Pay attention to the following innocuous aftercare mistakes you may be making, and your tattoo will heal beautifully.
There is no question that we feel pleased and thrilled after getting a new tattoo. But, as most people are unaware, the tiresome pace begins right there — the aftercare begins!
This is the most important aspect to remember because if you don’t, your tattoo will not be as wonderful as it may be.
Because the skin heals inadequately in this manner, improper aftercare might spoil the flawless result. There are several tattoo aftercare blunders to avoid, which are outlined here.
Table of Contents
The Top 12 Mistakes People Make When It Comes to Tattoo Aftercare
To make the aftercare mistakes easier to understand, we’ll break them into two categories: those that occur in the shower/bathroom and those that occur elsewhere.
1. Take a Hot Bath
Do not use excessively hot water, even if it is pleasantly heated! Consider the new tattoo to be slightly scorched and traumatized skin — it’s nearly the same. It feels tightened (extremely tense), scorching, heated, and even dry (because soon, scab forming will start).
Why add hot water over it when you can’t even touch it without being irritated? Furthermore, hot water opens skin pores, which isn’t essential with modern ink. Use lukewarm or coldish water instead — you’ll feel so much better!
When it comes to goods, use the antibacterial soap indicated by the artist or something comparable. Nothing else should be worn over the tattoo! Use anything you want on the remainder of the body.
2. Scrubbing the tattooed skin with a harsh cleanser in the shower
Use light, virtually non-existent motions! Imagine that you merely want to ‘hover’ with your arm over that bit of flesh, barely touching it, a feather-light touch.
Do not direct the showerhead’s spray directly on the tattoo; instead, rinse with your hand.
3. Shaving before the tattoo has healed completely
The bad news is that you won’t be able to do so while the mending process is underway. So plan on putting your razors, wax, and trimmers away for at least 3-4 weeks.
Only then may you resume hair removal when the skin feels smooth, non-sensitive, and there is no trace of scab everywhere.
Furthermore, both you and the artist ran over the skin with a razor before the appointment, and the skin is tattooed only when it is smooth. For 3-4 weeks, you should be OK with simply stubble-area.’
4. Working out with a fresh tattoo
It all depends on the location of your tattoo (which body area) if you engage in strenuous exercise, the season, and where you exercise.
Suppose your tattoo is on a portion of your body that bends and sweats a lot, for example. In that case, you won’t be able to exercise even if you wanted to since the sensitivity and discomfort would stop you straight immediately.
You might be able to pull it off if you’re into gentle yoga or stretches, but only if you’re almost completely passive, not sweating, and not bending that body part with the ink. Other than that, all other intense activities and movements are out!
You sweat just sitting in the heat, let alone exercising. So, if you have to, perform very gentle yoga-style workouts at home, in a clean environment, wearing clean, comfortable clothes, and when the temperature is cool-ish. Alternatively, relax for a month; either way, you’ll be fine!
5. Sunny vacation with your new tattoo
It’s simple: don’t take a vacation! Can’t you wait a few weeks for the tattoo to heal?
Would you risk being sunburned on your skin?
Would you risk polluting your newly tattooed skin with salty or dirty water?
If you must be exposed to a lot of sun and can’t prevent it, at the very least, cover your skin with light, good-quality linen and enough high-SPF sunscreen beneath.
6. Visits to the beauty and spa salons
Only those expose your new tattoo to steam, water, wax, touching, tanning beds, and other similar methods. No waxing, massages, saunas, spa-bath rooms, slimming treatments, or tanning beds are available.
7. Your skin itch, and you scratch it
People on a diet, too, are tempted to eat fast food and sweets, but should they give in to every craving? Should you do the same?
During the scabbing period, it is natural for the skin to feel weird and scratchy. These are indicators of healing. Keep your hands to yourself, and do not, under any circumstances, touch, scratch, pick or peel the tattoo.
8. Wrong clothes during the healing days
Natural and comfy linens and materials are used. Synthetic textiles should be avoided at all times, not only when you have a new tattoo.
Wear loose clothing that does not push against your skin or make it feel ‘vacuumed’ or ‘tight’ for the time being. Wear loose, breathable clothing if the tattoo is on your body. If your tattoo is on your stomach, avoid wearing pants that go all the way up to the tattoo and compress your waist.
9. Perfumes or similar products around the new tattoo
No! Cosmetics and creams containing chemicals and scents might make their way to the tattooed skin, which is sensitive and scarred.
Apply anything you want to the rest of your body, but stay away from the new tattoo, even if it’s a long way away.
10. Failing to provide adequate aftercare
It may happen to even the most responsible and responsible of us. Due to a lot of activity during the day, responsibilities, work deadlines, personal concerns, and so on, we often forget to apply for aftercare treatments.
Don’t be concerned. You’ll be OK as long as you remember to apply the product soon after that.
11. Failure to establish a tattoo aftercare regimen
It isn’t difficult. If you have a habit of forgetting things due to a foggy head, you may always set the alarm or a similar reminder on your phone, computer, or other handy devices.
That way, when it beeps, you can get the cream and cross something off your to-do list in the interim.
12. At-home application of extra bandages or foils to your new tattoo
Never, ever consider doing something like this! Your artist would have notified you whether that was part of the aftercare.
Otherwise, after returning home from the session, remove the bandage and foil and continue washing and creams as directed.
Foils or bandages applied at home can put your health at risk: your skin will be smothered, damp, and unable to breathe; it may break out and appear with bubbles or ‘prune-like, and the tattoo beneath will be permanently disfigured and damaged due to poor healing!
Conclusion
Some aftercare errors are widespread, not because we don’t care for our tattoos, but because we forget or lose track of them. On the other hand, other errors result from a lack of attention and, unfortunately, a lack of care.
First, when it’s time to wash or bathe, individuals scrape their skin with abrasive materials like spikey sponges, loofas, and scrub products.
The primary scab layer is damaged, and healing is hampered as a result. Another thing to avoid is cleaning the tattoo with a towel straight from the shower – instead, gently tap dry the tattoo.
Another error is shaving over the tattoo; avoid doing so until the ink has fully healed and is smooth and non-sensitive.
People also use too much or too few healing lotions; too little can fracture your skin, while too much will smother it, preventing it from breathing.
Then there’s going to gyms, pools, lakes, saunas, and other similar locations – these are breeding grounds for bacteria and germs, and sweating may inhibit the formation of scabs and perhaps break out your skin!
While we’re on the subject, skipping SPF is a significant error, as it puts your skin in danger of UV damage.
Picking and peeling the skin is also a common error that is certainly among the worst. People are tempted to tear off the scab or at the very least scratch it a lot, but this may completely ruin a beautiful tattoo, leaving it deformed and ugly. Wearing rough or tight textiles similarly irritates the skin.
