Tattoo Care

Once you finally make up your mind to acquire a tattoo, the first step is to find a reputable, creative tattoo artist and the last step is tattoo care. Almost all tattoo establishments have numerous designs that you can choose from. Whenever you can't find anything you like, you can always request a custom tattoo. Remember, you should always have "your" way as you will have the tattoo for the rest of your life. The pattern is very significant, although not nearly as important as tattoo care after the procedure.

Tattoo Care - Infections

Every tattoo artists should clean and apply antiseptic ointment to your tattoo as they create it. Experienced artists know that this tattoo care helps keep the tattoo healthy. Once the tattoo is finished, the artists will wipe it down, clean it off good, and apply another coat of antiseptic ointment. Once the ointment has been applied, he will put a piece of soft tissue or cellophane over the tattoo.

Once the tattoo is finished, the artists should tell you the correct procedures for tattoo care. Some of the better artists will talk to you and give you a detailed sheet with all of the critical tattoo care information you need. If your tattoo artist didn't explain this to you, you may be wondering just what you should do. Tattoo care isn't hard - as long as you know what you can and can't do.

When you first get home with your new tattoo, you should never shower immediately. Tattoo care procedures dictate you should keep your tattoo dry for the first few days, but also clean it every few hours. Before you start your tattoo care, touching the tattoo or cleaning it, you should always make sure that your hands are clean. Keeping your hands sanitized is part of proper tattoo care and you won't have to worry about causing an infection.

You'll also want to visit your local drugstore and purchase a tube of A&D ointment. A&D ointment is the best to use. A&D will keep your tattoo clean and shiny and should be used for the first few days. Once the ointment starts to dry on the tattoo, you should wipe the old application off and apply some more. Don't rub it too hard, or you could damage the healing process. For the first few days of your tattoo care, you should avoid using soap as well.

After 5 - 6 days of tattoo care, you can stop using the ointment. A&D ointment will keep your tattoo healthy, which you'll notice the first time you apply it. After you stop using it, you should use an unscented body lotion. You want to avoid body lotions that have scents, as they can easily irritate the tender skin that resides under your tattoo.

After you've used the lotion for several days, you can stop applying it as part of your tattoo care regiment. Most tattoos, after they've healed, tend to leave a scab in some areas. If your tattoo has a scab, consider it part of your tattoo care to let it come off naturally. If you aren't careful, you could end up damaging your design. The best thing to do is you have a scab is to leave it alone. You can put A&D ointment on it if you want, as most of the time a scab will itch.

Tattoo Care - Allergic Reactions

Now, besides combating epidermal infections and possibly inviting viral infection, you must pay close attention to the possibility of allergic reaction by your body. The FDA maintains records of reports of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments, thankfully cases have been rare. Part of the problem is allergic reactions for tattoos can occur anytime after the tattoo application, even years. Red dye seems to be the worse but any color including black may cause an allergic reaction. Adding to the problem is the increasing variety of pigments and diluents being used in tattooing -- more than fifty different pigments and shades are currently being used with new ones continually being added. You may ask, what is triggering the body's reaction to these compounds? The body's sensitivity to the components of the red dye (cinnabar and vermilion) used in tattoo is most probably caused by mercuric sulfide. Allergies to other metallic salts include cobalt blue, chrome green and cadmium yellow.

Are you thinking that temporary tattoos are the way to go? Temporary tattoos, such as the very popular henna tattoos may also cause problems. The ingredients in temporary tattoos are generally safe for use tattooing the skin since henna is considered a weak sensitizer . According the FDA reports, there have incidents of allergic skin reactions (contact dermatitis) to the constituents in henna tattoos. The ingredient, Henna (plant-based dye) is a plant dye derived from the shrub Lawsonia, which grows primarily in North America and the Middle East.

Tattoo Care - What Can Go Wrong? (See a-tattoo for images)

Allergic Contact Dermatitis (Hypersensitivity)

Scarodosis (bumps,lumps)

Infections( local and viral)

A tattoo can be a great thing to have but you must provide proper tattoo care and even with the proper tattoo care your body might have an allergic reaction to the ink chemicals. Tattoos will stay with you for the rest of your life, unless you choose to utilize tattoo removal techniques. Taking care of your tattoo now will keep it healthy and infection free in the long run. If you follow the above tattoo care advice - it will help minimize but not eliminate the risks. You've been warned.