I just got my first tat about 5 days ago, and I would estimate about 30% of it is scabbed over. It does not look infected though. I hear conflicting ideas of what to do next. Some say to keep it moisturized, (I bought unscented Lubriderm) and some say at that point you should just let it dry heal. Anyone have any experience with scabbing? And what did you do? Thanks a bunch.
hey.
when i got my sparrow on my right foot i used the same lotion you bought. alot of ink came out and when it did start to scab over i did pick at it. but only were it was really loose. and when i had lotion on it. but ive always been told if something is scabbing and itching then its healing.
good luck : )
Hiya,
Grats on getting your new tattoo 🙂
In answer to your question, all I can do is to share my own experiences. I got my 6th tat done a week ago and it is on the peeling stage. So what you are going through is normal. About aftercare, each person is different and you will hear many different methods, however, I would like to refer you to the aftercare Shorty posted as a sticky, it is really good and a good reference point if you ever need it.
Now, what I usually do when I get a tattoo is to use bepanthen for about 4-5 days and then after that simply wash it and apply unescented moisturizer lotion 2-3 times a day. Having a toddler means that I am lucky enough to have an arsenal of different unescened lotions and antiseptic creams 🙂 Right now, I am using Aveno Baby and it seems to do the trick for me.
I do know of people who simply let it heal and apply no lotion, but I coudln’t do that myself… moisturizer is good for that annoying itchy feeling!! teehee.
I hope this helps.
Nat
If you could see it now, you might change your tune. It’s so scabbed over that it’s unrecognizable, and feels like my arm was run over by a truck. Is it supposed to be this way?
Oh dear that tattoo looks infected to me, the original tattoo looked fine, like i said not overworked, a very proffessional looking job, that would be hurting for sure, i would be keeping the area very clean and be putting bepanthen on it, maybe even head down to your doc, there looks to be some swelling around the area, some antibiotics would clear it up pretty quick if you were that worried. If you touched it in the early stages with your hands at all without washing them you could have got it infected quite easily, also poor aftercare.
Hi Wolfen
Yes it can be infected without pus on the outside the swelling and the redness is where the infection is at also the heavy scabbing is an issue.
My advice is keep it really clean and use an ice compact on the area. Do not under any circs pick at the scabs you will damage the tattoo and poss spread the infection.
You also need plenty of green tea.
My advice is take a loan or hock something if necessary the anti-biotics are essential to your health.
Can you get them on a generic brand? I am from UK and found it damn expensive when i broke a tooth.
Take Care
Matthew
That’s not a problem as I drink green and regular tea all day long. (decaf mind you)
I guess I’ll have to go to the walk in clinic and see if I can make payments. Thanks again for the advice.
One other thing, could it be the fault of the tattoo artist? Could going too deep be the cause? I took very good care of it in the following days.
Hi Wolfen
Overworking an area can cause extreme scabbing and swelling. However the actual thing with an infection is hard to pin down it could be a reaction to the ink , germs from hands entering the pores, exposure from airborn germs.
The main thing is to get yourself healthy and it will heal up with time.
Take Care
Matthew
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