Ok, you recently had tattoo artwork done on your body, your excited and naturally you want to take good care of it. Your tattoo artist has done his job and it is no longer his responsibility for any infections or problems that may occur in the future. Your awesome tattoo can turn into disaster if you do not take care of it. Here are some guidelines you should follow to make sure nothing happens to your new tattoo.
Dont touch that bandage!
Your tattoo artist applied a bandage to cover up your tattoo for a good reason. To keep nasty bacteria entering your wound. The skin has been opened therefore it is considered a wound. Whenever flesh is opened it is a breeding ground for all types of bacteria which cause infections. The bandage should be left on for at least 2-3 hours. Please try to resist taking it off, I no you are eager to look at and show people your brand new tattoo, but it is vital that you keep it covered up.
Wash your Tattoo and Treat it.
After the 2 or 3 hours is up remove your bandage and wash your tattoo. Make sure to use warm water with a mild antibacterial soap. Gently wash away any blood or ointment completely cleans the entire area. Just use your hands and not a cloth, cloth could contain bacteria, just make sure your hands are squeaky clean and your good to go.
After the area is completely clean use a clean towel or paper towel and pat the area dry, do not rub, just pat.
Products and Lotions
If you would like to purchase products Tattoo Goo or H2Ocean is recommended. Though not necessary, many over the counter products will work just fine and just as effective, but it is up to you.
Continue to keep it clean, use lotion if you prefer or ointments, to keep the skin nice and soft. Just remember make sure the lotion is dye and fragrance free, many tattoo parlors recommend Lubriderm, some people have reported it stings, so beware of that. I myself use Eucerin.
Showering, bathing and Swimming.
It is perfectly fine to take a shower with your new tattoo. Its ok to get your tattoo wet, but don't soak it. Other words don't take a bath for at least 2-3weeks, soaking your tattoo can cause damage, so just take a shower and your good to go. If soap or shampoo gets on your tattoo just remove it as quickly as you can with some water. Also don't swim for 2 weeks.
Scabs and Peeling
After a few days you may notice some scabs or peeling, a lot of scabbing could be a sign of poor tattoo work, but a little scabbing is sometimes normal so don't panic. The best way to rid these scabs is to apply warm compresses to the scabs for at least 6 - 7 minutes 3 times a day this will soften the scabs and they will peel off on there own. Do not use a lotion or ointment to soften them. More then likely they will itch please try not to pick or scratch them, if it gets real bad just slap it hard and that should minimize the itching.
Sun Protection
The suns ultraviolet rays can fade and even damage your tattoo quite rapidly. Just remember if your going to spend a lot of time in the sun, weather it be at the beach or a long walk make sure to apply a sun block to protect your tattoo against the suns ultraviolet power.
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Friday, April 1, 2011
Tattoo Aftercare
Tattoo Aftercare 
Tattoo Aftercare
Tattoo Aftercare 
Tattoo Aftercare 
Tattoo Aftercare 
Tattoo Aftercare 
Tattoo Aftercare
Ok, you recently had tattoo artwork done on your body, your excited and naturally you want to take good care of it. Your tattoo artist has done his job and it is no longer his responsibility for any infections or problems that may occur in the future. Your awesome tattoo can turn into disaster if you do not take care of it. Here are some guidelines you should follow to make sure nothing happens to your new tattoo.
Dont touch that bandage!
Your tattoo artist applied a bandage to cover up your tattoo for a good reason. To keep nasty bacteria entering your wound. The skin has been opened therefore it is considered a wound. Whenever flesh is opened it is a breeding ground for all types of bacteria which cause infections. The bandage should be left on for at least 2-3 hours. Please try to resist taking it off, I no you are eager to look at and show people your brand new tattoo, but it is vital that you keep it covered up.
Wash your Tattoo and Treat it.
After the 2 or 3 hours is up remove your bandage and wash your tattoo. Make sure to use warm water with a mild antibacterial soap. Gently wash away any blood or ointment completely cleans the entire area. Just use your hands and not a cloth, cloth could contain bacteria, just make sure your hands are squeaky clean and your good to go.
After the area is completely clean use a clean towel or paper towel and pat the area dry, do not rub, just pat.
Products and Lotions
If you would like to purchase products Tattoo Goo or H2Ocean is recommended. Though not necessary, many over the counter products will work just fine and just as effective, but it is up to you.
Continue to keep it clean, use lotion if you prefer or ointments, to keep the skin nice and soft. Just remember make sure the lotion is dye and fragrance free, many tattoo parlors recommend Lubriderm, some people have reported it stings, so beware of that. I myself use Eucerin.
