Take Care of Your New Tattoo and Avoid Infection
While you finally elect to get a tattoo, the first thing you'll want to do is find a reputable tattoo artist. Most tattoo artists have a very wide range of tattoo designs that you can pick from. If you don't find anything you really like, you can usually ask him to invent a custom tattoo for you. You should always be careful what you choose, as you'll carry the tattoo for the rest of your life. The design is very important, though not as important as taking care of it.
Really good tattoo artists will also clean and apply antiseptic ointment to your tattoo as they work on it. Expert artists know that this will help to keep the tattoo healthy. Once the tattoo is finished, the artists will wipe it down, clean it off well, and apply an extra coat of antiseptic ointment. Wherever the ointment has been applied, he will place a piece of soft tissue or cellophane over the tattoo.
As soon as the tattoo is completed, the artists ought to tell you how to take care of your new tattoo. Some of the better artists will chat to you and give you a detailed sheet of instructions with all of the information you need. If you go to a tattoo artist who didn't explain this to you, you may be wondering what you ought to do. Taking care of a tattoo isn't hard as long as you realize what you can and can't do.
Once you get home with your new tattoo, you should on no account hop straight in the shower. You should keep it dry as much as you can for the first few days, and make sure you clean it every few hours. Before you touch the tattoo or clean it, you must always ensure that your hands are clean. If you keep your hands clean, you won't need to worry about an infection.
You'll also need to visit your local drugstore and purchase a tube of A&D ointment. A&D ointment is the best to apply. A&D will keep your tattoo clean and should be used for the first few days following receipt of your tattoo. Whenever the ointment starts to dry on the tattoo, you must wipe the old application off and apply some more. Don't rub it too hard, or you could harm the healing process. For the first few days, you will need to avoid using soap on it as well.
After 5 - 6 days, you can stop using the ointment. A&D ointment will keep your tattoo healthy, which you'll notice the first thing time you use it. Once you have stopped using it, you must use an unscented body lotion. You will want to steer clear of body lotions that have scents, as they can irritate the tender skin under your tattoo.
After you have used the lotion for a couple of days, you can stop using it. Most tattoos, once healed, tend to leave a scab in some areas. If your tattoo has a scab, you must be careful if you try to pick it. If you aren't careful, you could easily damage your design. The best thing you can do keep your tattoo design healthy is to leave it alone. You can continue to apply A&D ointment as a scab will very likely itch.
A tattoo can be a great thing to have providing you take proper care of it. Tattoos will stay with your for the rest of your life, unless you decide to get them surgically removed. Taking care of your tattoo will keep it healthy and infection free in the long term. If you follow the above guidance on how to take care of your tattoo you won't need to worry about it.
Mark has a great site full of tips on tattoo designs. Please take a look at http://www.tattoodesigns365.com
Source: http://ezinearticles.com/
Added: June 4, 2008
Camera caught thief's tattoo ID - United Press International
Rev: 'Tattoo Gays' Bums' - Sky News
Telegraph.co.uk Rev: ' Tattoo Gays' Bums' Sky News, UK - A clergyman who said all gays should have a health warning tattooed on their "backsides" may have to quit. Reverend Peter Mullen posted on his blog that ... Minister sorry for gay tattoo remark Tattoo gay people, priest writes Vicar could face disciplinary action for "sodomy" tattoo slurs -Tattoo clue led police to thief - BBC News
BBC News Tattoo clue led police to thief BBC News, UK - A car thief who had his name and date of birth tattooed on his neck was caught after CCTV images of him were used to track him down. ... Tattoo helped police track criminal Incriminating tattoo leads to imprisonment of car criminal (Bristol)