My roomates have been discussing their future plans to get tattoos together so it sparked an idea for a blog. The importance of skin care and body art is self explanatory. But there are so many different opinions out there from the media, stores, consumers and artists. Which is best?
Skin care for a tattoo is essential to keep the colors bright and your skin healthy. After all, it is permanent (for the most part). The most common ointment to apply after getting a tattoo is Bacitracin. It cleans and heals the wound while keeping the color vibrant. However, some people have an allergic reaction to Bacitracin which causes the colors to bleed out, hence ruining the tattoo. The second best is Vitamin A & D ointment. It keeps the color bright and moisturizes the skin, but it is not antibacterial so it will not clean. A & D is not the best ointment for someone prone to infections.
Another good idea is to moisturize the tattoo at least once a day. However, you do not want to use anything with dyes or fragrances in it. Any chemicals that will clog pores are bad because the tattoo needs to breath to heal. Items that contain Lanolin are also things you want to stay away from. Lanolin is one of the main components of sheep's wool and many people are allergic to it. A simple moisturizer that doesn't have a pungent smell is the best.
But what if you are prone to infection or even allergic reactions? Not to worry. If you keep the tattoo clean and protected until it heals, there really should be no problems. Take the advice of your artist because they know what they are talking about, if you did your research :)
*To keep the colors brighter longer: Wear sunscreen on the tattoo whenever it is exposed to the sun. (You should always wear sunscreen outside anyways)
Piercings are a whole different story, even thought they are still wounds on the skin. Many people fall for the mall shop "ear care solution". THIS IS NOT A GOOD CLEANER! It will not necessarily do damage to someone that does not usually get infections, but infections in piercings are extremely common. A SEA SALT SOAK is ideal. It can be found in any grocery store or pharmacy. A second best is saline solution. As long as the piercing is cleaned twice daily and kept loose, it will heal within the alloted time given by the artist.
Don't neglect your skin, especially your body art. You don't want this to happen
I've found that certain ointments used for diaper rash work really good on my tattoos. Personally I am allergic to A & D ointment as is most of the population. Eucerin makes a product called Aquaphor that tattoo artists will recommend for people who are allergic to certain ointments. It is also a healing ointment so it certainly helps with the healing process of the tattoo. I've also heard of a product called Tattoo Goo that makes an ointment for tattoo aftercare and piercing aftercare but I have yet to try it. Apparently it is dermatologist tested and approved by them but I'm unsure if I want to jump on that bandwagon.
ReplyDeleteI have a bit of experience in with this because I have 2 Tatooos, and I had a couple of piercings. Fot my tattoos, I simply used Curel Unscented skin lotion. It was nothing special, nut it did the trick. Im not allergic to anything, so Im not sure if it is something that would be good for everyome. As for piercings I guess I got lucky because my first was cared for by "ear care solution" and I never got an infection. My second was done at home by a friend, and I hardly ever used solution on it, and still no infection. I guess I just got lucky.
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