Have you ever dreamed of getting your favourite tattoo? If you’ve just got your first tattoo or are planning to get one, tattoo aftercare is by far the most important aspect to notice. Vaseline is one of the most common soaps that has been highly recommended by many people in tattoo aftercare phases. However, there are some controversial ideas on using Vaseline on healing a new tattoo.
So, is Vaseline good for tattoos?
By reading this article, you will find out why tattoo aftercare is an essential phase in the process of being inked and whether Vaseline is an excellent product for those new tattoos.
What is a tattoo?
A tattoo is a painting or a sequence of letters that have been marked on human skins either temporarily or permanently for some specific purposes. As an evidence of the mummified preserved skin and archaeological record since at least Neolithic times, practising tattoos has been well-known by ancient people. Throughout many centuries, from being the symbol of workers, sailors, and soldiers, the concept of having a tattoo has become a mainstream part of the fashion field, share among all levels of society. Today, being inked is another dynamic way of expressing your personality, identification, and emotion through art.
How to be inked?
The process of being inked is in charge by the tattoo artists. There are many different kinds of tattoo designs for you to choose before inserting ink, dyes as well as pigments, both indelible and temporary, right into the dermis layer of your skin. Although the process of making a tattoo sounds easy, being injected over 1000 times by needles is painful as well.
Tattoo aftercare – An essential role after being inked
After being inked, your brand new tattoo is rather a sensitive and opened wound that needs more attention to recover quickly and efficiently. Tattoo aftercare has a great influence on both the time for the regeneration and life expectancy of a tattoo. A new tattoo requires a lot of fresh-oxygenated air to heal appropriately. Moreover, it is vulnerable to get any unwanted damages which can lead to several severe complications. Infection appears among the top list of consequences when you do not take good care of tattoos.
Infection comes from two main factors
Contaminated ink
Mostly, tattoo artists get their inks as off-the-rack ingredients. As reported by a recently written document from the European Union’s Joint Research Center (JRC), it is stated that there are up to up to 100 different individual substances containing in tattoo ink. Those substances can be both the colour and source of materials and impurities of the used manufactured pigments. Thus, tattoo ink can often contain different kinds of bacteria.
So, it is no doubt that tattoos can cause severe health problems.
Careless tattoo aftercare process
According to the British Medical Journal, the man, who comes from Texas, had gotten his tattoo on a right leg, is an example. After three days since the last time he went swimming, he had to visit the hospital because of terrible infection on his tattoo. If only he had known that new tattoos must be avoided from water until it fully healed, this accident wouldn’t have happened.
Although there is an increase in the population who tattoos, there is still a lack of original epidemiological studies to look for. Thus, the topic of tattoos is less concerned about by both customers and artists. As evidence, the European Union has the Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Dangerous Products (RAPEX) system for tracing products that may pose risks to customers, but the impact isn’t out-spread enough, especially in the topic of tattoos.
What is Vaseline?
Vaseline is used by many people for decades thanks to its benefit for both skin and lips. It is well-known as an iconic formula as a multi-tasking performance from both moisturizing lips and dealing with rashes. So, is Vaseline a good choice for healing new tattoos? Before having a closer look at whether we should put Vaseline on healing tattoos, let’s break down its origin and features.
Vaseline’s main component, called petroleum jelly, which is discovered in the mid-1800s as the byproduct of the oil drilling process. After a decade of hardworking, the petroleum jelly was refined into a substance that can be marketed as a treatment for everything from rashes to dry skin. Thanks to the feature of petroleum jelly, Vaseline is capable of resisting water and playing a barrier preventing air or water from accessing the skin. Thus, there is doubt about “Is Vaseline good for tattoos?”.
Is Vaseline good for tattoos?
First assumption for Vaseline
With the ability to create a guarding barrier on the skin and hold in moisture, which discusses above, Vaseline is used in dealing skin’s problems such as lack of moisture, rashes, irritations, itchiness. A new tattoo is merely a sensitive wound whose skin’s surface and moisture just have temporarily destroyed. This vulnerable wound needs extra moisture to repair itself. That’s why Vaseline appears as the first and best choice in caring for a new tattoo. So, is Vaseline good for tattoos?
Problems with Vaseline
Is Vaseline good in the healing process for tattoos?
For many people, Vaseline is a product that is often associated with healing wounds well, but it is indeed a bad soap for tattoos.
Vaseline may carry some potential problems when using it for new tattoos:
Enhance the number of bacterias
By creating a moist and humid environment between Vaseline and skin, it might encourage the growth of germs and harmful bacterias on your tattoo, which leads to severe infection and irritation.
Limit the process of healing
When overusing Vaseline as a medication in pushing the healing process, you have accidentally created a “nothing comes or in” barrier covering your tattoo, which is formed by Vaseline, not only doesn’t play a good role in caring for your tattoos but also skip your skin from breathing fresh air, and slow down the healing process.
Fade the colour of ink
While a tattoo needs time to set in the dermis layer of the skin, Vaseline has been noticed to draw ink out of the skin layer that can probably create an area of fading and patchiness.
Due to some potential effects from using Vaseline as a tattoo aftercare cream, why is Vaseline still be used and recommended as a good product in some tattoo aftercare phases for new tattoos by tattoo artists?
