Best Tattoo For You

So many people get a new tattoo and think that as soon as leave the chair, the work is done. The fact is, the next three to five days after the needlework are crucial to ensuring that the tattoo turns out well. Without proper aftercare and attention, new tattoos can easily fade or blemish. Or worse, they could scar or become infected — a double whammy.

But if you ask a dozen tattoo artists how to take care of a new tattoo, you’ll probably get a dozen different answers. The conclusion is that no one knows precisely what will work for everyone, so your best bet is to follow a conservative, consensus-driven aftercare procedure.

The most important rule of tattoo aftercare is ‘listen to your tattoo artist.’ Their advice will always trump the procedure outlined here because they know your tattoo best. In the event that they didn’t give your directions, or they were incomplete, here’s how to go about it.

Tattoo Aftercare Do’s

• Do use an approved aftercare moisturizer / healing cream
• Do leave your initial bandage over your tattoo for at least four to six hours, but no more than 12 hours
• Do prevent your tattoo from becoming wet
• Do keep your tattoo moist
• Do pat your tattoo dry, instead of rubbing it dry

Tattoo Aftercare Don’ts

• Don’t expose your tattoo to sunlight until fully healed
• Don’t submerse your tattoo in water, and especially avoid chlorinated water
• Don’t let your tattoo dry out
• Don’t over moisturize your tattoo
• Don’t pick your tattoo scabs
• Don’t cover your tattoo with a bandage once the initial bandage has been removed
• Don’t scratch, bruise, or allow anything to rub against your tattoo with friction

Tattoo Aftercare Procedure

1) Your shop should give you directions on how long to keep the original bandage (or film) on your tattoo. Absent a timeframe, wait at least four hours after leaving the shop, and then wash your hands thoroughly with an antibacterial soap. Like when you were a kid, sing the alphabet song while scrubbing to make sure you wash long enough!

2) Carefully remove the bandage that was placed over your tattoo at the parlor. With a mild antibacterial soap, carefully wash the tattooed area, removing any of the ink residue, blood, greasy covering, etc. You can tell that the area is clean when it just feels like wet skin. Be very gentle with your skin. Pat your tattoo dry — do not brush or rub dry.

3) Apply a thin layer of moisturizer / healing ointment. Popular brands recommended at parlors include A&D Ointment, Neosporin, and Bacitracin. There are also tattoo-specific products that are designed exclusively for aftercare, and they include Tattoo Goo, H2Ocean Aftercare, and Black Cat Tattoo Cream. If you have a large, expensive tattoo, or a tattoo with deep colors that you want to protect, they are probably worth the investment.

4) Three to four times per day, apply a small layer of healing ointment to your tattoo. You will want to use enough to moisten the tattooed area, but not so much as to leave streaks or allow it to build up. Your goal is to moisturize the area only, so start with a small amount and work it in with your fingers.

The problem with over moisturizing the skin is that the inks can seep and fade from moisture, and that moisture includes more than just water. If you slather on a thick coating of Neosporin and keep it wet throughout the day, your tattoo might heal in just over a week — but the inks will fade. If, however, you lightly coat the area three to four times per day, your tattoo might take two to three weeks to heal, but the colors will set properly. The lesson to learn is healing quickly does not necessarily mean healing properly.

5) Keep your tattoo covered, and out of exposure to sun, moisture, and other danages, but don’t cover it tightly. Ideally, a loose, breathable fabric can be worn. Don’t scratch or pick your tattoo! If you must, gently slap the skin or use rubbing alcohol to relieve any itching or irritation.

While there might seem to be quite a few steps to follow, each step is quite simple. The bottom line is that you need to pay attention to your tattoo, and allow the body to heal itself as naturally as possible. You will do everything you can to assist that process, but you don’t want to rush nature. If you can do that, and stay diligent with your care for 2 to 3 weeks, you will be blessed with a deep tattoo that can be enjoyed for years to come.

