Whew, first of all I’m so glad to say that found this site! 🙂
Okay, so I got about a half dollar sized tattoo on the top of my foot on Friday December 13th. Some of my foot is still a bit swollen, especially if I spend time walking around. When I’m home I keep my foot up. The parlor I went to said to wash it with antibacterial soap and then apply a thin layer of non-scented lotion afterwards. Which I’ve been doing.
But what brings me some “worry” is that it’s still kinda painful. Sometimes it kinda stings/burns and I noticed a little bit of cracking starting to happen on parts of it. There is no redness, puss, or anything gross coming out. I even went back to the parlor and the guy who tattooed me said that the tattoo looked okay. But what about this little bit of pain I feel? Is this normal? In the picture, my foot is NOT relaxed in the picture, btw.
I’m really cautious about everything going on with this tattoo because it’s my first.
Don’t go back to that parlor. That’s not a very good tattoo. And here’s the thing about foot tattoos: They don’t heal well, fade fast, and just are one of the last places I’d go. However, too late now. As for the healing process:
You don’t moisturize an open wound. A tattoo is an open wound. Stop doing that until it heals in about three weeks. Other people will make good suggestions about ointments/salves/whatever, but stop the lotion.
This is a dermal wound. The reason it’s hard to heal is it’s so far from your head and doesn’t have a great blood supply compared to your upper arm or genitals. Peeling is normal. And it should hurt a little. The dermis has four kinds of sensors in it alone. It’s going to respond negatively to pressure, as well as have some slight burning and temperature sensitivity. Keep it clean with antibacterial soap 2x a day. Don’t wear tight shoes; do wear clean socks. Elevating your feet is smart, but throw some loose, clean socks on. Also, clean your house. Walking in that can’t possibly be good for your foot.
Do you recommend any good ointments or if I should put any on at all? I was thinking of going to a different parlor to have them see what I should do?
My house is clean, haha, I clean it all the time! Those bags/boxes are just there cause we decorated the tree and we haven’t moved them yet. 🙂
I use Bephanten or A&D on mine. Some people do have negative reactions to A&D though, and some don’t want to use it at all because it contains petroleum gel, but it works for me.
Anything actually MEANT to use on soar skin. Say, a body lotion won’t do you any good, but a diaper rash ointment will. (One without zink!)
Bephanten is actually meant for diaper rash and cracked nipples 😛 I don’t think it’s available in the US, no idea where in the world you’re from, but it’s fairly common to use in Europe. Cocoa butter based ointments work well too! Just remember to clean your tattoo before you put anything on it, every time.
And if you have pets, keep them away from the tattoo.
And GCL is very right 🙂
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