5 Tips For Tattoo Aftercare

Tattoos involve getting ink under your skin using a needle. It’s a sensitive procedure requiring proper care to avoid infections and scarring.

Many people get inked for aesthetic reasons; you don’t want to end up with a tattoo that didn’t heal properly. Insufficient aftercare could even endanger your life through skin infections that could become serious health complications.

Below are five tips to help you with body ink aftercare for a beautiful and well-healed tattoo.

1. Keep It Clean

The first and most important tip with any wound is to keep it clean to avoid infections during the healing process. Clean your tattoo at least twice daily and moisturize it with plain products.

Of course, ensuring your tattoo artist uses sterile equipment is also essential. Choose a professional with years of experience and a clear record of safe practices on their website. For instance, Jose Contreras is a top tattoo artist in Dallas, TX, with many verified reviews from satisfied clients.

Keeping your wound clean leaves no room for bacteria, which could cause infections and lead to other health complications like skin cancer.

2. Use Unscented Products

It is not advised to use scented products on a wound because they could react with the open skin and cause more damage to the skin. Use plain water and an unscented moisturizer to clean your ink during its healing process. This leaves little to no room for infections and other complications like scarring.

Your artist should recommend the products you should use to help you take care of your tattoo.

3. Wear Sunscreen

The sun is not a good thing for a newly drawn tattoo, as it will cause the fresh ink to fade. You should keep your tattoo away from the sun as much as possible while it’s healing, and wear sunscreen whenever you come into contact with the sun.

If you do not have sunscreen, you can keep the body ink covered with a bandage or piece of cloth whenever you go outside to avoid the adverse effects of the sun on a recovering tattoo.

As a side note, sunscreen is good for your skin whether you have tattoos or not. You should consider wearing it even after your body ink has healed.

4. Check In With Your Tattoo Artist

Going to a good artist ensures that you get the best work done on your body and that the recovery process is smooth. A good artist will give you the necessary tips and tools to help you during recovery and is always available for a follow-up or touch-up when needed.

If your tattoo is not healing the way it should, it is important to talk to your tattoo artist for directions on what to do. Some severe cases may require the intervention of a medical doctor, which is why you should keep in touch with the artist for advice on how to proceed.

5. Do Not Pick at The Scabs

Scabs start forming when your tattoo is healing. Do not pick at them or scratch the area to remove them. If you’re wondering “why does my tattoo itch“, it’s important to recognize that itching is a common part of the tattoo healing process.

Even if your skin is itchy, be patient and let the scabs come off without touching them to avoid contaminating the wound.

The Takeaway

Tattoos are beautiful and meaningful, which is why they should not be a source of complications for your body. Start by identifying top-tier ink artists to work with to ensure you get the best work and aftercare. If you just had your first body ink, this article should help you with the dos and don’ts of body ink aftercare.