I’ve just gotten a tattoo about 2 hours ago. It’s still bleeding a little, and i feel a little pain in the area where it was done. Sounds pretty natural, it looks good. I got a small hammer and sickle, in pure black.
It Wasn’t bad at all, much less pain than I initially anticipated. I’m happy with it, the guy didn’t talk much. I didn’t really feel like talking anyway, he probably knew that as he joked saying “Do you play the guitar?”, I replied ‘no, why?’, he replied “Because you look like AC/DC’s guitar player when he was young”. Didn’t really understand what he was saying or why, but I guess he was just trying to distract me like most tattoo/piercers do, making small talk to alleviate the discomfort.
He told me that I need to wash it regularly, at morning, during lunchtime, at even, and night. He said to use normal anti-bacterial soap, and then wash it off with normal, clean water. It isn’t covered with any bandage.
I went to google afterwards, to look up tattoo aftercare. It said pretty much the same thing, to just wash it with soap and cover it when I shower/bathe.
I use ordinary toilet paper, or paper towel, to wash off the blood. According to that site, that’s not good for some reason. I will buy anti-bacterial wipes instead, I don’t know…. That’s why I’m here.
The site also said something about scotch tape, and that if I see an artist using scotch tape/masking tape I should leave. I did see him using some tape, but there again a lot of tattoo enthusiasts may take it’s treatment and the conduct of the artist meticulously, criticising everything that is of a sub standard quality to a similar method. Meaning that if one method is of less quality compared to a similar method, they will defend the method that is considered better in terms of health… When really there is no noticeable or unnoticeable difference.
My brother, after his first tattoo, used normal Vaseline.
I got the tattoo done in Cyprus, the guy owned a shop so I assume he was a licensed professional. It’s near paphos harbour, Tattoo Mania I think it’s called. I’m not advertising it, just thought you should know.
Any idea how I should treat it? What happens if I neglect to use any anti bacterial products, and simply leave it alone? Just to clarify, the tattoo has been done. It’s been about 2 hours, is it okay for me to use regular paper towels? How should I cover it, etc? Basic aftercare is what I’m here to know. The guy said that a scab forms, and the point is to make that scab as little as possible. People tend to speak against getting a tattoo on holiday, in some back street shop next to the strip of bars. But this guy had a lot of people, he had to make a schedule he gets so many people coming in. So I guess this guy is doing it right, not using dirty needles.
Any questions I’ll answer the best I can.
You can find a thread on aftercare here: http://www.thetattooforum.com/tattoo-forums/general-tattoo-discussion/13736-aftercare-questions.html
@J4ck 145549 wrote:
I’ve just gotten a tattoo about 2 hours ago. It’s still bleeding a little, and i feel a little pain in the area where it was done. Sounds pretty natural, it looks good. I got a small hammer and sickle, in pure black.
It Wasn’t bad at all, much less pain than I initially anticipated. I’m happy with it, the guy didn’t talk much. I didn’t really feel like talking anyway, he probably knew that as he joked saying “Do you play the guitar?”, I replied ‘no, why?’, he replied “Because you look like AC/DC’s guitar player when he was young”. Didn’t really understand what he was saying or why, but I guess he was just trying to distract me like most tattoo/piercers do, making small talk to alleviate the discomfort.
He told me that I need to wash it regularly, at morning, during lunchtime, at even, and night. He said to use normal anti-bacterial soap, and then wash it off with normal, clean water. It isn’t covered with any bandage.
I went to google afterwards, to look up tattoo aftercare. It said pretty much the same thing, to just wash it with soap and cover it when I shower/bathe.
I use ordinary toilet paper, or paper towel, to wash off the blood. According to that site, that’s not good for some reason. I will buy anti-bacterial wipes instead, I don’t know…. That’s why I’m here.
The site also said something about scotch tape, and that if I see an artist using scotch tape/masking tape I should leave. I did see him using some tape, but there again a lot of tattoo enthusiasts may take it’s treatment and the conduct of the artist meticulously, criticising everything that is of a sub standard quality to a similar method. Meaning that if one method is of less quality compared to a similar method, they will defend the method that is considered better in terms of health… When really there is no noticeable or unnoticeable difference.
My brother, after his first tattoo, used normal Vaseline.
I got the tattoo done in Cyprus, the guy owned a shop so I assume he was a licensed professional. It’s near paphos harbour, Tattoo Mania I think it’s called. I’m not advertising it, just thought you should know.
Any idea how I should treat it? What happens if I neglect to use any anti bacterial products, and simply leave it alone? Just to clarify, the tattoo has been done. It’s been about 2 hours, is it okay for me to use regular paper towels? How should I cover it, etc? Basic aftercare is what I’m here to know. The guy said that a scab forms, and the point is to make that scab as little as possible. People tend to speak against getting a tattoo on holiday, in some back street shop next to the strip of bars. But this guy had a lot of people, he had to make a schedule he gets so many people coming in. So I guess this guy is doing it right, not using dirty needles.
Any questions I’ll answer the best I can.
don’t use anymore Vaseline ! and don’t cover it when you shower,it needs to be cleaned
keep the first saran (plastic wrap) the artist put on for the first 3 or 4 hours,the tattoo will ooze out plasma and ink for the first 12 hours(this is normal)
.
then in a warm shower and some “anti-microbial” liquid soap,wash the tattoo hard with the palm of your hand and plenty of the anti-microbial soap,do this a couple times,pat dry with clean paper towel,apply a light coat of something like “Palmers cocoa butter” and re-wrap in plastic wrap for sleeping
.
wash again in the morning with your hand and anti-microbial soap,pat dry again with clean paper towel,and apply very light coat of Palmers cocoa butter,
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repeat this for the first 4 or 5 days,keeping a very light coat of the Palmers cocoa butter on it 24/7(un-wrapped),
it will start peeling & look wrinkly on the 5th or 6th day(this is normal),
you can then start using a very light coat of Fragrance free Lubriderm,pretty much for the next few months.
.
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don’t over think it and don’t keep it too wet(with cocoa butter or anything).treat it like any other injury to your skin.
just don’t keep it “submersed” in water,a warm shower is good and ok,
and keep it out of the sun.
this method works well for me.
There are many different ways that you can take care of a new tattoo. Some people keep it permanently wrapped, some keep it moisturised, some, like me, just leave it the fuck alone. my skin personally does not need poking and prodding and faffing with, it needs air to breathe and to be left to heal itself naturally. I tend to leave the cling film on for no more than an hours, wipe clean, small spot of bepanthen and leave it. if it starts to look dry I put a tiny spot more bepanthen. other than that I just let it get on with it. I have some decent coverage and it’s worked just fine for me all these years, im usually pretty much healed within two weeks, even on the much bigger tattoos.
The key is to resist the urge to scratch it or pick it (I really struggle with this but have learned to control myself) other than that just do what feels right for your body. All I would say is (as above) no bath’s/swimming pools or excessive direct sunlight (cover with a t-shirt/shorts/whatever depending where it is) until its reasonably well healed as it will just pull the ink out. I got a tattoo at a festival and two days later fell asleep in the bath with my arm in it… doh! got lucky, no damage done this time but it certainly took longer to heal!
I’ve been to that exact part of Cyprus many times (the harbour is beautiful isn’t it? I recommend a restaurant named poseidonas right at the end of the strip of restaurants on the harbour. Their kleftiko is the best slow roast lamb I have ever tasted in my entire life! I personally wouldn’t get tattooed there but it’s done now, as long as it is neat and you’re happy with the outcome it doesn’t really matter!
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