Tattoos are a great way to personalize you. It reflects your likings, interests, passion and more. But tattooing demands care. After getting done with tattoo drawing you have to take proper care and follow some guideline because it can become infected.

Steps

Remove bandage after 2 to 4 hours and wash tattoo with a mild soap or lukewarm water. Keep it for air dry and apply ointment over it. Usually wash the tattoo 3 to 5 times in a day and check swelling.

Cleaning care tips

Listen to your tattoo artist they will guide you with brief instructions to care. Every tattoo artist guides you with different but efficient way to care for tattoo. After completing tattoo, the artist will clean the area and apply some anti-bacterial ointment and cover the tattoo with bandage. But leave the bandage for 2 to 6 hours as it protects the skin from air borne bacteria. But if your tattoo is covered with plastic wrap then do not cover it more than 2 hours otherwise it’ll become infected.

After removing the bandage or plastic wrap wash it gently with lukewarm water & anti bacterial/microbial soap. Wash it gently with your hands and remove traces of blood, plasma and leaked ink. Pat it dry with soft & clean napkin. Apply antibacterial ointment which should be non-scented. Wash the tattoo 2 to 4 times in a day and moisturize it till the scab is gone completely.

Things to avoid

Do not scratch your tattoo because as it heals, it will begin to scab again. Wait until your tattoo is healed completely and never wet it all the time, don’t go for swimming, avoid pool, and rain etc. to protect it from infection. Avoid direct exposure to the sunlight because it can blister your skin and bleach some of colors of the tattoo. So try to keep your tattoo covered with long sleeve shirts or gloves. Avoid wearing tight fitting or restrictive clothes. In case, the cloth stick to tattoo, it will begin bleeding. Don’t work out, it doesn’t matter how much you love to work out because stretching of muscle can generate pain and will not allow the tattoo to heal soon.

Most important, avoid swelling. You can use ice pack on swollen area to heal the pain. These are simple & easy ways to care for a new tattoo.