In this thread, we commiserate about healing our fresh tattoos.

[marley mission]

@rufio yeah i've run the spectrum on healing

got 30 pieces under my belt and this is probably the toughest heal i've had

i've also had a few others that barely pealed at all

i heal the same way every time - aquaphor day 1 and 2 - then pretty much a dry heal after that

its all good though

for me location seems the key factor

my lower extremities are a much tougher heal thus far

- - - Updated - - -

@rufio yeah i've run the spectrum on healing

got 30 pieces under my belt and this is probably the toughest heal i've had

i've also had a few others that barely pealed at all

i heal the same way every time - aquaphor day 1 and 2 - then pretty much a dry heal after that

its all good though

for me location seems the key factor

my lower extremities are a much tougher heal thus far

[Dan]

@rufio yeah i've run the spectrum on healing

got 30 pieces under my belt and this is probably the toughest heal i've had

i've also had a few others that barely pealed at all

i heal the same way every time - aquaphor day 1 and 2 - then pretty much a dry heal after that

its all good though

for me location seems the key factor

my lower extremities are a much tougher heal thus far

ya,I agree,location and color too for me, yellow,blue,and some reds heal terrible(depending on location).I just got my leg & hand tattoo(10 days ago),on the same day,same colors,and my leg(inner thigh) healed 10x better than my hand is.

[rufio]

@marley mission well I hope I wont have to go through the same as you when I tackle my legs. And yes, dry heal is best heal.

I cant imagine the amount of trouble i have to go through washing it 4 times a day and put new cream on

[marley mission]

@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

my experience though is alot of times the aquaphor irritates my skin

so i dont like to use beyond the first day maybe 2

i do sometimes throw in some lubriderm - but not often

they heal though - my knee is pulling through the worst of it now

but i would say it'll be about 6 weeks before its settled in

i was suprised that forearms werent easy healing either

loved getting them tattooed though

front row seat - practically painless

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

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@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

my experience though is alot of times the aquaphor irritates my skin

so i dont like to use beyond the first day maybe 2

i do sometimes throw in some lubriderm - but not often

they heal though - my knee is pulling through the worst of it now

but i would say it'll be about 6 weeks before its settled in

i was suprised that forearms werent easy healing either

loved getting them tattooed though

front row seat - practically painless

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

[rufio]

@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

- - - Updated - - -

@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

my experience though is alot of times the aquaphor irritates my skin

so i dont like to use beyond the first day maybe 2

i do sometimes throw in some lubriderm - but not often

they heal though - my knee is pulling through the worst of it now

but i would say it'll be about 6 weeks before its settled in

i was suprised that forearms werent easy healing either

loved getting them tattooed though

front row seat - practically painless

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

Maybe because you have more of a feeling of accomplishment. More that you 'earned it'

- - - Updated - - -

@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

- - - Updated - - -

@rufio yeah i mean whatever works you know

my experience though is alot of times the aquaphor irritates my skin

so i dont like to use beyond the first day maybe 2

i do sometimes throw in some lubriderm - but not often

they heal though - my knee is pulling through the worst of it now

but i would say it'll be about 6 weeks before its settled in

i was suprised that forearms werent easy healing either

loved getting them tattooed though

front row seat - practically painless

though i gotta admit the more painful ones are more special

anyone feel me on that

Maybe because you have more of a feeling of accomplishment. More that you 'earned it'

[PurpleViolettron]

I usually sleep on my left side or on my stomach with my left arm folded under my pillow. Not possible right now so falling asleep takes time and maneuvering. In a very uncomfortable dormitory bed. Well, last night my roommates brought guys home who were incredibly loud drunks. Seriously, my roommates epitomize the "loud, drunk, American" stereotype and the guys were louder than them. So I had finally gotten comfortable and fallen asleep at 1:30ish, only to have them wake me up at 3:30 and keep me up until 4:30. Grumble, grumble, grumble, roar.

[bongsau]

Had an hour and change of retouches yesterday with my heavy-handed-homeboy Ollie...reminded of the gnarly memories of all my fave spots...retouched pieces on both thighs/side-butt, background shading up down around the outside knee joint, relined the eyes across my stomach. And I love/hated every second of it.

Sometimes I wonder if I like tattooing as much as I do is because it feels like stabbing yourself with a fork only the end result is a little cleaner.

It is a good thing tattoos hurt. If they didn't hurt I probably wouldn't get them.

[PrivateAle]

Going through some upper inner arm healing right now, on day 5. Boy, this suuuuucks. Gigantic yellow scab formed, with some other smaller ones dotted around the place. But because there's literally no pain with them, no swelling or red streaks, minimal oozing and no nasty smell, tattoo artist advised to just use some antiseptic cream on it for now, and then let him know how it is in a day or two. He thinks there might be a bit of fallout as a result, but he'll fix it up in a few months if so. It's just so weird though because I have 6 other tattoos and this has never happened before. And I didn't do anything different. But I have a doctor visit next week anyway so if worse comes to worst, I'll get an antibiotic.

