How Can I Make My Tattoo Heal Faster

Although it might seem stressful if this is your first time getting a tattoo, taking care of your new tattoo is not as hard as you might first think. However, it is extremely important to follow the directions your tattoo artist gives you after getting tattooed if you wish to make your tattoo heal faster and most effectively. If you are not careful during the healing process, you risk infections, and there is also a chance your new tattoo could blur or fade. There are a few easy tattoo healing tips that will help your tattoo heal faster and can make taking care of your new tattooed skin simple while you are going through the healing process. By following these few tips, it will be easy for your tattoo to heal faster and properly.

The Tattoo Healing Process

The tattoo healing process is slightly different for everyone, but since it is an open wound, there are some general stages that your new tattoo will endure before becoming fully healed. After you remove the plastic wrap that should have been applied after your new tattoo has been completed, the first 1-3 days will include some inflammation. This includes redness, swelling, or tenderness. The next couple of weeks will show visible signs of the healing process. The skin will peel, flake, scab, and itch but it is most important not to engage with the uncomfortable feeling. Picking and peeling scabs is a big hindrance that can cause injury and aesthetic damage to the tattoo. By the second to third week, the tattoo may seem dull and dark but at about the month mark, your tattoo should be fully healed and show its vibrant color if all aftercare precautions have been properly followed. The importance of tattoo aftercare cannot be stressed enough. As a new tattoo is an open wound, applying the best and right products becomes crucial to the success of your healing tattoo.

Don’t Re-Bandage

You might be tempted to re-bandage your tattoo after you get home, but you should not do this. In order to for the tattoo to heal and scab, you need to let your tattoo breathe without a bandage. And in order to do that, it needs to be uncovered and open to fresh air. Leave your tattoo out in the open for best healing results.

Clean with Lukewarm Water

Keeping your tattoo clean is an important step in the healing process. In order to avoid burning your skin and hurting your tattoo, use warm water and a mild soap when you wash your tattoo, not hot water. You do not need to use a strong soap when you wash, but make sure the water is tepid so you do not cause any damage to the tattoo. Pat skin dry with a paper towel or other clean soft fabric as anything with rough fibers can get into the wound and cause irritation.

Use the Right Type and Amount of Tattoo Aftercare Products

You need to cover your tattoo with a very thin sheen of ointment to protect your tattoo. Each tattoo artist may have their own advice and suggestions but many rely on quality H2Ocean products to speed up the healing time. The Extreme Tattoo Care aftercare kit is ideal for any newly tattooed skin while healing. Designed to provide nourishment and moisturize, the products in the kit include antibacterial soap that is fragrance free and will help your tattooed skin to avoid infection and heal quickly. Skin protectant and moisturizing cream ensures new tattoos stay bright and vibrant for years to come.

Use Unscented Lotion

Once you get past the ointment stage, use a fragrance free lotion to avoid the possibility of infection while keeping your tattoo well-hydrated. A thin layer of lotion that is gentle on your skin will help lock in moisture.

Don’t Scratch or Peel It

If the skin that you got the tattoo on is itchy, that is a sign that it is healing and almost ready for any scabs to fall off. Do yourself a favor and keep your hands off your tattoo at this stage. The skin needs time to heal and if you try to rush the process you will do more harm than good. Don’t try to scratch or peel off skin or scabs, but just let nature take its course.

Avoid Bathing in a Tub

Even if you love a long soak at the end of a busy day, your new tattoos won’t. Too much moisture is bad for a wound like a tattoo, and you could accidentally mess with the design that you spent so much money or hours on.

Wear Sunscreen

Sun is one of the biggest enemies of a healing tattoo so it is best to avoid sun exposure until the tattoo is healed. After all of the time, money, and effort involved to get your tattoo and helping it to heal properly, keep it in great shape by wearing sunscreen. H2Ocean’s H2Ocean Surfers Choice SPF 50 spray is the best way to keep your tattoo’s color and shape lasting as long as possible. Not only will this sunscreen protect you from sun exposure, but it is also vegan, reef safe, water resistant, and leaves no oily residue.

Although it may at first feel daunting to keep your tattoo safe from infection and looking its best, by following the above tattoo healing tips, this will encourage your new tattoo to heal faster and you will end up with the vibrant tattoo you had in mind. Take care in cleaning and adding ointment and then lotion at the appropriate times. Also, use only lukewarm water and avoid long baths. Make sure to keep your hands from scratching or peeling your skin. And finally, always wear sunscreen!