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CARING FOR YOUR NEW TATTOO
There are five basic rules to
follow to have your new tattoo, which you have just gone through the pain and
expense to acquire, heal in the best possible fashion. The better the tattoo
heals up, the better, the brighter, sharper and more vibrant it will look, now
and in time to come. The better you take care of the tattoo in the first two
weeks, the more comfortable it will be throughout the healing process. I am not
however a medical practicioner, and this applies to everyday,normal healthy
non-allergic folks. If you have particular allergies or problematic medical or
dermatological conditions, consult your local experts in those fields.
THEREFORE, IT IS TO YOUR BENEFIT TO READ AND ADHERE TO THESE GUIDELINES
AS WELL AS POSSIBLE.
RULE #1
No Excessive sunlight or sunlamps
for three to four weeks.
With the depleted ozone layer the UV rays which
reach healthy skin are detrimental enough. You tattoo skin that is healing or in
a recovery stage, therefore the effect will be much more intense.
When the
tattoo IS healed it is still a good idea to use a strong 30 or 40 SPF sunblock
for tattoos with bright and especially light colors. UV radiation fades all
colors, whether it is your hair, the siding on your house, the paint on your
car, or, yes, your tattoo.
RULE #2
No excessive
moisture
Your body is nature's own wetsuit, and it has just had a huge
amount of little punctures in it! Excessive moisture will enter the skin and
disfigure the tattoo. For the first seven to ten days do not submerge the tattoo
in water. No swimming pools, bathtubs, sauna's, mud or jello wrestling, etc. If
you have a shower, cover the tattoo in Vaseline first, as it makes a cheap, easy
to apply, protective shield from the moisture.
RULE #3
Nothing
tight or rubbing
The skin has just had the crap kicked out of it, so to
speak. You have to baby it back to recovery. If anything is rubbing or
scratching at the skin, it will easily damage the area, and quite possibly the
tattoo. With this point please note two things: When washing the tattoo please
pat the tattoo dry with a clean paper towel, rather than rubbing it. Secondly,
it is quite normal for healing skin to get itchy. DO NOT scratch the tattoo.
Slap it, or have someone slap it for you! :-)
RULE #4
DO NOT let
the tattoo dry up and scab!
The normal body process to deal with a
traumatisation to the skin is for the damaged skin in the area to dry up and
form a scab. The body's DNA senses there is a problem in the particular area and
instructs the body to send down a crew and regenerate new skin cells in the
area. Once the bodies regenerative process is complete, the scab, which is
natures own bandage, falls off. You DON'T want this happening. Your skin has
been traumatised purposely with the desired effect of depositing pigments into
the skin and leaving you with a work of art that will last a lifetime. It is a
simple case of mathematics to come to the realization that a tattoo that retains
85 to 95 % of the deposited pigment as it recovers will be a better looking,
sharper, brighter, more vibrant tattoo than one that retains 50 to 60%. It is
therefore imperitive that the skin recovers as much as posssible rather than
regenerates, retaining as much of the deposited pigments as possible. By keeping
the tattoo VERY LIGHTLY moisturised with a good quality antibacterial type
ointment or cream such as Bepanthen, Zam Buk, Polysporin or Bactitracin, you
prevent the tattoo from drying up and scabbing but ( Hence- very lightly) still
allow the skin to breathe and heal. The ointment should be applied very gently
every hour or so as necessary and a little extra put on in the evening before
retiring as the tattoo may dry up overnight. Wash the tattoo gently with plain
soap and water, to prevent a buildup of cream and keep the skin clear and
breathable.
Do this for two weeks
RULE#5
DO NOT LISTEN TO
BAR-ROOM OR OTHER SUCH EXPERTS ABOUT ANY OTHER METHODS OR MIRACLE CURES SUCH AS
VITAMIN E, CACTUS JUICE, PREPERATION H OR ALLIGATOR SEMEN.
LUCKY CHARMS & SPIRITED RENDERINGS
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