TATTOO AFTERCARE

AVOID POOLS, LAKES, BATHS AND HOT TUBS UNTIL TATTOO IS COMPLETELY HEALED

Method 1: This is the "standard" method and most common. We suggest this method for those with smaller tattoos, and those that have had good results with it in the past. Your new tattoo has been bandaged, and this should be removed after at least 2 hours. It is very important that your new tattoo be protected from the sun and dirty environments, as it is a rather large open wound at this time. You should wait to remove the bandage until you can properly clean it with mild soap and warm water. Rinse it well, and pat it dry, THEN ALLOW IT TO AIR DRY for 5-10 minutes before applying ointment.

You should apply A&D ointment regularly throughout the day, massaging a very small amount into the skin to keep the tattoo slightly moist, but NOT smothered. Use just enough ointment to make the tattoo slightly shiny, and blot off any excess. For the first day or two, your tattoo will require more cleaning, as it will still be losing a bit of fluid—this is normal. You want to make sure that the tattoo stays clean and that extra moisture doesn't get trapped under the ointment (hence the air-drying). The healing tattoo should never stay submerged in water either. This means that short showers are fine, but any kind of baths or swimming is not. We recommend washing your tattoo a couple times throughout the day, using only mild soap, and rinsing and drying well. Frequency of cleaning depends on your lifestyle—use your best judgment, but don't overdo it.

You should only apply ointment for as many days as it takes for your tattoo to peel, will be anywhere from three days to 1 week, depending on your body, your general health, and the area of skin that was tattooed. When the peeling begins, the tattooed skin will flake like sunburn—just let this happen on its own, and don't pick at it. When the tattoo has fully entered the peeling phase you should NOT apply any more ointment. The area will become dry and itchy, and a good hand lotion should help with this.

The following are some problems to look out for with this method. If any "bubbling" of your tattoo occurs, you should stop applying ointment and just let it start to peel on its own. This bubbling is caused from moisture (usually too much ointment!) getting trapped in your tattoo, and could lead to scabbing. If scabs develop, they can remove the color beneath them. It is very important that they are allowed to dry out completely, and not at any time get waterlogged. The scab will eventually fall off on its own, and your tattoo should be fine if there weren’t any deep cracks in it. Also, some people develop a small allergic reaction to the antibiotic agent in Bacitracin, which shows up as a red rash around the tattoo and disappears once the ointment is no longer used. A small percentage of people may develop a more serious reaction, and may require medical attention, SO WE SUGGEST THE USE OF A&D.

Method 2: This is the less conventional method, and tends to work well for larger tattoos, as well as tattoos in awkward areas that will be covered with clothing, as this can cause irritation. If you find that your tattoos have healed poorly in the past, we strongly suggest this method. You should remove your bandage, as in method 1, but you will need NO ointment, just plastic wrap. After washing, rinsing, and thoroughly drying, you will want to completely cover the tattoo in plastic wrap (but not too much of the surrounding area), and use NO ointment.

With this method, you will need to keep the tattoo completely covered with plastic wrap 24 hrs a day, for as long as it takes to peel—usually 3 to 5 days. You will want to clean your tattoo 3 to 4 times a day (every 4 to 6 hours), and change the plastic wrap each time. We suggest the use of medical tape to hold the plastic wrap in place, as you don't want to over-wrap the area, causing you to sweat more than normal.

This method, like method 1, has its precautions. As mentioned before, moisture can be very detrimental to the healing process, and too much plastic wrap on the surrounding untattooed skin—or not changing the wrap often enough—can lead to development of a moisture rash. This will appear as bright red irritation and lots of tiny pimples around the effected area, and will also be very painful. Should this happen, do not re-wrap the tattoo or try to medicate it—instead let it dry out and peel on its own. You will also notice for the first few days of this method that your tattoo will lose a bit more fluid than normal, and you may need to change the wrap more regularly.

Without the use of a healing agent/antibiotic ointment in this method, you'll need to make sure to keep the area clean. We DO NOT recommend a combination of methods 1 and 2. However, everyone heals a bit differently, and you'll have to find what works best for you within each method. Don't worry, any tattoo can be touched up if things go wrong while healing and you end up losing some color. But if we feel that it is your fault from not properly taking care of the tattoo, there will be a charge to touch it up.

We wish to strongly reiterate that your new tattoo is an open wound, and needs to be treated as one. Engaging in actions such as swimming, tanning, removing the bandage early, and general disregard for it, is just asking for trouble. If you are careless, you may be surprised how easily it can get infected or scab up and lose color. Give your tattoo the time and attention it needs to properly heal. It's going to be on you for the rest of your life, and it only takes a week or two of your attention to ensure it looks good forever.

PIERCING TIPS AND ADVICE

HOW YOUR PIERCING HEALS IS UP TO YOU!!