Luckily, most people find caring for a new tattoo easier than finding good designs for tattoos. If you’re looking for shoulder tattoos, girly tattoos, Irish tattoos, Tinkerbell tattoos, hip tattoos, or pictures of tattoos, be sure to look into using a quality tattoo finder. For product reviews, tips for getting the most out of your design, proper tattoo care ointments, and more, be sure to check out the EasyTattooFinder blog.

Considering the advancements made in laser removal of tattoos, many would-be tattoo customers mistakenly believe that they can always change their minds later, cover up a bad tattoo, or even remove it entirely. Unfortunately, this is just not the case. Laser removal is inconsistent at present, certain colors are difficult to remove, and scarring is very common. So while you might be eager to get your new ink, take your time and make and an informed, lifelong decision.

1) First and foremost, do your research. There’s no sense even looking into the tattoo artists or the cleanliness of the environment unless the parlor itself comes highly rated. These days, this is simpler than it sounds, thanks to our favorite online research and rating tools. Plus, you’re not looking for the best parlor yet — just eliminating the worst.

2) Ask around. With the number of people getting tattoos these days, you have a huge pool of references that you can leverage. Of course, if their tattoos are awful, don’t bother asking! Surprisingly, even strangers are open to talking about their tattoos. After all, they are visible, so their owners want them to be noticed, and they’re impersonal enough that few people take offense to questions. And it’s a great way to meet people to boot.

Once you’ve gathered these personal references, do some web searches for each of the specific parlor names. Search for phrases like “tattoo-shop-name complaints,” “tattoo-shop-name sucks,” etc.

Your local independent paper is another good source of referrals. Tattoo shops very often advertise to these audiences, and if the ads are long-running, odds are very high that the shop is favored in the community.

3) Do your safety checks. Once your list has been narrowed down, visit each one. You’re looking at safety and cleanliness at this point.

• When working with customers, do the tattooists wear gloves?
• Do they wash their hands between tattoos?
• Are people smoking in the shop?
• Is the parlor licensed?
• Is the parlor clean?
• Do the artists pull their needles from the autoclave (sterilizing equipment) prior to each tattoo?
• Does the parlor use single-use materials, such as inks, ink cups, needles, etc?
• Is each client shaved and properly disinfected prior to beginning work?
• Are spray bottles and other hand-held equipment wrapped in plastic bags (prevents cross contamination)?

4) Find an artist. If you’re satisfied that the shop is clean, it’s time to look for a specific artist. This is a matching process. While most artists are very versatile, if you’re looking for a skull tattoo, wouldn’t it make more sense to get it from someone who specializes in skulls? Often by looking through the art books in the parlor, you can get a feel for the style of each artist.

Tattoo studios receive a lot of walk-in traffic that is just shopping around or browsing through books, and many people getting tattoos get art that the tattooists find a bit boring. So don’t expect the artists to bend over backwards to accommodate you, but they should still be friendly, helpful, and offer advice without pushing your decision. Most good, qualified artists know that informed clients make satisfied clients.

If you feel that you are being pushed into something that you don’t like, or if the artist is dismissive of your questions, you might need to move on. Many experienced artists prefer working on intricate, large designs, so you might just fall under their radar. Not to worry: there is someone out there perfect for your tattoo.

5) Don’t price it. Keep in mind that this tattoo will be with you for decades, making the cost per wear minimal. Don’t try to save a few bucks and risk ending up with a tattoo that is less than optimal. The risk just isn’t worth it. I’m sure there are some cases of price gouging out there, but I’ve never personally experienced them or talked to anyone who has. Just spend the money — the peace of mind is worth it.

6) Choose your location. Sensitive areas and areas closer to bone tend to be more painful, but you shouldn’t let pain determine your tattoo’s location. Hip tattoos are very popular, as well as lower-back and shoulder tattoos. Growing in popularity are hand tattoos and foot tattoos, while the old standbys like arm tattoos are still going strong.

7) Choose your design. Similar to pricing your tattoo, don’t settle for any old design you find in their books. With the abundance of tattoo designs available in online galleries, there is no reason you can’t find the perfect tattoo for your skin. Your best option is to make use of a quality tattoo finder to browse designs. You’ll be able to find and download artwork, and see real life pictures of what the tattoos look like on people.