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Anyone offer any advice on tattoo aftercare. Tattooist told me one thing but everyone else has told me something else!
General consensus seems to be wash it then use bepanthen over it.
Any tips appreciated
The general consensus is bang on. Follow it to the letter.
Keep the cling film on for three or so hours, wash, pat dry with kitchen towel, apply a very light layer of bep and recover with cling film. Wash, bep and recover three times a day for the first two or free days then lose the cling film and switch to wash and bepanthen four times a day, once it has peeled switch to moisturiser.
Yeah keep cling film on for 2-4 hours then remove and wash with a very gentle sensitive skin not majorly scented soap but dont scrub it just wash it and very lightly pat dry. I personally then apply bepanthen or e45 to keep it moist for the next two days or so, I generally try to apply about three times a day so it never dries out and find this tends to stop it scabbing over too much. After the two or so days I then just completely ignore it and wash etc like normal in the shower and try to avoid rubbing all the flaky bits off even though it can be tempting to try to remove it! Now more importantly photos!?
Here you go golfchick. Only about a quarter done. First tattoo ever and managed 6 hours.
still a way to go on it
6 hours? Good effort! I got mine (same sort of place as yours) done in 4/5 hours. I definitely couldn't have sat for any longer.
Yeah six hours is a really good effort for a first sitting. I had three hours for a leg tattoo the other weekend and I couldn't stand anymore, turns out back of legs hurts waaaaay more than arms IMO, some suggested it's down to the muscle.
Genuinely not being antagonistic, folk with skull/dragon etc tatts, do you have other artwork of this sort in your life?
Oh and bepanthin and cling film, changed twice a day for the first week or so.
Nice tat - when's your next session?
I couldn't tolerate the cling film for more than the first overnight. Similar length sessions.
The next week I wash 3-4 times a day and use bep. After that it's e45 till the tub has gone.
Factor 50 if in short sleeves from April - October and I wear long sleeves if I'm going to be in the sun for a long time. Night time a nice coconut moisturiser most nights. A nice moisturiser brings out the colour and makes it look fresh 🙂
Al - what are you looking for? I have Jap artwork on my skin but none hanging on the walls. I just really like the colour, detail and shading like with yim's Hokusai waves
I've currently got this waiting for a frame before going up. My tattoo is fairly similar to the dragon at the bottom of the picture. I've also got a few japanese woodblock prints up as well.
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Had around 70 hours of tattooing in total and never really noticed much difference between healing using different methods. I've just let them dry out before and done nothing and they scab more, but pretty much heal the same eventually. Would recommend the usual bepanthem route anyway as it speeds it up.
6 hours is my usual session time too. I'd take 6 hours tattooing over 10 minutes of lasering any day, that's another league of pain!
Don't go to an Andrew WK gig and knock off all the scabs
Don't go to a Biffy Clyro gig and have some mental bird try to scrape it off with her fingernails to "prove" it's fake.
Next session will probably be next month after Glastonbury captain slow. The tattooist seemed genuinely excited to carry it on which was nice.
Cynical Al. Not sure what you're getting at? I like skulls and Japanese style tattoos. I don't wear howling wolf tshirts if that's what you mean
I really hope this doesn't turn into a tattoo debate thread. Be a while til we see an update as I think it's wait a couple of months or weeks between sessions. That and another six hour session means ££££!
6hrs! Dear lord I was getting "weary" after 3! I could probably have stretched to 4 but not six. The shading was the killer for me.
Oh and I did the bep thing for a couple of weeks with no scabbing and it all healed pretty quickly.
I've a question though, is it a bad idea to get waxing done over a tattoo?
Don't go to an Andrew WK gig [s]and knock off all the scabs[/s]
Sound advice Northwind!
I'm not the debating kind. It's all down to personal taste. Was struggling the last half hour and have a banging headache this morning
I find bepanthem a bit sticky. I use E45 twice a day. aside from that, just wet your hand and give it a rub from time to time.
I've had different advice from different tattooists over the years, ranging from haemorrhoid cream, Aloe vera, savlon, to nothing at all!
big yim - Member
Here you go golfchick. Only about a quarter done. First tattoo ever and managed 6 hours.
still a way to go on it
POSTED 13 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
6 hours? Has he done more than what's on that pic?
