Tattoo- Tattoos And Their Healing Stages

by Kelvin Ho

A fresh tattoo is more or less an open wound so it requires the right aftercare so that it can heal properly. Each stage of the healing process means that the tattoo will need a different sort of caring method. Tattoos should be kept clean at all costs and should be exposed to the least amount of germs possible. Healing stages tend to be unique to various individuals so this is something you will have to consider as well.

Lots of factors tend to play their respective roles in the manner which your tattoo will heal. Some of these factors include the type of skin that you have, where the tattoo is located on your anatomy and the tattoo artist as well as the methods involved in creating and engraving the tattoo.

When your tattoo has been completed, the tattoo artist will usually place a bandage over the tattoo and tell you not to remove it for a few hours in order to limit the external exposure that your fresh tattoo gets.

Getting a fresh tattoo is somewhat like having some form of minor surgery so if your tattoo bleeds a little bit in the initial 24-hour period after you get it, consider it normal. A bandage should usually assist in absorbing any bleeding which results from your tattoo immediately after the procedure. You should also be rather careful when your bandage is being removed and you should not allow a huge amount of blood dry on your bandage.

As soon as it is time to get the bandage off from your tattoo, you should do it rather carefully. It may be possible that some amount of blood has dried on the bandage and ripping it off suddenly could ruin the look of your new tattoo.

The initial healing stage of your tattoo is something that you tend to experience almost immediately so you should expect your tattoo to be red, sore and perhaps a bit swollen. Other than this you might also get a slight stinging feeling somewhat like sunburn. Others who have experienced getting a tattoo might liken the experience to sunburn as well.

The healing process with tattoos is almost the same as recovering from bad sunburn. It is a rather common occurrence for a new tattoo to peel after a number of days. You should never attempt to peel away any part of the skin yourself because doing so might result in you pulling the ink out of your tattoo and leaving it discolored and uneven in terms of the way it looks.

You might also experience the tight, dry and itchy feeling which comes with a new tattoo. You should continue applying tattoo aftercare lotion in order to moisturize the tattoo and reduce the symptoms experienced. You might see some small particles of colored skin drift off your tattoo as it heals and this is rather normal as well.

These are the usual healing stages associated with new tattoos: Week one, expect soreness and redness, and slight bleeding is common during the initial 24 hours following your procedure. Week two, expect the tattoo to flake or peel and your tattoo may become itchy. Week three, which is usually the final week of the healing process scabbing and peeling will have subsided although the area might still feel sensitive.