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Tattoo After Care
A tattoo is a permanent marking or design made by inserting pigments into the skin to for ornamental or other purposes. The word comes from the Tahitian "tatu" meaning, "to mark something". The purpose of tattooing has varies from culture to culture. Tattoos made on humans are a kind of decorative body modification, while tattoos on animals are mainly for identification purposes or branding.
Tattoos have been said to exist since 12,000 years BC. Depending on the culture and its place on the time line, they have been used for spiritual and religious rites as well as marks of fertility, decorations for bravery, amulets, protection, luck, and marks for convicts, or a signified membership in a clan or society.
During the 1700s, Captain Cook made a number of trips to the South Pacific. The people of London were anxious to see the art and artifacts he brought. Upon his return, he showed a heavily tattooed Polynesian named Omai who became a phenomenon in London. Following this, tattooing became a fad and the upper class started getting small tattoos in discreet places. Eventually, the electric tattoo machine evolved and allowed just about anyone to get a reasonably priced tattoo. Since then, an average person was able to easily get a tattoo for a reasonable price and as a result, the upper classes ultimately turned away from it.
Today, tattooing is making a strong comeback. People from all social classes seek the best tattoo artists. Skilled artists have emerged and tattoo pigments have undergone refinement as well as advancement in the equipments used for tattooing.
The process of tattooing involves placement of ink or pigment into the skin's dermis. The dermis is the layer of connective tissue beneath the epidermis. During the procedure, a needle that is attached to a machine with tubes containing dye penetrates the skin repeatedly. In this way, the needle inserts tiny ink droplets. This process causes a small amount of bleeding and potentially significant pain. After the initial injection of the pigment, it is dispersed down through the epidermis and upper dermis. Since the pigment is considered as a foreign body, this causes activation of the body’s immune system. The phagocytes or “cell eaters” are white cells that engulf the foreign particles that enter the body.
As healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis layer peels away, thus removing the pigment on the surface. In the deeper layers of the skin, granulation tissue forms (soft, pink, fleshy projections that form during the healing process in a wound). This is then subsequently converted to connective tissue by collagen growth (collagen gives skin its strength and durability), mending the upper dermis.
The pigment then remains trapped within fibroblasts, ultimately concentrating in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Tattoos appear to be in the outer layer of the skin or the dermis, but the pigment is actually deposited on the second layer of the skin, which is the dermis. The presence of the ink there is stable but still, in the long term, the pigment has a tendency to move deeper into the dermis. This is the reason for eventual fading and detail loss of old tattoos.
Tattoos are permanent marks on your skin and can only be removed by surgery or laser. The process is perfectly safe when done by professionals but it is still considered a minor operation.
After the procedure, the tattoo must be covered with bandage for a minimum of two hours but no longer than 12 hours. The bandage will keep the air borne bacteria from getting into the wound since this is very susceptible to bacteria and infection. Plastic wrap is not an appropriate covering material since this will suffocate the wound area. Once the bandage is removed, the tattoo is never rebandaged. All wounds need to breathe if they are to heal properly.
With clean hands, carefully remove the bandage. Ensure that this is done gently and aseptically. Cleanliness is an important part of tattoo aftercare.Do not let other people touch the new tattoo as this may introduce infection to the site. The area is then washed with water and antibacterial soap to remove blood and plasma. This should be mild and free of any harsh fragrances and oils. If the tattoo area feels slimy and slippery, this may be from oozing plasma. Remove as much of it as possible since plasma dries on the skin surface and creates scabs. The area is then air-dried. If using a clean towel, gently pat the wound and do not rub.
Alcohols and peroxides should not be used to clean the tattoo area since they cause dryness.
Wear clean and dry clothes to cover the tattoo.
After Inked is a specialised product that can be used right after the tattooing process and is applied continuously three times a day until the tattoo is healed. Apply enough to keep the moisture in and to keep the wound from scabbing.
Itchiness during the healing period is normal but it is important not to scratch or rub the area. If the scab comes off too soon, this might leave a blank spot in the design.
One of the key things to ensure a long-lasting colour and detail for tattoos is to keep it moisturized. The moisture will prevent the tattoo from developing a scab, which can rob it of colour.
A tattoo should initially heal within a week, but complete healing will take up to 45 days, which is the amount of time it takes for skin to regenerate itself after being damaged.
Avoid swimming for the first two weeks to avoid infection from exposure to chlorine and bacteria. Hot baths and soaks also should be avoided until tattoo is fully healed since this may cause over-hydration of the skin and may wash out the tattoo ink. Short showers are best at this stage.
Avoid exposure to the sun and tanning salons for at least a month since this can initiate a reaction.
After the tattoo is healed, sunscreen is to be applied daily. Wearing sunscreen with at least SPF 15 will significantly extend the life of a tattoo and will keep the colours longer. Overexposure to the sun can fade the pigments or dyes used in the tattoos.
Continue using After Inked every day to keep your tattoo vibrant and moisturised.
The amount of ink that remains in the dermal area will essentially influence the final look of the tattoo.