Yeah there's a bit more than that. Plus he only charged me for 4 hours
I've used bepanthen on all of mine and they've all healed nicely. I only keep the cling film on for the way home then take it off, gets all sweaty and gunky otherwise which I hate.
as mentioned bepanthen is a winner, dont' let it soak in a bath for at least 2 weeks, showers are fine and dandy. 6 hours of lining work in one sitting was fun, shading is never really been a problem for me. edge of the ribs, base of the neck, behind my knee and tip of the elbow were definitely "ooooo ya cheeky blighter" moments. Just need to get the thigh and bum done to finish my half body (give or take a few wobbly bits) samoan suit
Contrary to popular belief - Bepanthem is the wrong thing to use.
Its great at forming a barrier on kids arses to stop the ammonia damaging their skin but those properties make it the wrong choice for tattoo healing.
Cling film - yes. 3-4hrs after then remove and wipe with clean warm water.
Allow to dry naturally then nothing for 12hrs.
Allows the first part of the healing to start.
Then aloe vera or the highest concentrate moisturiser you can get containing it.
Keep applying it as often as you can keeping it soft - NO RUBBING!
No soaking in the bath until its healed - showers are fine.
Soap only - no body washes/smelly crap.
Bepanthem is the wrong thing to use
Shit! Looks like everyone is wrong then!!! 😆
I hope all my tattoos don't fade out now as all I used was bepanthem. 😕 😆
I have found with pretty much any (non broken )skin wound keeping it covered/moist helps healing MASSIVELY.
Re my earlier Q, I just wonder why there is the proliferation of skulls/flaming 8-balls/Jap art when it comes to tattoos.
Laser?!? Was that a removal or a new way of doing tattoos?
Nice work big yim. I had a 3/4 sleeve finished recently which involved a couple of 7hr sessions, most of it was dot work so not too bad but kudos for sitting for 6hrs for your first time.
As for care, I left mine wrapped for a couple of hours, washed it, patted dry and applied cocoa butter twice a day until the scabs had fallen off. This is what the tattooist recommended and it's worked out perfectly, plus it smells amazing. Good luck with your next session.
chris85 - Member
Bepanthem is the wrong thing to use
Shit! Looks like everyone is wrong then!!!
I hope all my tattoos don't fade out now as all I used was bepanthem.
Its keeping it moist so it "works" but it isn't the correct thing to use because of "how" it works.
Any emollient such as E45, Nivea, etc is better than none - just Bepanthem's ingredients can be detrimental to certain inks because of its designed use as a barrier cream rather than a moisturiser.
I know of a number of artists who won't do any remedial work or even new work if you use Bepanthem on theirs during healing.
well according to the tattooists I know (which is a lot) , including some internationally famous folks, bepanthen is fine and dandy, there are various stories about marbling and so on, usually from the same tattooists that happen to be selling tattoo care creme or from websites selling the same sort of "aftercare" kits 😀
I got rid of the cling film after the first night.
First night clean it with non purfumed soap and reapply cling without moisturer and wait half a day after taking it off to start with the moisturising. Not sure why, but that's what i was told to do!
Then after that just moisturise it whenever you think about it for the first week. And then morning and evening for the next couple of weeks. And clean it a couple of times a day to start with.
I used Palmers cocoa butter, the non fragranced one, as apparently less likely to cause irritation. Healed nicely. No scabbing at all. Bit of flaking tho.
Been washing it in carex hand soap as it's anti bacterial then using bepanthen. Seems to be doing the trick so far
Was in Aldi earlier - they've got a shitload of bepanthen in, so it must be the right stuff* !
(* unless babies still have arses, I suppose)
Who did your work youngrob? Have got a dotwork arm.
I just booked my latest tattoo.
He reckons 5 sessions to get it done.
It will be half a welsh dragon's face looking directly at you covering half my back.
It will all be done in ASCII characters.
The problem is he can't see me until December as they're busy.
I'm going [url=
The work they produce there is amazing.
I had a 4 hour sitting for my shoulder and Bepanthen was what I used as per tattooists recommendation . Remember to dab dry after shower, don't rub for a good few says.
schrickvr6, Jason Corbett did my arm at Red Hot and Blue in Edinburgh.
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Nice, I love dotwork stuff 🙂 Here's my arm at the minute some of which is based off pictures I took in Canada. I kinda wish I'd got less flowery stuff and bigger mountains but I'm happy with it. Considered a cover up on some of them but I can't really be arsed to go through the cost and pain of laser plus a new tattoo! Will eventually be a full sleeve, just deciding which artist to go for the rest of it as I want the rest to be more "joined up" as one big piece rather than individual pieces if that makes sense.
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Just had another sitting. Jumped out the shower and I think I've rubbed it with a towel!! Is this impending doom ? Was it all wasted. I can't even remember drying my arm. Don't panic!!!!