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How to Take Care of Your New Tattoo

It's easy for people thinking about getting a tattoo to get a little nervous about the process. After all a tattoo is virtually a medical alteration to your body and concerns about health and care of the tattooed area are rational. Add to that how the movies portray tattoo parlors like they were opium dens and it's easy to get the wrong impression up front. So doing your homework early will help you to see that tattoo artists are usually professionals who have training and sanitary standards to make sure your first tattoo is safe and healthy and as much an exciting moment for you that you hoped for.

That said, it's true that there have been a few tattoo salons get set up that are not operated at the peak of professionalism and could easily scare away any but the hard core customer. But you can find bad apples in any field of business. So you as a customer have the final vote on who to use and you should do your research on which tattooists live up to a high level of customer care and which do not. By going to an established tattoo parlor that is also a respectable business that you can count on being there next week is a good start. And any responsible tattoo establishment will be happy to give you references and you should follow up on those references so you feel completely at ease when the day for your tattoo arrives. Do all you can to look at their tools and resources and if you are not completely happy with what you find out, keep looking for a tattooist you can trust.

When you put the health of your skin in the hands of a tattoo artist, you want to know they take that responsibility seriously. Their care and concern will be reflected in three ways. First, they will know their stuff when it comes to ointments and cleansers to use while the tattoo is being applied so the entire process is antiseptic. Secondly, after the tattoo is on, you want to see them clean it and bandage it so you can walk out of there knowing it is well cared for day one. And third, the tattoo shop should give you instructions and perhaps even additional ointments and bandages to take care of it over the next week or two so it will heal up well while leaving behind a beautiful tattoo.

When you get home, that natural desire to wash the tattoo vigorously should be resisted because it isn't dirty. In fact, if all of the steps we just discussed are done well at the tattoo shop, that tattoo are may be the cleanest area you have on your body. But as the next few days unfold, keeping it clean and dressed is important and it is your job. Just make sure that your cleaning is done in accord with your post tattoo instructions from the tattooist and that you keep it dry for several days so the ink of the tattoo can set. And along with proper cleaning and changing the dressing, also give the tattoo some time without covering to speed the natural healing process.

The tattoo parlor and the experts there can help you find good ointments and salves to put on the tattoo so make the healing move along properly and to keep it clean. And most treatments that work well are not prescription so you can get them when you go to the market. Be sure to find out what kind of tape or bandage to use and stock up so you can change it every day for a week or two. Also avoid harsh soaps on the affected area or anything else that could irritate the affected area.

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.

When you get a new tattoo, it's is in many ways a new lifestyle for you as well as a great image on your skin. By being a responsible tattoo owner, the result will be a tattoo that is just as great as it looked in the picture you had and one that will keep looking great for years. And when it comes to artwork that changes your look forever and that you made the investment of money and discomfort to get, you want it to look that great for a long time too.

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