[LadySparrow]

I'm going through really nice and easy healing right now. The arm is really a sweetheart, I almost don't know I have been tattoed. But I have got a giant yellow bruise around the whole piece, it's new experience for me. I had bruises before, mainly in the areas that had been shaded, but this looks really weird.

[Devious6]

I chose to do my first tattoo on my left upper arm/shoulder. I had researched a lot about the healing process and was prepared for the worst...and had a super easy time of it. It will be 2 weeks on Friday and I have had no issues. No plasma or ink leak. No scabs. It peeled twice but only one day where it itched enough to make me slap and add more lotion. Way too easy - I'm spoiled.

I used Aquaphor for the first 3 days, then switched to Lubriderm when it started to peel. I've been washing and using the Lubriderm 3 times a day - just a very light coat of lotion each time - and it seems to be working well. I know I've still got several weeks until I get the full black and gray back..but I am really pleased with how my healing has gone...this time. We'll see what happens on the next one.

[jen7]

Put the last day in on my back Monday. Mostly shading the lower back but he did touch a lot of areas all over as well. Aquaphor so far but probably switching tomorrow or Friday to Emu oil for the rest. Feels pretty good - better session and aftereffects than usual. I have come off a lot of meds in the past year so maybe that's why it was a much smoother ride this time. Should be all set for my forearm session in a few weeks.

[ApprenticeLife]

Got this tree colored in awhile back. Done by my teacher. The foundational grey wash was already done, so it was all dark to medium browns, some orange-ish burnt sienna and he did it in about 2 hours. By far the easiest heal ever. My teacher is known for his easy heals, but just for fun, we did a hot pack before bandaging. Holy shit, that hurt. Took a whole bunch of paper towels and ran them under all the way hot water, then immediately slapped them on my leg. Almost levitated out of the chair. Took the bandage off once home and washed, waited a minute, re-scrubbed, then turned the water up until it was unbearable. Got on the couch and elevated it for 2+ hours while it dried. Super red and swollen the next day, but after a few weeks it only ever developed a papery scab and healed beautifully. I use Ohana Organics tattoo butter after day 4 or 5 and it's great. It goes a long way though, so a little does a lot.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

[Devious6]

So, I have a question on aftercare related to washing using antibacterial soap.

First, my tattoo will be two weeks old tomorrow. Second, it is healing perfectly and has stopped peeling - still just a light glaze over the black tribal lines which I know will take some more time until the covering layers of skin are shed.

I started out washing the area using antibacterial soap two hours after completion per directions. Then I applied a light coat of Aquaphor. I repeated that 3 times per day for the first 3 days. At that point, I had started to peel so I stopped using the Aquaphor and switched to Aveeno, applying a light coat, rubbing it in and blotting off any excess. I've continued to repeat that process pretty much up to today - at night I'll wash and, again, apply a light coat of Aveeno. this has worked for me - and I've been religious about ensuring I wasn't overdoing the Aquaphor or Aveeno.

So, my question is this. When do I stop using the antibacterial soap and switch to our normal soap? Everything I've read says when to start...not when to stop. I don't want to screw this thing up!!

I've read that continuing to use lotion will help keep the tattoo vibrant - and, of course, using sunblock is a must.

[marley mission]

i think you're good to go brotha

i am pretty much a dry healer

little bit aquaphor in the first day or two

but not much else after that

yes on sunscreen

[bongsau]

5 days into the dreaded hand / wrist heal.

DRY HEAL N PEEL OH YEAH

[bongsau]

double posting

[sophistre]

Slightly less 'wearing a onesie full of mosquitoes' feeling this time around, but...not by much.

Not...by...much.

[ChrisvK]

On 4/27/2016 at 9:46 PM, bongsau said:

double posting

totally unrelated, but your LivedinTattoos takeover was amazing!

[Boiled Dove]

Day 4 healing the back of my calf. Not so bad if I don't walk anywhere.

 

[oboogie]

My arm is so swollen from last night's work. My inside biceps get very angry when I tattoo them. ARGH.

[HeftyZ]

I have pimples near and some on my healing tattoo. Should i use acne medication or should i leave it alone

 

[Guerillaneedles]

Currently healing the inside of my leg on the knee bend (barely 3 weeks after doing the other side, which btw still has really tough dry skin on the fold of my knee). It's so nasty. Everything is healing really well but the crook of the knee, because it keeps bending is developing another thick horrible scab. Boo! 

[Boiled Dove]

I'm now at the point where I feel like I am leaving a trail of colored DNA behind me wherever I go. 

 

[pidjones]

22 hours ago, oboogie said:

My arm is so swollen from last night's work. My inside biceps get very angry when I tattoo them. ARGH.

Not fully inside mine, and it felt like she was using a soldering iron. I call it the "tender white meat". Felt fine once she was finished and I've never had pain in healing.

[oboogie]

1 hour ago, pidjones said:

Not fully inside mine, and it felt like she was using a soldering iron. I call it the "tender white meat". Felt fine once she was finished and I've never had pain in healing.

This is day two. It's still pretty swollen. My left arm did the same thing.