One of the most crucial phases of getting a tattoo is aftercare, but the tattoo care first 48 hours are especially crucial.

In this post, we’ll discuss the most crucial elements of tattoo care during the first 48 hours and address some of the questions frequently asked.

Importance Of Tattoo Care First 48 Hours

The tattoo care first 48 hours is essential for maintaining the health and aesthetic appeal of your tattoo. The following advantages are provided by proper aftercare.

• Speed up skin healing
• The colors of the tattoo stay bright and attractive
• Prevention against infection
• Your design will always look the best

What Should Do?

Keep it bandaged. When everything is done, the tattoo artist will cover the design with a bandage to shield it from dust and other foreign objects. Tattoo care first 48 hours is essential. Additionally, it prevents other objects, such as clothing, from rubbing against your delicate tattoo. The bandage should be left on for at least two hours. In order to prevent the tattoo from adhering to your sheets or pajamas, many tattoo artists advise leaving the bandage on overnight. Within the first 12 hours, some of the ink will leak from your skin and stain your clothing and the surface you sleep on.

If you take a shower before going to bed, wash the tattoo and then carefully tape a piece of plastic wrap over it. It is also important to tattoo care first 48 hours. Tattoos look fantastically protected under plastic wrap. It can be challenging to keep a bandage on tattoos on some body parts, like the chest, because it will come off when you move. To move on to the next step, you can either re-tape the bandage or simply remove it.

Keep it clean. Tattoo care first 48 hours, you must clean your tattoo after the bandage has been removed. Your skin will be covered in blood and slime with a tattoo color that has leaked out. Wash the tattoo gently with soap and water if this is normal. Simply put, taking a shower is more convenient the majority of the time. Many tattoos are on body parts that are awkward to wash in a sink because of their placement.

Best Tattoo Aftercare Tips

If you require step-by-step instructions, scroll up to our daily account of the recommended tattoo aftercare. Here are some additional tips that we’ve learned from the world’s most accomplished tattoo artists if you need a little more guidance.

The most important advice for tattoo aftercare should come first. Regardless of the size or design of their new tattoo, the following 4 advice is crucial for anyone who has just gotten one. It’s important to exercise patience and avoid any type of scratching, touching, or picking with fresh tattoos.

Here are some tips for maintaining your tattoo and preventing infections.

1. Only Touch The Tattoo With Clean Hands

One of the most important pieces of advice is to never touch a new tattoo without first washing your hands. By washing your hands, you can avoid transferring a variety of germs to the skin that is already inflamed and covered in tattoos, which could lead to infections and other health problems. Therefore, wash your hands with lukewarm water and soap for at least 20 seconds before touching the tattoo or applying ointment.

Additionally, prior to handling your soap, wash your hands!

1. Wash your hands with your favorite hand soap,
2. Pick up your tattoo soap and lather it,
3. Wash the tattoo gently with your hands.

While you’re waiting, make sure no one else in your house touches your tattoo soap, and never use unwashed hands to touch it.

2. Wash The Tattoo With Antibacterial Soap

Not only should you wash your hands after touching a tattoo, but you should also wash the tattoo itself and the tattooed area. When doing this, make sure to remove the bandage covering the tattoo (the tattoo artist will wrap it after the session is finished), apply antibiotic ointment, and then wash the area with antibacterial soap and warm water.

However, you cannot wash your tattoo immediately after it is completed. The tattoo must be covered by the bandage for a number of hours, or for however long the tattoo artist advises. When all the blood or plasma begins to ooze from the tattoo after a few hours, you can finally remove the bandage and clean the tattoo.

You should still remove the tattoo film as instructed by your tattoo artist, even if you don’t notice the tattoo oozing after a few hours (which may be the case with simple line work). This is crucial because not removing the trapped blood and plasma from close to your skin will lead to an infection.

Furthermore, it should go without saying that you should never reuse tattoo wrap! If you ever need to re-wrap your tattoo, use fresh tape. The same rule applies to your clothing, bedsheets, and towels: never put anything soiled or previously worn on the tattoo.

3. Apply Antibiotic Ointment Or Moisturizer

To ensure that a fresh tattoo heals properly, use an antibiotic or other prescribed ointment. Most tattoo artists will advise using a specific brand of ointment they think works best, frequently a lotion made with shea butter.

