What to Avoid After Getting a Tattoo?

Now that you’ve gotten your dream tattoo, what’s the most significant thing to you? Isn’t it about ensuring the permanence of the tattoo?

Whether you’re thinking about the long-term beauty of your tattoo or just trying to find a quick solution to repair a damaged region, there are a few things that might make your agony and effort go to waste.

You may have done your study and designed many things, but making certain typical blunders after having a tattoo will completely wreck everything. So, what should you avoid after having a tattoo that might turn out to be a disaster?

This is why we’ve created our definitive guide to help you be more aware of the importance of tattoo aftercare. We’ll go through things not to do after having a tattoo and how it might hurt your new tattoo.

Things to Stay Away From After Getting a Tattoo

A tattoo is more than simply a work of art for many individuals. They saw a tattoo as a terrific opportunity to display their individuality. Because a needle is put into your skin to place the ink, tattooing is also a medical procedure.

This is why making a single mistake may derail your entire project. While it is necessary to take care after having a tattoo, it is also critical to avoid certain activities to maintain your work.

Following are a few of the most typical blunders people make after having a tattoo. Avoid them if you want a tattoo that is both refreshing and long-lasting.

Avoid Exposing Your Tattoo to Direct Sunlight

The healing process is slowed, and your skin and ink deteriorate due to direct sunshine contact. You must go out for your employment, schooling, or any other requirement.

As a result, you may not be able to hide in your house or cover your tattoo at all times. However, you may shield the tattoo from direct sunlight. Try to wear a tattoo sunscreen with a high SPF every time you go outside.

This will assist you in shielding your tattoo from direct sunlight. You can, however, carry the sunblock with you at all times so that you can apply it as needed.

Scratching, Rubbing, and Picking with Frequent Touching

After the first week, you should see your fresh new tattoo scabbing and peeling. Many individuals often touch the tattooed region or attempt to rub and pick at the scab. This is something you should never do.

You should not touch your skin at all until the tattooed area heals. Your skin may get discolored or infected. Be careful with it and wait for it to heal entirely. Otherwise, you can wind up with a whole disaster.

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Shaving

Naturally, you do not need to shave your entire body. So, if you have a tattoo on your body where you need to shave, such as your legs, underarms, scalp, neck, or face, this advice is exclusively for you.

Using a razor or anything sharper than that might cause damage to your tattoo. It might irritate the skin and impede the healing process in tattooed areas. After the first month, you can begin shaving again. Until then, the scrab may have dropped off on its own.

Early Unwrapping of the Tattoo

Wrapping a new tattoo is a great way to protect it from germs and other airborne particles. When you unwrap a fresh wound too soon, you expose it to these toxic components, which can cause serious damage.

Wrap your fresh new tattoo for a few hours. However, based on your artist’s advice, the time may vary.

Rewrapping the Tattoo

When you unwrap your tattoo, it’s now exposed to the air and requires respiration. As a result, don’t wrap the tattoo anymore.

This is when your tattoo will be completely dried. Re-wrapping the region might help to produce moisture and keep it warm. Bacterial growth can occur if the space becomes excessively wet, which is not intended.

Sweating Excessively

Sweating excessively can damage your new tattoo, which should come as no surprise. This is only important during the first 2-3 weeks after receiving your new tattoo.

Don’t be concerned about perspiring. You may limit your sweating to a minimum by staying in a mild atmosphere or avoiding too much exposure to the sun. It would also be beneficial to take a vacation from strenuous exercise for the first 2-3 weeks.

Using Ointments

Many people choose to use pharmaceutical ointments like Polysporin or Neosporin. While it may appear to be a smart idea on paper, these things might ruin your new ink.

Ointments speed up the healing process, which is great, but ointments include a variety of ingredients, including zinc, which can help remove ink from your skin. Your tattoo will fade if this happens. As a result, try to stay away from ointments.

Using Scented Soap

Take a break if you bathe with scented soaps and have a new tattoo on your body. This sort of soap has a variety of perfumes that might irritate the sensitive region of your fresh tattoo.

Unscented soaps with significant antibacterial qualities are also readily available. Use unscented soaps for at least the first two or three weeks.

Wearing Clothing That Is Too Tight

If you have a fresh tattoo on your body, avoid wearing tight clothing. Your new tattoo has to be close to the air. When you wear too tight clothing, the fabric can restrict ventilation, causing sitting, rubbing, and chafing.

Avoid Fonding

Please don’t touch your new tattoo, and don’t allow anyone else to touch it either. If you need to touch your tattoo to care for it, make sure you wash your hands well with antibacterial soap.

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Moisturizing Excessively

Please don’t overdo it on moisture, even though it’s a crucial element of your tattoo’s healing process. Make a thin coating of wetness 3-4 times each day, but much more than that might be excessive.

