Best post tattoo care?

[DrewDaggers]

All I do is wash it with anti-bacterial soap, and unscented hand lotion (green top aveeno), and my tattoos heal up just fine.

[JoKno]

Wash 2x (or more) a day with Dial (I like the liquid)

Let air dry for about 15-30 min

A&D ointment for about 3 days or until flaking starts

Plastic wrap when sleeping depending on the size of the tattoo (only for the first 3 days while using A&D)

Eucerin Orginal for the next 2 weeks after or sunscreen if I'm in the sun

I also have to wrap while I'm at work sometimes due to my job. Being an EMT I get exposed to all kinds of fun little things.

[Jonesy]

I wash 2-3 times a day with lukewarm water and ivory soap or any soft unscented soap...

Pat dry with a clean towel and leave it alone.

After a couple days I'll use Eucerin unscented cream for a week and half.

Voila... all healed up nicely.

Jonesy

[jaco batista]

palmer's bottom butter

[AbbyRoad]

i normally leave the bandage on over night

wash it with unscented soap in the morning wait an hour after washing then applied unscented curel.

wash the tattoo everyday and reapply curel as needed, normally 3-5 times.

im thinking that after my next sitting i will try using Aquaphor. most people here give it high reviews.

the reason i think i should quit using curel is last time i got tattooed it tingled and felt oddly prickly after applying curel.

[Jake]

I had the best healing experience I've ever had with my last session so I figured it was worth sharing. It still looks just as good as my tattoos that healed using my previous regimen, but it only took like 4-5 days until the tattoo was completely flaked, healed, and looking like how most tattoos do weeks later. It also barely flaked at all- the lightest smoothest flaking possible. Thanks to Freddy Corbin for the tip... So rad.

Leave the bandage/wrap on overnight.

Apply a hot compress to the fresh tattoo after you pull the bandage (transfers heat better than the shower)

Then take a hot shower to rinse everything off (cleans the surface better than a hot compress)

Aquaphor as needed over the next few days.

[JoKno]

I had the best healing experience I've ever had with my last session so I figured it was worth sharing. It still looks just as good as my tattoos that healed using my previous regimen, but it only took like 4-5 days until the tattoo was completely flaked, healed, and looking like how most tattoos do weeks later. It also barely flaked at all- the lightest smoothest flaking possible. Thanks to Freddy Corbin for the tip... So rad.

Leave the bandage/wrap on overnight.

Apply a hot compress to the fresh tattoo after you pull the bandage (transfers heat better than the shower)

Then take a hot shower to rinse everything off (cleans the surface better than a hot compress)

Aquaphor as needed over the next few days.

I've wondered about using a hot compress for healing. The concept is to encourage blood flow by dilating the vessels and capillaries. Better blood flow means better healing.

Thanks for the post on that Jake. I'm gonna give it a try after my next session.

[RockelMan]

I've wondered about using a hot compress for healing.

I was always led to believe that hot water or hot moisture would open the pores of the skin making the area scab up more (thicker scabs) and make some of the ink leach out too. I may be wrong, but thats what I know.

[CaptCanada]

I was always led to believe that hot water or hot moisture would open the pores of the skin making the area scab up more (thicker scabs) and make some of the ink leach out too. I may be wrong, but thats what I know.

True it would open the pores of the skin, but it would allow you to wash off more plasma from the tattoo which would make the scabs thinner. I basically take a shower with only hot water, my water heater is set to 60 °C (140F) and I only barely turn on cold water so Im guessing is not dropping below 55°C (130F). Never had a problem, sumi start to flake off on day 3-4, gray wash starts on day 4, and color starts on day 5, and by day 7 its for the most part done.... I am able to tell what day of the week it is by what my tattoo looks like, thats how accurate and consistent my healing process has been.

But this could just be my body, or other factors, and I like hot showers even without trying to heal a fresh tattoo. So unless you enjoy your shower being hot, you won't be having a fun time if you try this.

[RockelMan]

And here I ve been taking colder showers LOL. But so much enjoy a nice hot shower. hmm maybe I ll give it a try with my next tattoo session for the sleeve I am having done.

[ravensrock]

I wash it with antibacterial soap 3/day and pat dry with paper towel. I make my own tattoo balm and apply that after each washing. Contains calendula and chickweed-infused olive oil, apricot kernel oil, flax seed oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, and an essential oil blend with healing properties.

[Jared Preslar]

Black Cat is where its at :) Premium Tattoo After Care Product Custom Label Healing Aftercare

[jade1955]

With me the aftercare depends on who is tattooing me. Usually its

Remove wrapping as soon as I get home

Wash with hot water and anti-bacterial soap.

