It is important for anyone to properly take care of their skin after getting a tattoo, to avoid infections and complications. Usually tattoo takes two full weeks to properly heal. The following recommended tips will help you take care and heal your fresh tattoo. By following these simple tips, your tattoo will heal at a quicker pace, look wonderful, and reduce the risks of having infections.

• What to do after getting a tattoo: After you get a tattoo, the tattoo artist will clean and bandage your tattoo. The bandage will be removed after at least 2-3 hours, or once you arrive home from the tattoo shop. The reason for this is to seal up the traumatised skin and to prevent the coming out of lymphatic fluid and blood. When it is already time for you to remove the bandage, gently wash your new tattoo by using an anti-bacterial and non-abrasive soap. Do this for at least two weeks. Using a wash cloth is prohibited unless your tattoo is already fully healed. Wash it using your hands and avoid scrubbing it. It would be better if you cover your tattoo with a loose-fitting, protective clothing, rather than having it redressed with a bandage.

• What to do during healing: 
• Bathing: Careful handling of your tattoo should be done in the first 2-3 days while taking a bath. Never soak yourself in a hot tub, take a hot shower, or go to steam and sauna rooms. The hot water will open your pores and take out the impurities in your skin, including the tattoo ink pigment. Just use lukewarm water and minimise your time in the shower. 
• Swimming: During the first week of your tattoo, avoid swimming, soaking yourself in a Jacuzzi or bath tub. These are possible sources of bacteria and other foreign substances that might infect your tattoo. The only time you can start swimming is when your tattoo has fully healed. Swimming while still scabbing can cause loss of pigment, which can make your tattoo look unattractive. 
• Tanning/Sunlight: Eventually, your tattoos will fade. However, prolonged exposure to UV rays, will make it fade faster. Avoid too much exposure from the sun and tanning beds. In order to make your tattoo look great throughout the years, limit your exposure to direct sunlight or if it really can’t be avoided, apply sunscreen to the tattoo. 
• If during the healing process your tattoo becomes irritated, red, itchy or secretes fluid, see your doctor immediately. 

• How about anti-bacterial ointments? Since a tattoo is an open wound, it is more prone to bacterial infection. Taking the fundamental preventative measures and practising good hygiene will significantly reduce the chances of having serious infections. For the first 2-3 days, apply a thin layer of antibacterial ointment to the tattoo. This must be done repeatedly throughout the day in order to make sure that the tattooed area of the skin does not dry up and be infected. Bacitracin, which can be found in the first aid section of your local drugstore, is a recommended medicine. Wear loose-fitting clothes in order to allow the tattoo to breathe. 

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