To prevent any kind of infection, it’s important to use an ointment or moisturizer without alcohol or fragrances. You can also choose an antibiotic ointment. The key is to pick gentle products that are free of astringents, neutral in pH, and low in chemicals.

Regardless of your decision, you must now apply just enough ointment to cover the tattooed area without going overboard. A thin layer is ideal because too much can clog pores and irritate or irritate the skin, leading to rashes. In order to allow the skin to breathe and effectively absorb the ointment, avoid covering the tattoo again after applying it.

Note: don’t apply any oils at this stage of the healing process. There was a time when people were obsessed with coconut oil and used it to cover tattoos directly. We strongly advise against using oils at all since they are excellent at retaining moisture but poor at supplying it. Some body oils may be applied once the tattoo has completely healed. But for the duration of the aftercare phases, let’s stick with moisturizer and ointment.

4. Wait For The Tattoo To Heal

You must maintain your composure, take good care of your tattoo, and allow it to heal fully because it may take some time for it to heal. Many tattoo artists will inform you of the approximate healing time for your tattoo, which usually ranges from 6 weeks to 8 weeks, depending on the size and type of the tattoo.

For instance, colored tattoos heal more slowly than black and white ones, and the healing time will also be longer if the skin has been traumatized. This implies that areas, where the tattoo artist has repeatedly gone over or heavily shaded, will heal more slowly. Because of this, some tattoo designs heal more quickly than others.

Heals relatively quickly:

• Linework,
• Minimalist designs,
• Stick and poke.

Takes much longer to heal:

• Hyper-realistic designs,
• Blackwork,
• Portraits and detailed designs,
• anything that needs a lot of shading and coloring.

Additionally, you should be aware that the tattoo will itch and feel uncomfortable, so you should exercise restraint and refrain from picking, peeling, or scratching it.

What Not To Do?

Tattoo care first 48 hours, here are several reminds for you to not do:

• Do Not Do Any Strenuous Activity or Workouts: Tattoo care first 48 hours of sweat and gym equipment during exercise can introduce bacteria to the area. A variety of exercises may also cause scabs to tear and overstretch the healing skin.
• No Tight Clothing: Similar to athletic wear, tight clothing can chafe or rub against your skin. This may result in the removal of scabs, sticking to lotion or gels, and increased pain or discomfort.
• Leave Your Scabs Alone: Tattoo care first 48 hours is essential to scab over your tattoo in order for it to heal. Use your moisturizer, refrain from scratching it, and try to divert your attention to something else to distract you.
• Don’t Go Swimming (But Keep On Showering): You can try to “waterproof” your tattoo with coverings and wraps but it will never be fully protected, so why risk it?
• Use Lukewarm or Cold Water: Avoid using hot water when bathing or cleaning your tattoo as it may cause the scabs to become loose and fall off before they have had time to heal.
• Avoid Drinking Alcohol for a Few Days: While alcohol may lessen your pain, it will thin your blood, which could cause excessive bleeding and further harm.
• Don’t Shave After Your Tattoo: Tattoo care first 48 hours can be severely damaged by being run over with a razor or blade. It can sever skin, remove scabs, or both, harming newly applied ink.
• Warn Your Partner When Being Intimate: Make sure your partner is aware that they should not touch your tattoo, particularly with their unwashed hands. For a few days, try asking them to assist you in applying your Tattoo Soothing Gel to maintain your physical connection.
• If Anything… Stay Hydrated: Your body’s natural skin barrier depends on water, so drink plenty of it. It keeps your skin elastic and clear.

Tattoo Aftercare Products We Swear By

We polled professional tattoo artists and tattoo addicts on our staff to find out which products they would suggest. We’ve listed their top six favorites below! But before we get into that, here are some ingredients to look for and some to avoid:

Great ingredients:

• Shea butter
• Cocoa butter
• Glycerin
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin B5/Panthenol
• Oatmeal

Bad ingredients:

• Fragrances – real or artificial
• Excessive chemicals
• Ingredients that are abrasive or exfoliating, like, coffee grinds
• Excessively greasy or oily textures

Controversial ingredients:

• Petroleum forms a seal over your tattoo, preventing moisture from evaporating, but if the product isn’t balanced with enough moisturizing ingredients, it can also clog your skin and keep it dry.
• Oils—much like petroleum, these hold moisture rather than supply it. A tiny amount of natural oil, such as hemp seed, sesame, and jojoba, may be okay when combined with other moisturizing elements.
• Multi-purpose products: Some people have used antiseptic cream on their healing tattoos, hemorrhoid cream on nappy rash, and diaper rash cream on diaper rash. While some of them might be effective, others have ingredients that could damage your tattoo. Any product that wasn’t designed with healing or inked skin in mind should, in our opinion, be avoided.