ALL PIERCINGS: Do not play with new piercings, as physical irritation is the cause of many problems. Leave them alone. When clothing must cover the piercing, wear clean, loose, breathable (cotton) clothes.

NAVELS: Waistbands that contact the jewelry are the most common navel piercing problem. Your clothes must ride below your navel, or it may never heal. Maintain good posture, especially when sitting, to prevent pressure and irritation of navel piercings.

NIPPLES: A bra will usually help reduce soreness in the days after a nipple piercing. Larger-breasted women are more likely to find this true. Try to wear breathable fabrics and consider wearing a cotton bra top to bed.

SWIMMING: Chlorine is tremendously drying and irritating to new piercings and should be avoided. If you cannot stay out of the water, then do your best to soak the piercing and rinse with saline OR sale water whenever you swim. Avoid hot tubs until the piercing is healed. I have pierced many swimmers and they tend to do just fine.

Lakes and Oceans are a topic of debate, but a couple of things are for certain: sewage is frequently dumped into these water systems, and presents an additional risk – lakes, slow-moving rivers, marinas, and the like are the most risky areas as the water is not frequently cleared out – staphylococcus is found in tropical waters.

On the other hand, some people report that their piercing healed instantly after swimming in the ocean. Use discretion, and pay attention to the condition of your piercing.

WARNING: CHEMICALS WILL NOT HELP YOU HEAL FASTER!
Chemicals of any kind will upset the balance inside your body and your piercing will heal very slowly (if ever.) DO NOT USE ANY product containing an active ingredient and/or marked “For External Use Only” including, but not limited to: Satin®, Provon®, Rubbing Alcohol, Hydrogen Peroxide, Ear Care Solutions (benzalkonium/benzethonium chloride), Neosporin® (or other petroleum-based ointments), Betadine® (povidone iodine), or Hibiclens®.

INFECTED PIERCINGS: More often than not, people who think they have an infection actually have an irritation and adjusting the care will fix the problem. You can recognize a true infection by its relatively sudden inflammation and accompanying green discharge of pus and/or blood. If you suspect that you have an infection, contact your body piercer or your doctor at once.

PIERCING AFTERCARE

BODY PIERCING: We recommend washing the piercing twice a day with an antimicrobial soap or antibacterial soap and soaking the piercing once a day with a warm water/sea salt mixture.

In the morning, wash the piercing with a dime size portion of soap mixed with water. Use the suds on the area but do not rotate the piercing or move the jewelry. The jewelry will move when it's ready.

At night, soak the piercing in a sea salt/warm water mixture for 10 minutes and then wash with the antimicrobial soap.

DO NOT USE ALCOHOL, PEROXIDE OR OINTMENTS.

ORAL PIERCING: Inside the mouth, rinse with an alcohol free mouthwash 6-10 times a day for the first two weeks. Then use it 3-5 times a day for the third week.

Outside the mouth, use an antimicrobial soap twice a day. Do not use sea salt/warm water mixture on oral piercings until the piercing is a week old. The salt can cause more swelling to occur. Once the piercing is a week old, rinse once or twice a day with the sea salt/warm water mixture. Some foods should be avoided such as citrus, temperature hot and spicy hot foods.

WHAT TO DO INSIDE OF MOUTH: Rinse your mouth with Listerine (diluted 50/50 with water) or sea salt (1/2 tsp. per cup of water) a few times a day for the first 4 weeks. For tongue piercings and mouth piercings, gently ice to keep the swelling and soreness down for the first few days. Keep movement to a minimum for the first five days.

GENITAL PIERCINGS: All piercings are an open channel to the bloodstream. Particularly in the case of genital piercings, sexual contact during the healing phase could be dangerous to you or your partner. Utilize a barrier if engaging in sexual activity before your piercing is completely healed. Go easy on your new piercings – they will heal faster if you do not irritate them by playing rough.

FEMALE: Female genital piercings typically heal fast and easily. Rinse the outside of the piercing and clean the jewelry a few times a day with sterile saline solution or salt water, or better yet, your own urine. Your urine is sterile for your body and a perfect rinsing agent (barring, of course, any urinary tract infections). It is normal for inner labia and clit hood piercings to bleed a little during the first couple of days. As long as any bleeding stops when you sit still (perhaps put ice on it), there is nothing to worry about. If it’s still bleeding on the third day, contact your piercer. Abstain from sex for at least the first couple weeks.

MALE: Follow the regular instructions for body piercing. Substitute your own urine for the saline rinse if practical. Abstain from sex as long as possible, or for four weeks - whichever comes first. On piercings through the head or the urethra, expect bleeding for a few days. If bleeding continues after that time, or if there is an unexpectedly large amount of bleeding, contact your piercer.

NEED HELP OR ADVICE?
Email evilbytheneedle@hotmail.com or contact your body piercer or tattoo artist by phone at 812-333-6033 Wednesday through Saturday from 3p.m.-10p.m.