Can we use Vaseline on tattoos?
What is Vaseline’s good role in the healing process for tattoos? And, when can we use it?
Luckily, we can, but just on specific occasions.
After getting a new tattoo
When your tattoo artist finishes his job, your new tattoo will be covered by a thin layer of Vaseline provided with a nonstick bandage to prevent the tattoo from sticking to the bandage causing undesirable pain.
You can remove the bandage after a required amount of time, and gently wash your tattoo with lukewarm water and pat it dry. Then continue your tattoo aftercare process.
Getting contact with water for a long time
Long bathing or swimming can increase the high chance of fading the colour of your new tattoo. Thanks to the water-resistant characteristic, there is an active shield, created by Vaseline, acts as a good coat for covering new tattoos from the water.
For more details on what you should do on SHOWERING WITH NEW TATTOO, please have a small visit to this link.
Can I use Vaseline during shower right after getting a new tattoo? – The answer is yes.
Once you’ve taken the bandage from your tattoo artist, you can have a shower as soon as you want, and it needs to be short. Thus, the bandage also including with Vaseline creates a shield that can protect your tattoo from the water.
Moreover, you should remember the time to take off the bandage according to your tattoo artist. If he/she has any regulations on when can you take a shower after getting a tattoo, please follow their instructions.
Using Vaseline on tattoo
In order not to allow your tattoos to get soaked in water during bathing, there are few special techniques that you should be aware of, when using Vaseline as a good shield for tattoos.
- Apply a small amount of Vaseline on your new tattoos before going to bath.
- Now enjoy your bathing while Vaseline will take care of everything.
- After bathing, clear the Vaseline off your skin with lukewarm water and non-chemical soap.
- Ensure your tattoo area to be dried by gently patting it with a towel.
How often can we use Vaseline
Within two days, which is count from the first day you’ve just got your new tattoo. Except for showering, Vaseline mustn’t be used for healing your tattoos.
How long can we apply Vaseline on our tattoos
Is using Vaseline for a long time good for tattoos?
It has known that Vaseline is only good for tattoos during bathing time. In other tattoo aftercare phases, it is an inappropriate product to be considered putting on your new tattoo. Therefore, you must remove Vaseline from your tattoo immediately after showering.
The big question is – What if I already use Vaseline for healing my tattoo?
Calm down and take it easy.
You cannot change the past, but at least you can do something to ease the situation right now.
Although Vaseline is not good for caring new tattoos and cause unwanted results, there are ways to cool off this upsetting issue.
- Instead of using Vaseline as a tattoo aftercare cream to heal your wound, only apply it during a long shower.
- If you come across with any changes or damages on your skin area, please immediately get in contact with your dermatologist.
- Waiting for the tattoo to heal completely to check out any signs of fading or patchiness.
- Contacting your tattoo artist for any touch-up if there are any problems with your tattoo’s colour.
Guideline on tattoo aftercare
Treating your tattoos with neglect during the process of healing can lead to several problems on your skin, which requires more time and efforts to fix it.
But don’t worry! Follow these high-recommended instructions, 5 DOs and 3 DON’Ts, will not only walk you through your tattoo aftercare but also help your tattoo journey become much easier.
5 things you need to know
Leave your bandage or wrap on until told by your artist
Try to follow your artist’s instructions because only he knows which length of time is best to remove the bandage from your tattoo.
Listen to your artist’s advice is listen to your tattoo.
Wash your tattoo regularly
Continue to use a non-chemical soap and lukewarm water to clean your tattoo twice a day.
Avoid rubbing your tattoo after cleaning it
Gently pat your tattoo’s area with a clean towel.
Apply a small amount of lotion
By applying a thin layer of the aftercare products or lotions on your tattoo, you have just moisturized and nourished the area.
These aftercare products/lotions must not contain any chemicals or artificial scents. If you haven’t made any decisions on choosing your cream or lotion yet.
Continue to take good care of your tattoo once healed
Ensure you continue to follow these tips above. Happy skin equals a happy looking tattoo.
3 things you musn’t do
Don’t pick and pull at the flaking/scabbing skin
Picking away at your healing tattoo can delay the healing time, cause fading, and increase the chances of infection.
Stay away from the sun
Neither leaving your tattoo uncovered under intense sunlight nor applying any sunscreen on the area until it has fully healed.
Stay away from water
Water, especially in the swimming pools, contains kinds of bacteria that can ruin your new tattoo if you decide to go swimming during your tattoo healing process. That’s why try to shorten your bathing time and avoid going swimming until your tattoo heals properly.
Here is the bible guidance that can help you get through your struggling during tattoo aftercare phases. Now you have had an awareness of “Is Vaseline good for tattoos?” including its advantages and disadvantages as an aftercare product for a new tattoo. Thus, you can know when and how you should put Vaseline on your new tattoo during the healing process. So you don’t need to look for an answer on “Is Vaseline good for your tattoos?” because there are ways to help take good care of your tattoos apart from Vaseline.
Hope this article can give you a full prospect of both Vaseline for tattoos and some tattoo aftercare phases. For many people, an informed choice is always the best consideration, especially when it comes to something as personal as your skin. For further explanations, please do not hesitate to contact us. We’re glad to help.
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