After its inked

[=Stephens=]

When your done with a tat, do you use bacitracin or A&D, I have heard of some using "Neosporin" also, what do you recommend? How long should whatever ointment is used, should it be applied to the tat?

[DOPPLENHAKEN]

DUUUDE,A&D I TOLD THIS CHICK TO USE NEO WHEN I DID A BACK PIECE "YIKES"HER WHOLE BACK BROKE OUT, :shock: TURNS OUT SHE ALLERGIC TO IT.AND IT SAYS NOT TO USE IT LONGER THAN A WEEK.I USE TRIPLE OINTMENT :)

[Papa Gee]

Bacitracin for about two days then A&D till its healed seems to be the general consensus. Triple Antibiotic Ointment from what I've read can also cause a reaction. I use it on my personal tattoos without any problem though.

[framey]

:evil:

[Pigment Pen]

I use Healing Ink Tattoo Salve. It's available on my website with free shipping. It's all natural and was developed by a certified aromatherapist. I've used it on all my recent work and it is the best. It prevents the itching and it heals really nicely. Check it out at www.pigmentpen.com.

[MedusaQueen]

Let the tat dry out for the 1st couple days before applying any ointment at all, as long as it is kept clean it will not get infected. After that, I tell people (because I find it works best on me and others) to apply a pin-prick amount of A&D, bacitration or the like, and rub it in real well. Any gleam off the tat afterwords should be blotted with a papertowel until no longer shiny. I say to only use it about 2 X's a day, the wetter the tattoo stays the harder it will heal, and the nastier the scab will be. Vaseline is a big no-no, it's way too thick and greasy, will clog the pores and not allow it to breathe, therefore possibly causing infection. No matter if you use an ointment for tattoos or a baby's butt, the key is moderation. The drier a tattoo is, the better it will heal, and the less ink that will be sucked out during the healing process. All naturale is best for me. In fact, the ONLY time I even use ointment on myself is when it itches so friggin bad and I need a little relief.

[sundance4725]

I use A&D for baby rash if its good 4 a baby its good for a tattoo,Neosporin although anti bacterial seems to react to mrsa (staff) son it must be kept very clean i never use it and wouldnt recomend it

[MedusaQueen]

Yes, the tattoo is a wound, but not many "wounds" actually require you to gunk them up in order to heal. The body knows how to handle it just fine. In fact, when you keep it moist often, dirt, debris, lint and other nasties will stick to it. From personal experience, the more natural it heals, the easier it heals, and the less it scabs up. Now, through the last stage of healing (after the body has already done it's job), that's when I go ahead and keep it moist because there are no scabs left to trap that moisture; it's pretty much just dry skin from there, and becasue it's no longer an open wound, there is very little chance of anything "bleeding" the ink out, including neosporin. I truly feel, from the experiments I've done on my own personal tattoos' healing, the body knows best. And again, as long as you keep it clean it will not get infected. It's very hard to keep a tattoo clean if there's gunk all over it trapping dirt and germs. Those first couple of days are the most vital in the healing process.

[voodoo]

i use a&d for 2-3 days then switch to a lotion like lubriderm.
all u need is a light coating of lotion or a&d. like it was said before do not gob it on your tattoo!

[olboys]

i personally let my tatts dry the first day,too get a light layer of scab,but soon as it happens i use lubriderm no fragrance or petroleum.also keep it clean which is a giving.

[MedusaQueen]

I've just found on myself that the faster it scabs over (I use the word scab loosely here) the faster it can ditch those scabs and move on the final healing process. Technically, if the tattoo was applied correctly, it should never really form a "scab" just a hard, dry layer that flakes away. Now, with tattoos that are in creases of your skin, i.e. inside elbow, on wrist, etc... it needs to stay a little moister to avoid cracking and pulling. I always ask my clients to return through it's healing process so that I can monitor the stages to best describe healing techniques to the next client. I would never recommend anything that I did not experiment on myself first.