If your tattoo is kept excessively wet, germs may begin to develop in the inked region. Use a modest quantity of moisturizer each time to avoid over-moisturizing.

Is It Okay To Leave A New Tattoo Unfinished?

Dry healing and Wrap healing are two distinct ways to heal your fresh tattoo. Dry healing occurs when you don’t put anything on a fresh tattoo. When it comes to keeping your skin wet, dry healing and wrap healing are practically identical.

The key distinction is that dry healing does not need lymphatic fluid. Putting nothing on your tattoo is also advantageous, but the disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Here are a few examples:

Your Skin Is Itching

Moisturizers are recommended by many tattoo artists for use in the inked region. Your skin might get very dry, itchy, and tight if you don’t use a moisturizer.

When you want to itch there, the situation becomes even worse; regrettably, you can’t even touch the region. Itching a fresh tattoo may do a lot of damage.

Tightness and Scabbing

Dry skin can also result in a tight scab that peels and falls off readily. When this scab goes off, it draws ink away from you in ways you would not expect.

Infection

Finally, your exposed skin is more prone to infection, which can harm both your tattoo and your skin. Protect your tattoo from allergens and bacteria by wrapping it with a breathable balm.

Is It Okay To Drink After Getting A Tattoo?

What would your doctor say if you inquired about alcohol just after surgery? Clearly, no. After obtaining a tattoo, the situation is identical. As previously said, tattooing is a medical procedure with several risks involved with a fresh tattoo.

A new tattoo indicates that you have an open wound that must be healed. Consumption of alcoholic beverages might jeopardize your entire recovery process. There are several reasons why you should not drink after having a tattoo, including the following:

  • Excessive bleeding or continued bleeding
  • Unable to recover from an uncontrolled sleeping position
  • Due to a loss of equilibrium, there is a chance of scarring

Is it OK to Smoke After Getting a Tattoo?

If you believe that smoking after having a tattoo is a common occurrence, you may be mistaken. Smoking depletes oxygen levels in our tissues and cardiovascular system, slowing the healing process.

Furthermore, nicotine thins your blood by acting as a vascular dilator. When your blood thins, you may have some heavy bleeding, which may or may not continue depending on your prior medical issues.

According to some research, smoking can make you feel jittery, and the mix of nicotine and adrenaline can cause significant discomfort. You can usually smoke 3-4 weeks after having a tattoo.

Does Alcohol Remove Tattoo Ink?

Alcohol contains qualities that can help your ink liquify. This is why many individuals use alcohol to erase tattoos because it is cheap and temporary. However, the entire situation implies that you should never put alcohol on an unhealed tattoo.

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Can I Put Vaseline On My Tattoo?

The tattoo aftercare regimen appears difficult for many people, especially for those who have never dealt with it before. However, placing Vaseline on a fresh tattoo comes first for the easiest portion of tattoo maintenance.

Vaseline is a moisturizer composed entirely of petroleum jelly used to treat dry, injured, or sensitive skin. Vaseline comprises mineral oil and waxes that are usually semi-solid and may be melted with a little heat.

Vaseline is inexpensive, and you can readily get it at any grocery store. Vaseline has certain unique features.

  • Heal wounds, burns, and rashes on the skin.
  • Helps to remove makeup and moisturizes the scalp.
  • It can be used as a lubricant.

Vaseline is generally considered safe for external usage. This is why people use Vaseline for skin healing, skin damage prevention, and dry skin moisturization. Despite its healing powers and several excellent reviews, it is still not recommended for new tattoos.

There are several reasons why Vaseline should not be used immediately after receiving a fresh tattoo.

Vaseline can block skin pores, preventing the skin from breathing and slowing the healing process of a new cut.
When you apply Vaseline to unresolved ink on your skin, it interacts with the ink and draws it out of the dermis.
Vaseline has also been linked to infections and the delaying of the healing process.

Can I Swim With a Tattoo?

In, you won’t be able to swim after having a tattoo. In most cases, your tattoo will be encased in a special waterproof patch that protects it from sweat or moisture.

The objective of that wrap will be defeated if you submerge your entire body underwater. Swimming with a new tattoo causes poor healing, scabbing, and fading, as well as an increased risk of bacterial infections.

Could you wait till it’s entirely healed? After a month, the tattoo should be completely healed. So, after that period, you’ll be able to swim. Even though your tattoo artist does not restrict you from swimming, you should avoid soaking your new tattoo.

Final Thoughts

As a result, you may have discovered what to avoid after having a tattoo. Although avoiding so many things may appear to be tough, your safety should always come first. Don’t try to save time by taking any shortcuts. Wait till it is completely healed.