Tattoo Aftercare

How to Take Care of Your New Tattoo

Now, you have your fresh new tattoo, and you want to take good care of it! From this point on, your artist is not responsible for any infection or problems you may have with your tattoo if you don't take proper care of it. It is very important that you follow these guidelines. A really beautiful tattoo can turn into a disaster if the proper aftercare is not taken.

Leave That Bandage Alone!
Your artist took the care to cover up your new tattoo for a very good reason - to keep air-born bacteria from invading your wound. Yes, as pretty as your new tattoo is, it is still a wound. Open flesh is a breeding ground for bacteria and infection. Leave the bandage on for a minimum of two hours. Excitement of having a new tattoo will make you want to remove the bandage so you can show your friends, but your friends will just have to wait until later.

The only exception to this rule is if your artist covered your tattoo with saran wrap or some kind of plastic. This is extremely detrimental to a tattoo, so it should be removed immediately. You're better off not having any covering than to be suffocating your new tattoo with plastic wrap.

Wash and Treat

After you remove the bandage, you will want to wash your tattoo. Use lukewarm water and mild, liquid antibacterial or antimicrobial soap (Satin and Provon are my highest recommendations. Dial tends to be too harsh - generic brand antibacterial soaps are actually better) to gently wash away any ointment, blood and/or plasma and to completely clean the area. Do not use a washcloth or anything abrasive. Your hand is your best tool in this case. (If your tattoo feels slimy and slippery, you have probably been oozing plasma. Try to gently remove as much of this as possible - when the plasma dries on the skin surface, it creates scabs.)

Then pat (do not rub) the area firmly with a CLEAN towel or paper towel to get it completely dry. Follow with a very light application of your choice of ointment. A&D vitamin enriched ointment would be my first choice, but if you don't have any, Bacitracin or a similar antibacterial ointment is acceptable.

**Do not use Neosporin. This is a wonderful product for cuts and scrapes, but not for tattoos. Some can have an allergic reaction to the Neosporin, which causes little red bumps. When the bumps go away, so does the ink, and you end up with a polka-dotted tattoo.**

Specialty Products and Lotions
If you prefer, you can also use a specialty product such as Tattoo Goo or H2Ocean. It's not necessary, as many over the counter products work just fine, but it's your choice. Use the products as directed as continue for 3-5 days.

After that, continue to keep it clean, but you can use lotion when needed instead of ointment, to keep the skin soft. Whatever lotion you use, it should be dye and fragrance free. A lot of artists recommend Lubriderm, but I have found that Lubriderm stings when I apply it. Instead, I have had great success with Eucerin.

Bellybutton Tattoos

Get the Sexiest Tattoo Design For You



Its summertime now and because of the weather teenagers typically wear short skirts and short tops which often show their belly. Bellybutton tattoos are some of the latest form of self expression among teenager and they love so show it off to the public because they feel so sexy and desirable. Bellybutton tattoos are known to be a sexual tattoo and many women today opted for this type of tattoos because with the right design plus a sexy body it makes them feel fantastic and sensual.

Teenage girl should take note that bellybutton tattoos takes time to heal and it should be done after great consideration especially because of the location which is near the fallopian tube and a high risk for infection.

Body piercing is safe if done correctly and under safe conditions. It is your responsibility to choose a tattoo artist who practices in a safe and sanitized placed. Look for an artist that has a good reputation and highly recommended. Ask around or ask your friend if they have tattoos where they got them and if the recommend the artist. Hygiene is very, very important. There a few guidelines to follow in observing proper sterilization method to avoid contamination and health risk:
* Choose highly recommended tattoo parlor that observed safety precaution methods.
* Tattoo artist should not accept clients who are drunk because teenager tend to get drunk first before they allow themselves to be pricked and it could lead into massive bleeding due to the presence of alcohol in the system.
* Tattoo artist should use disposable or autoclaved instruments; sterile, disposable needles and other equipment that has been disinfected and stored in sterile bags.
* New and sterilized needles should be used for each tattoo or piercing.
* Tattoo artist should wear clean latex gloves, dispose of the needles in puncture-proof containers after each use, and throw away tissues in plastic-lined containers.
* Tattoo artists should not dip into contaminated bottles of ink and must use a small disposable container of ink, and any ointments should be removed from containers with sterile spreaders.
* After-care is very vital in any type of tattooing or piercing, so a true professional will offer very specific instructions that your new tattoos should be treated with an antibacterial cream and kept out of water and sunlight. Pierced areas should be washed at least twice a day with a surgical scrub/water solution.

After you have educate yourself on proper hygiene and sanitation your next step is to take into account the following consideration before you have your bellybutton tattoos:

* Weight. A bellybutton tattoo would only look good on a slim figure, and gaining weight could stretch your stomach and it would look saggy.
* Giving birth. When you have your bellybutton tattoo done take into account the possibility of getting pregnant because it would definitely change the look of your tattoo.
* Keloids. Not all people are blessed with a perfect skin. Some people are more susceptible to scarring.

And the last things you need to take into account are the 5 important steps in choosing a right design for your tattoo:

* Make sure that you really want a tattoo and that it's for real not just a spur of the moment decision. Remember that your tattoo is permanent.
* Choose a design which fits your personality.
* Choose a right location that fits perfectly for your design.
* Choose a right size of your tattoo which suits the build of your body.
* Be Happy with your bellybutton tattoo and put it on display.