Best Products to Use
Petroleum jelly is inexpensive and readily available but it has been found that petroleum-based products have no healing agents. Organic solvents (eg, acetone, petroleum products, propylene glycol) are very drying, can be irritating, and cause irritant or less commonly allergic contact dermatitis.1 Petroleum jelly or petrolatum was originally promoted as a topical ointment for its healing properties. Today, its medicinal value as a "cure-all" has since been limited. It should not be used on wounds or fresh burns of any kind, including sunburn. These products traps heat inside, thus worsening burns and fresh wounds.2 Furthermore, petroleum jelly tends to drain the colour from a tattoo.3
Neosporin is an antibiotic ointment that has also been previously popular in tattoo care. The popular topical antibiotic has been seen to cause allergic reactions in some people. The problem arises when neomycin, one of Neosporin’s active ingredients, gets into the bloodstream and prompts an immune system response – an allergy.4 On the use of Neosporin, Dr. Suzan Obagi, Director of The Cosmetic Surgery and Skin Health Center in UPMC and an expert on skin health restoration and cosmetic dermatologic surgery, said that “It could be an hour, it could be a day, [but] you start to see increased redness and tenderness,” and that “in more severe cases, blistering and scabbing could also occur”.5 When applied to tattoos, this may result in the appearance of tiny red bumps on the skin. When the bumps disappear, what is left is a “spotted” tattoo”. As with other antibiotic preparations, prolonged use of Neosporin may result in overgrowth of nonsusceptible organisms including fungi.6
Bacitracin is a medication used to prevent skin infections in minor skin injuries (e.g., scrapes, cuts, small burns). It is an antibiotic that works by killing the bacteria on the skin that can cause infection. Bacitracin was also used in tattoo aftercare for the reason that it was reported to cause fewer allergic reactions than Neosporin.
However, in a clinical abstract by Sharon E. Jacob, MD and William D. James, MD from the Department of Dermatology of the University of Pennsylvania, Bacitracin is an antibiotic that is produced by Bacillus subtilis, which is used in several types of consumer products, including cosmetics and ophthalmic and cutaneous ointments. Mass usage has resulted in an increasing number of clinically relevant allergic contact dermatitis reactions and near fatal anaphylaxis. The North American Contact Dermatitis Group has recorded its emergence as a leading allergen and continues to monitor the ever-growing allergic reaction rates.7
Bacitracin is not recommended for use on large areas of the skin. It contains petrolatum that traps heat inside, worsening the tattoo wounds. Bacitracin is petroleum-based and petroleum jelly tends to drain the colour from a tattoo.8
Currently, specialty creams and lotions are available be used to further support healing of the tattoo. However, many of these formulas are petroleum-based, contain fragrance, methyl parabens, poly parabens, henoxyethanol, propylene glycol, and iazolidinyl urea – all of which can do damage to the tattooed skin.
What are parabens? Parabens are a group of chemicals widely used as preservatives for medicines and cosmetics. Typically, more than one paraben is used in a product, and they are often used in combination with other types of preservatives to provide preservation against a broad range of microorganisms. The use of mixtures of parabens allows the use of lower levels while increasing preservative activity.9
However, parabens have been known to cause skin irritation, contact dermatitis, and reportedly causes certain cancers. Further research is necessary to determine the safety of parabens and many natural personal care manufacturers and products have stopped using parabens and are seeking alternatives.
Parabens can induce allergic contact dermatitis and posses estrogenic activity. A study from University of Parma aimed at assessing the skin permeation and retention of methyl- (MP), ethyl- (EP) and propyl- (PP) paraben from three commercial cosmetic creams. The results obtained indicate that parabens are capable of permeating through and accumulating in the skin.10
After Inked is paraben-free.
Grape Seed Oil is the key ingredient of After Inked. It is a vegetable oil pressed from the seeds of various varieties of grapes. Grape seed oil is a preferred cosmetic ingredient to use in all products for damaged and stressed tissues. It has been known to possess regenerative and restructuring qualities that provide better skin moisturisation. It can facilitate retention of the normal structure of the skin’s epithelium. Grape seed oil contains more linoleic acid (proven anti-inflammatory and moisture retention properties) than many other carrier oils.
Among other beneficial effects, the active compounds in grape seed are believed to have antioxidant properties. In fact, a recent study of healthy volunteers found that supplementation with grape seed extract substantially increased levels of antioxidants in the blood. Antioxidants are substances that destroy free radicals -- damaging compounds in the body that alter cell membranes, tamper with DNA (genetic material), and even cause cell death. Antioxidants found in grape seeds can neutralize free radicals and may reduce or even help prevent some of the damage they cause.11 When used on tattoos, it aids in the healing by regenerating the damaged blood vessels, strengthening skin tissue, and preserving the skin’s natural moisture.
After Inked is used from start to finish, After Inked is applied as soon as the artist finishes tattooing, every day, 2-3 times a day to aid in the healing of the tattoo and then to keep the tattoo moisturized and vibrant. After Inked provides superior skin hydration with minimal scabbing, resulting in tattoos that heal better and colours that last much longer.
A tattoo is like an investment. Proper care should be provided from the start and even if the tattoo looks healed, it must not be neglected. After Inked is a tattoo moisturiser and aftercare lotion, for new and existing tattoos, from start to finish.
Any tattoo will eventually fade to some degree with age. This cannot be totally stopped but it can be kept to a minimum. In choosing the right cream or lotion for tattoo care, consider the substances included in the formulation. Look out for products that do not list the ingredients on the package since they may contain substances that may cause damage to the tattoo and the surrounding skin.
The purpose of tattoo aftercare is to make the tattoo last longer and preserve its original appearance and minimise the need for touch-ups. Whether you just got fresh ink or you have an existing tattoo that you want to maintain, After Inked provides both immediate care and long-term maintenance.
Do you have any questions? Yes, then please visit our new forum and ask a question. It's very quick & easy and you do not have to register!
Sources:
1 www.merck.com
2 www.wikipedia.org
3 www.kidshealth.org
4 stanford.wellsphere.com
5 Stanford.wellsphere.com
6 dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/fda
7 www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal
8 www.kidshealth.org
9 www.foodsafety.gov
10 National Center for Biotechnology Information - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
11 University of Maryland Medical Center - www.umm.edu/altmed