Use aftercare products that are specially designed to be applied to healing tattoos if your tattoo artist hasn’t recommended one. By doing this, you can be certain that each product is made entirely of safe ingredients and won’t in any way harm your brand-new ink.

Tattoo Aftercare Ointment

CeraVe Healing Ointment: Despite the fact that this ointment contains petroleum, it is incredibly moisturizing, and the petroleum component merely serves to seal in the moisture. The fact that this CeraVe ointment is especially made for skin that is healing from irritation is wonderful. The instructions on many lotions and creams state that they should not be used on tattoos because they are not suitable for skin that is broken or irritated. But for tattoos that are peeling and itching, this CeraVe product works wonders.

Tattoo Aftercare Soap

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap is the ideal anti-bacterial liquid soap for tattoo removal because it is gentle enough for baby skin and is generally safe for sensitive adult skin. This is important because the tattooed area is extremely sensitive and irritated. Use this soap to wash your tattoo every day. Make sure to wash the tattoo with this soap and some warm water before drying it under the faucet with a soft cloth or paper towel.

The fact that you don’t have to lather this liquid soap between your hands like you would a bar of soap is another fantastic feature of it. When the bottle’s lid is closed, the liquid soap inside is shielded and less likely to be contaminated.

Best Tattoo Aftercare Lotion by Eucerin

After a week, the tattooed area will begin to develop scabs and cause itching. Use Eucerin Intensive Repair Lotion. You must refrain from scratching the skin as it becomes dry and flaky. Such situations call for a repair lotion that lessens the itching that results from dry, flaky skin. It is advised to use it after cleaning the tattooed area. The lotion hydrates the skin and keeps it healthy and glowing.

It is a very light lotion, which makes it easy to apply to the tattoo, which is something we really appreciate. The lotion spreads easily and won’t catch on your skin, flake, or pull at it if you don’t apply much pressure or pressure when spreading it.

A Tattoo Butter

You cannot find a better product for tattoo aftercare than Hustle Butter, which is what this product is primarily designed for. Shea butter, which is high in vitamins, fatty acids, and antioxidants, is used to make the cream. The butter will leave the skin smooth, hydrated, and protected while moisturizing and nourishing the treated area. The butter is designed to stop itching and speed up the recovery process.

Shea butter will work if you believe lotions fall short of providing adequate hydration. In fact, if you are highly sensitive to chemicals or have allergies, pure, natural shea butter might be the best product you can use. An average of seven allergens have been found in tattoo aftercare products, according to one study, so using a natural product like shea butter is highly recommended.

Tattoo Aftercare Aquaphor

Use Aquaphor Healing Ointment during the first few days after getting the tattoo to prevent any pain. Because it moisturizes just enough without clogging pores or preventing skin from breathing, it is highly recommended by tattoo artists. You only need to apply a thin layer because this healing ointment does contain petroleum (Vaseline).

Despite the fact that most people love using Aquaphor products on their tattoos, other tattoo artists DO NOT advise using this gel because it contains Vaseline and will seal in the moisture. Don’t worry if you are debating this one. Next, take a look at our top lotion for tattoo aftercare.

Best Tattoo Aftercare Cream

The best all-around tattoo product is the Viking Revolution Tattoo Balm, a cream that resembles a balm. It can be used both during the aftercare and before getting a tattoo to make sure your skin is in the best condition. To prevent tattoos from fading as much as possible, they even advise using them on older ones.

We love this tattoo aftercare cream because it’s made with 100% natural and organic ingredients, plus it is totally against testing on animals. Perfect for vegans.

Careful attention in tattoo care first 48 hours will make your tattoo look better.

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