Showering, bathing and Swimming.
It is perfectly fine to take a shower with your new tattoo. Its ok to get your tattoo wet, but don't soak it. Other words don't take a bath for at least 2-3weeks, soaking your tattoo can cause damage, so just take a shower and your good to go. If soap or shampoo gets on your tattoo just remove it as quickly as you can with some water. Also don't swim for 2 weeks.
Scabs and Peeling
After a few days you may notice some scabs or peeling, a lot of scabbing could be a sign of poor tattoo work, but a little scabbing is sometimes normal so don't panic. The best way to rid these scabs is to apply warm compresses to the scabs for at least 6 - 7 minutes 3 times a day this will soften the scabs and they will peel off on there own. Do not use a lotion or ointment to soften them. More then likely they will itch please try not to pick or scratch them, if it gets real bad just slap it hard and that should minimize the itching.
Sun Protection
The suns ultraviolet rays can fade and even damage your tattoo quite rapidly. Just remember if your going to spend a lot of time in the sun, weather it be at the beach or a long walk make sure to apply a sun block to protect your tattoo against the suns ultraviolet power.
Dont touch that bandage!
Your tattoo artist applied a bandage to cover up your tattoo for a good reason. To keep nasty bacteria entering your wound. The skin has been opened therefore it is considered a wound. Whenever flesh is opened it is a breeding ground for all types of bacteria which cause infections. The bandage should be left on for at least 2-3 hours. Please try to resist taking it off, I no you are eager to look at and show people your brand new tattoo, but it is vital that you keep it covered up.
Wash your Tattoo and Treat it.
After the 2 or 3 hours is up remove your bandage and wash your tattoo. Make sure to use warm water with a mild antibacterial soap. Gently wash away any blood or ointment completely cleans the entire area. Just use your hands and not a cloth, cloth could contain bacteria, just make sure your hands are squeaky clean and your good to go.
After the area is completely clean use a clean towel or paper towel and pat the area dry, do not rub, just pat.
Products and Lotions
If you would like to purchase products Tattoo Goo or H2Ocean is recommended. Though not necessary, many over the counter products will work just fine and just as effective, but it is up to you.
Continue to keep it clean, use lotion if you prefer or ointments, to keep the skin nice and soft. Just remember make sure the lotion is dye and fragrance free, many tattoo parlors recommend Lubriderm, some people have reported it stings, so beware of that. I myself use Eucerin.
Showering, bathing and Swimming.
It is perfectly fine to take a shower with your new tattoo. Its ok to get your tattoo wet, but don't soak it. Other words don't take a bath for at least 2-3weeks, soaking your tattoo can cause damage, so just take a shower and your good to go. If soap or shampoo gets on your tattoo just remove it as quickly as you can with some water. Also don't swim for 2 weeks.
Scabs and Peeling
After a few days you may notice some scabs or peeling, a lot of scabbing could be a sign of poor tattoo work, but a little scabbing is sometimes normal so don't panic. The best way to rid these scabs is to apply warm compresses to the scabs for at least 6 - 7 minutes 3 times a day this will soften the scabs and they will peel off on there own. Do not use a lotion or ointment to soften them. More then likely they will itch please try not to pick or scratch them, if it gets real bad just slap it hard and that should minimize the itching.
Sun Protection
The suns ultraviolet rays can fade and even damage your tattoo quite rapidly. Just remember if your going to spend a lot of time in the sun, weather it be at the beach or a long walk make sure to apply a sun block to protect your tattoo against the suns ultraviolet power.
Hawaiian Tattoos
Tattooing in Hawaii
Like many other Polynesian-descended cultures, the native Hawaiians practiced tattooing. The most heavily tattooed members of the tribe would be the royal family, followed by other court officials and persons who were in the royal family by marriage.
The designs were monochromatic, tattooed in black against brown skin. The patterns and layout were strongly geometric and there were many shapes and symbols which represented the natural island world: stones, waves, fish, sharks, turtles, rain, sun, birds.
Tattoos were traditionally created by using a tool much like a sharpened rake to prick the designs. The tattoo tool would be hit by another stick to make the punctures. Assistants helped by stretching the skin for the tattoo artist and by wiping away the blood.
