Getting a tattoo is permanent, while tattoo aftercare is the most vital part after tattooing. Well, almost, because there are also methods to remove them. But in absolute terms, we hope to keep it for a very long time. However, like everything, time erodes them, and they end up damaged.
This is why taking care of it regularly is essential to keep its shape, colors, and shine longer. These are small things, which do not require a lot of time, but which, in the end, contribute a lot to the longevity of the tattoo.
Maintaining a tattoo: when it’s new
A new tattoo is very fragile. For it to settle well in the skin, the care to be taken during the first days is critical!! In the minutes following the tattoo’s pose by the tattoo artist, the latter affixes a protective bandage. It must help the skin to heal. All in all, a foreign body has just been injected below the skin. And the body has every reason to want to reject it.
The purpose of the dressing is to protect the sensitive area from possible infection or microbe that would wander around there and make contact with foreign bodies.
Then, the skin will need a few weeks to fix the ink. It’s now or never to use moisturizing and healing cream. There are plenty of them on the market, and they add value to the skin 12
The first few weeks are the crucial time when the tattoo will set. And so it’s that one where you must be the most careful. To avoid seeing it deteriorate later.
Is washing your tattoo good?
Whether it’s just after the application or years later, the tattooed area will have to be washed well… At first, it will be a bit like cleaning a wound. Not necessarily pleasant, if you know what we mean. But afterward, it will be like washing any area of the body.
But this is not a reason not to take care of it and that there is no maintenance of the tattoo!!
The TTU team always recommends washing the areas with neutral soaps or shower gels. Or even a washing cream.
At the same time, avoiding all products that attack the skin is better. For some parts of the body, this is relatively easy for others, much less, such as the hands and forearms, with much more contact.
Hydrate your tattoo
The skin, in general, needs to be hydrated. The one covered in ink needs it all the more, which is quite logical. And this also implies that certain times of the year make the tattooed areas more sensitive. The maintenance of the tattoo, therefore, goes through hydration. There are many creams, such as Nivea.
By moisturizing the skin, we give it a little boost. It then has a better shine. You shouldn’t go overboard either and apply until the skin is covered. We are therefore talking about regular use.
The case of pregnancy
During pregnancy, the body undergoes many changes. Both inside and outside. We tend to gain weight; the chest grows, and the belly rounds. The skin is damaged. And if she’s tattooed, it’s even more problematic.
The most sensitive areas during this period are the stomach (necessarily), the breasts, and the hips. And to maintain your tattoo, you must start from the first signs until the months following childbirth. In short, throughout the period when the skin is under pressure.
To help it, a nourishing balm is a natural solution, in our opinion. It nourishes the skin, which allows it to keep its elasticity and prevent the appearance of stretch marks… Once the skin has resumed its standard shape, the deformation of the tattoo will be minimal.
The maintenance of the tattoo goes through several small things: soap, cream, etc.
The sun, the worst enemy
Whether tattooed or not, the sun is the skin’s worst enemy… When there’s a new tattoo, it’s even worse. First, a formal prohibition against exposing the tattooed area to the sun during the first months following the operation. All the pigments must be fixed. And that is several weeks. So, those who had their tattoo done in the spring or will spend the summer well in the shade with a solid cream on the skin.
And even in the years that follow and throughout the life of the tattoo, you have to be careful!
No choice: you have to continue putting on cream and, above all, avoid getting a sunburn in the wrong place.
The risk? It’s not huge, but still… The colors might fade or wash out, which will end up making the tattoo just plain ugly!
Read more about: how to get relief from an itchy tattoo.