With proper tattoo care, your tattoos will look brand new for many years. Finally getting that tattoo you've always wanted is exciting. Just don't let it overwhelm your learning to taking care of tattoo properly. Give your body art that tender loving care it needs. Don't you want your tattoos to look sharp and vibrant for years to come? Invest some time to learn the new tattoo care tips here.

Wrap It Up

After finish tattooing, a professional tattoo artist will wipe and clean the tattoo carefully, before applying a coat of antiseptic ointment. He will then dress the tattoo properly like any wound. By the time you leave his shop, your tattooist would have bandaged his newest work of body art nicely.

It's best to leave the tattoo wrapped up for at least 10 to 12 hours if your tattooist gave no instructions. This protects the tattooed skin while it's at its most vulnerable. Done properly, the dressing helps heal the tattoo properly without scabbing. Try not to dress the tattoo again yourself after taking the old bandage off. You may trap dirt and lint under the gauze, thus irritating and even infecting your tattooed skin.

Keep It Clean

Cleaning is a must of new tattoo care. Like any other new wound, fluid will be oozing from the tattoo as part of the healing process. Wiping off the oozing body fluid with a clean tissue is normally sufficient.

You should clean the new tattoo every few hours. More frequently where needed. Before you touch the tattoo, make sure your hands are clean. If you keep your hands clean, you won't have to worry about an infection.

Use Moisturizing Tattoo Care Ointment

Keeping your tattoo lightly moist helps in the healing process. It keeps the scabs from falling off too early and leaving unwanted scars. So you want to consider taking care of tattoo with ointment or lubrication.

Besides keeping the tattoo moist, tattoo lubrication can keep it clean and shiny. Be warned though. Everyone have their own ideas of what makes a good lubrication for tattoo after care. There are as many recommendations as there are tattooists.

I'll chip in my own ideas here to get you going:

• Petroleum-based products are affordable but don't help in healing or preventing infection.
• Neosporin is an antibiotic ointment which some find to preserve the tattoo ink colors well too.
• Some hold bacitracin as the big thing in tattoo after care. It fights infection and keeps the tattooed skin moist and healthy.
• Others have found A&D ointment a good alternative. It has vitamins to promote healing though it doesn't fight infection.
• Most importantly: No matter how good a recommendation, there are bound to be cases of allergic reactions. So make sure you patch test the ointment before applying it over your tattoos.

Whatever your choice of lubrication, use it frequently. Don't let your fresh tattoo dry out. Wipe the lubrication off when it starts to dry, then apply a fresh thin coat over the tattoo. Rub it gently, or you risk hurting the tattooed skin.

After a week or so, you can use body lotion instead of the tattoo lubrication. Avoid scented lotion. The scent can easily irritate the healing skin.

Resist the Itch

During the healing process, your tattooed skin is bound to itch. Don't scrub or scratch your new tattoo. Eventually, the tattoo will develop a layer of dry skin over the top. Don't pick at the scabs. Resist the urge to peel or scrub them off. They are nature's way of protecting the newly traumatized skin. Let them fall off naturally.

Picking the scabs off is not only gross, it's also painful. You will bleed and you're just asking for infection. You could end up damaging the tattoo design too. If your tat looks ugly, do you still feel like showing it off?

No Water, No Sun, No Problem

The color of your new tattoo is especially susceptible to fading in the first two weeks. Take these few precautionary steps of new tattoo care to prevent that from happening.

Firstly, you should never hop right in the shower once you get home from the tattoo shop. Soaking in the bathtub is a bad idea too. In fact, avoid spending time in any water. Especially water that has chemicals in it, such as swimming pools or hot tubs, is a BIG No-No.

Keep the tattoo dry for a week or so. But please don't go to the other extreme. Direct sunlight is equally bad to your tattoos. It's a cause of fading too.

Ask for Help

Always ask for help when you're unsure of how to care for tattoo. This is the best tip on proper tattoo care if I do so say myself.

Your tattoo artist is the first resource you can rely on. A professional tattooist would have given you plenty of new tattoo care tips before you left his shop. But that doesn't mean you can't go back to him whenever you run into problems or need clarifications. So give your tattooist a call when in doubt.

Never forget about your own medical doctor either. The tattoist may be knowledgeable, but he's not medically trained. Consult your own doctor if necessary, especially when the tattooed area becomes infected.

Healthy and vibrant tattoos are a great thing to have. The visual body art is a joy that will stay with you for the rest of your life. So it's well worth the time and efforts to properly care for them. Taking care of tattoo to make it healthy and vibrant really isn't that difficult. You can take the first step by simply following the tips on new tattoo care outlined here.

New Tattoo Care Ointment