Rae's Hawaiian Rune Tattoos
My tattoo designs came from a set of Hawaiian rune stones made by a friend of mine who lives on Oahu. She got the designs from a guy who created an entire Hawaiian oracle, creating modern rune graphics based on ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs from across the entire series of islands. They explored ancient roles (sacred elder, master), incorporated animal totems (shark, turtle, owl) and other concepts (the elements, play, prayer). But with all her notes, she doesn't have the name of the guy who came up with all these designs and she can't remember it either.
I was doing a reading with the set of stones and cards she made when I "saw" my tattoo idea very clearly and knew this was jus the thing for my next piece of ink. I talked with a friend who was a local on the island to get a recommendation for a shop (she knew of several to be totally avoided!) and who wanted to come along for her next piece of ink as well.
A woman artist at Odyssey Tattoo in Wahiawa named Alex did my tattoo. She traced the designs I brought in to make temporary stencils to apply to my skin. Once we agreed on the placement, she tattooed them. The outline of all the symbols was done first, then she went back and filled them all in to be solid. All in all, the entire process took about forty-five minutes from start to finish.
Before you get a Hawaiian Tattoo...
Think about your time in the water! New tattoos need to be kept out of water. You will need to avoid swimming in the ocean, and soaking in pools or hot tubs for one to two weeks, until the skin fully heals and all the scabbing is done.
Think about your time in the sun! The number one enemy of tattoos new and old is the sun: it makes them fade in color and will even make them blur softly over time. And when the tattoo surface is still open, you won't want to put sunscreen on it as it can contain a lot of chemicals that will irritate the healing skin wound. Most often the best thing you can do on a beach vacation is NOT get tattooed.
If a shop or artist will only do designs off their walls and not draw something up for you, go find a new tattoo studio! If you truly want a piece of art that you can be happy with for a lifetime, get something original from an artist, not a scratcher who only knows how to copy what someone else drew.
Hawaiian TattoosLike many other Polynesian-descended cultures, the native Hawaiians practiced tattooing. The most heavily tattooed members of the tribe would be the royal family, followed by other court officials and persons who were in the royal family by marriage.
The designs were monochromatic, tattooed in black against brown skin. The patterns and layout were strongly geometric and there were many shapes and symbols which represented the natural island world: stones, waves, fish, sharks, turtles, rain, sun, birds.
Hawaiian TattoosTattoos were traditionally created by using a tool much like a sharpened rake to prick the designs. The tattoo tool would be hit by another stick to make the punctures. Assistants helped by stretching the skin for the tattoo artist and by wiping away the blood.
Hawaiian TattoosRae's Hawaiian Rune Tattoos
My tattoo designs came from a set of Hawaiian rune stones made by a friend of mine who lives on Oahu. She got the designs from a guy who created an entire Hawaiian oracle, creating modern rune graphics based on ancient Hawaiian petroglyphs from across the entire series of islands. They explored ancient roles (sacred elder, master), incorporated animal totems (shark, turtle, owl) and other concepts (the elements, play, prayer). But with all her notes, she doesn't have the name of the guy who came up with all these designs and she can't remember it either.
Hawaiian TattoosI was doing a reading with the set of stones and cards she made when I "saw" my tattoo idea very clearly and knew this was jus the thing for my next piece of ink. I talked with a friend who was a local on the island to get a recommendation for a shop (she knew of several to be totally avoided!) and who wanted to come along for her next piece of ink as well.
Hawaiian TattoosA woman artist at Odyssey Tattoo in Wahiawa named Alex did my tattoo. She traced the designs I brought in to make temporary stencils to apply to my skin. Once we agreed on the placement, she tattooed them. The outline of all the symbols was done first, then she went back and filled them all in to be solid. All in all, the entire process took about forty-five minutes from start to finish.
Hawaiian TattoosBefore you get a Hawaiian Tattoo...
Hawaiian TattoosThink about your time in the water! New tattoos need to be kept out of water. You will need to avoid swimming in the ocean, and soaking in pools or hot tubs for one to two weeks, until the skin fully heals and all the scabbing is done.
Think about your time in the sun! The number one enemy of tattoos new and old is the sun: it makes them fade in color and will even make them blur softly over time. And when the tattoo surface is still open, you won't want to put sunscreen on it as it can contain a lot of chemicals that will irritate the healing skin wound. Most often the best thing you can do on a beach vacation is NOT get tattooed.
Hawaiian TattoosIf a shop or artist will only do designs off their walls and not draw something up for you, go find a new tattoo studio! If you truly want a piece of art that you can be happy with for a lifetime, get something original from an artist, not a scratcher who only knows how to copy what someone else drew.
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