How to Bandage a New Tattoo
Most tattoo artists give customers a set of instructions for tattoo aftercare with a small amount of differing details, such as certain brands to use when it comes to soap, ointment and moisturizer. The size of the tattoo and its location on your body will dictate exactly how long it will take to completely heal, but most average around two weeks. In addition to a set of things you should do to care for a new tattoo, there are also particular things you should avoid.
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Things You'll Need
- Paper Towel
- Alcohol
- Bandage pad
- Bandage tape
- Warm water
- Antibacterial soap
- Soft towel
- Ointment
- Moisturizer
Instructions
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Pour alcohol into a folded piece of paper towel and wipe down the tattoo immediately after it is finished to prevent infection. Your tattoo artist will do this part for you, but it is important for you to understand the procedure.
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Place a bandage pad over the tattooed area, leaving no portion visible.
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3
Place generous amounts of bandage tape around the edges of the pad to keep it firmly locked against your skin.
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Remove the bandage as soon as you get home, the earlier the better. No bandage should stay on for more than two hours. Once the bandage is removed, your tattoo should never be bandaged again -- it needs to be in direct contact with air in order to heal.
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Wash the tattoo immediately after removing the bandage. Use warm water to clean the tattoo, but instead of holding the tattooed area under running water, shovel it onto the area using your hands. Dab antibacterial soap on the area and shovel more water to wash it off.
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Allow the area to dry, either by air or by softly dabbing the area with a soft towel. Never rub the area to wash it or dry it.
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Apply protective ointment to the area. You only need a thin layer over the area, so use the ointment sparingly. Your skin can only absorb so much ointment; if you use too much it will just stay on the surface and stick to everything it comes in contact with.
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Clean and spread ointment on the tattoo two to three times a day for three to four days. After that time you should continue to wash the tattoo as described but begin to spread regular moisturizing lotion on the area in place of healing ointment.
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Tips & Warnings
It is important to realize that a fresh tattoo is an open wound and your body will naturally want to form a scab to protect the area. Scabs lead to massive ink loss and will make any tattoo very unsightly. This washing and caring procedure is meant to basically mimic the actions of a scab so your body wont naturally develop one.
Incorrectly caring for a tattoo or neglecting one altogether can cause loss of ink, unsightly and disproportionate healing and infection. Always be very clear on your artist's caring instructions before you go home.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
