Take Care
Matthew
Thank you for your reply Mathew, i read your blog but there are still some areas I’m yet to fully understand namely:
Scabbing: I’m now coming to the end of day four and to be honest I’d expected my tattoo to be surrounded in a red painful blotch by now or indeed from the start of having it done. But so far my tattoo has come up with nothing. No redness, no painfull area. It just feels like my leg. Looks like my tattoo was just drawn on afew hours ago in pen. Nothing out of the ordinary although keep in mind i have been using bepanthan up until now to keep my tattoo moist (entering day 4). Should i stop now? Applying the bepanthan and let it scab? If it indeed will. And is that when the tattoo will blotch and swell? Or should i continue applying the ointment?
Should i let it naturally dry out and scab now? Or not?
If you know the answer let me know thank you. It would be a great help. If anyone else has an opinion of the matter please let me know i would love to hear your advice. Thank you in advance.
– Chris.
Hi Chris
First of all everybody heals differently and if you are a healthy male who is of high fitness I am not surprised you have not noted any heavy scabbing.
The reasons are that you are healing nicely and that the artist did not overwork the area. This is all good.
I would advise approx no more than 5 days of antiseptic cream so not to lift any ink you have. The skin may start to peel or itch within a day or 2 and this is normal and can last a further week.
I would suggest you begin to moisturise 2-3 times a day with a non-scented cream (free of petroleum) and after another week your tattoo should be pretty much healed up.
Avoid rubbing and scratching the tattoo. Also good practice to mositurise your ink daily after it has healed to keep it looking sharp.
Hope that helps.
Take Care
Matthew
You must be logged in to create new topics.