Pat gently with a clean paper towel and air dry for a good 40 minutes

Apply a thin layer of Aquaphor. As thin as possible

Repeat twice a day.

Day 4-5 start applying E45.

Normally the tattoo wil start to flake by day 5 and by day 7 its more or less healed. However if the tattooer has a bit of a heavy hand I have found that if I apply Aquaphor it causes heavy scabbing, even after washing and drying very carefully. So I leave out the Aquaphor. It takes a bit longer to heal about 10 or so days.

[Tight-Lines]

Steel wool and lye?

[Jake]

Steel wool and lye?

I prefer sand paper and bleach personally

[AlannaCA]

Up until this point i didnt have a prefered method of tattoo care but this third time around i did the same thing i did after my second tattoo.

i left the bandage on over night and washed it was warm/hot water and unscented soap. made sure it was nice and clean.

i was using an Olay unscented lotion but found that the peeling, dryness just wasnt getting better.

then i remembered what unlikeyourown and kevincampbell said about the Aveeno cream and ran over to my drug store to pick some up.

Bam! fixed it right up like magic!

[William Burgess]

i keep that bandage on overnight if i can. no joke.

then unscented fragrance free curel.

keep it simple

I think this is key to lessen scabbing and quicken healing.

[KrystalRalph]

im an avid aquaphor user for the past 8 yrs. 3 x a day after washing, gentle pat, and air dry... for the first 3 days ive been known to wrap that junk in some saran wrap at night (for the big ones)... i was always against petroleum based products, til my mother (of all people-a retired medical professional) gave me some to try. she told me they use it for post surgical/plastic surgery scarring. i have had some reactions to certain pigments, and the biggest reddest roses on my belly broke out like a mother but- thanks to aquaphor, they healed with no fall out, just an itchy bumpy mess for about a month... if i can heal a tattoo in 3 days- and not had a touch-up in those past 8 yrs.... im doin it... haaaha

[Perez]

I've been wrapping my own tattoos (bigger torso stuff lately) with a layer of this stuff instead of A&D or vaseline: Maxeline 5. its a lidocaine cream which is also a vasoconstrictor so it basically doesn't bleed or leak, which =no scabs. I leave the bandage on overnight and I've never had a faster heal. My Ron Wells stomach destroyer that goes from sternum to navel was peeled and healed in 10 days.

[Perez]

To be clear I only wrap it with that stuff immediately post-tattoo for the first night, just in lieu of petroleum product under the bandage, then heal like usual.

[Ursula]

not sure if anyone has said this yet but here's what i've learned from some people who know what's up. i've tried it so has my man and it WORKS. it's mostly for larger work

when you get home soak it in the hottest bath you can handle for a while

re-wrap BEFORE it dries completely

leave the bandage on overnight

in the morning wash it very well with soapy water, it might hurt a little but keep rubbing it untill all the gooey shit and blood and ink comes off

let it air dry and then care for it like you normally would with lotion or whatever you like.

i find when you do this the scabbing is much more minimal and the healing time is a lot quicker. the people who told us about this said it's how the japanese heal their large scale work

[Stewart Robson]

That's pretty much what I do Ursula, but without re-wrapping.

For the first night I wear a t-shirt or sleep on a towel to save leaving ink marks on the sheets.

I find I don't sleep well wrapped in cling film/saran wrap.

[Ursula]

yeah i try to but sometimes it just doesn't work.. the tape most people use gives me a rash so sometimes i have to take it off. for my back i always made sure to leave it though because i have dogs and it would have been terrible

i think a lot of it just comes down the regular "don't pick, scratch, or soak your scabbed tattoo" rule

[RockelMan]

And here I ve been taking colder showers LOL. But so much enjoy a nice hot shower. hmm maybe I ll give it a try with my next tattoo session for the sleeve I am having done.

Its funny that I am posting a reply to my own comment but it is relevant.

I found hot or cold water to wash the fresh tattoo does not seem to matter for healing time. Cold water feels more soothing to the area and with summer heat its a nice way to cool off before bed time LOL :)

[Valerie Vargas]

i find having a hot bath the first night of the tattoo really helps to open up pores and get all the extra gunk off, washing with dr bronner's liquid soap too, it really gives that squeaky clean feeling on your skin.

for cream i recommend e45 or cocoa butter but always the least amount you can get away with. if you keep your tattoo clean by washing it a couple of times during the day (for the first week max) i find theres little need for any cream. personally i barely use any, just take care of washing my tattoo often seems to be enough.

people with greasier skin shouldnt use cream in my book, everyone's different and this is why i will always have a proper chat with my customer after their tattoo, specially if it's their first time getting tattooed by me.