Your Tattoo Aftercare Can Kill You

For a moment, consider ink...

Tattoos are both costly and permanent. That is, unless you want to pay for 5-10 laser tattoo removal treatments at about $150 each session, which is what many of my clients have done.

You want your tattoo to heal correctly if you want to maintain the ink in your skin for years and years. Unfortunately, most individuals (even tattoo artists) are unaware that the healing process may make or ruin a tattoo.

This isn't to say that a superb artist can't dupe you by recommending old-school aftercare goods. Many people have done it for decades and continue to do it effectively. It also does not imply that a novice or shady artist can provide excellent aftercare while overworking your skin and expecting a properly healed tattoo.

The main issue with 90 percent of all tattoos is a period known as "hard-healing." Scabbing, rashes, pimples, itchy white lumps, or excessive peeling may develop here. What causes this to happen? Scabbing might be caused by overworked skin, a weakened immune system, or a variety of other factors.

Most typically, "healing" aftercare products like lanolin, petroleum, mineral oil, sea salt, food grade coloring, or alcohol are utilized, all of which have hazardous and even death adverse effects. When it comes to tattoos, none of those components are therapeutic.

Let me list the factors that may result in the aforementioned scenarios.

Lanolin is made from sheep's wool. It is an allergy, includes pesticides, and may cause rashes, oozing, or skin infections, as well as increasing sun sensitivity. Lanolin may induce diarrhea, digestive difficulties, and vomiting when used internally.

Petroleum/mineral oil is a recognized carcinogen, a laxative, and a byproduct of gasoline. These substances deplete the body's vitamins and raise the chance of scrotal, cutaneous, stomach, rectal, bladder, and respiratory-tract malignancies.

Food grade colorants may be derived from animal, plant, insect, and synthetic sources. Some colorants are generated from coal tar and are tested on animals on a regular basis owing to their carcinogenic qualities.

While alcohol and sea salt are both cleaning, they will dry out tattoos and hence destroy them. These substances have the ability to both heat up and burn the skin. Have you ever heard the expression "pouring salt into an open wound?"

These are only a handful of the substances utilized in both the tattooing and healing processes.

A tattoo is an open wound that should be handled as such.

Would you obtain your tattoo aftercare items from your mechanic? Some of the materials described above are analogous to splattering motor oil over your tattoo. The main conclusion is that if you use lesser supplies, your tattoos will be inferior!

Why would you take a product that causes sickness, diarrhea, or cancer on your major organ? "Hard healing" may also result in scars and encourages you to worry unduly about what will be permanently left on you. Poor recovery is a HUGE WASTE OF TIME for everyone concerned.

You spend a lot of time choosing a clean shop and a great artist, and even more time having your artists develop a permanent piece of art on your body. Why would you then fail at the most critical stage of the healing process by utilizing a subpar aftercare product?

Why would you use a "healing" salve that has ANY color (food grade or not) when it is suggested that no smells or colors be used in lotions after the third day?

But there is some good news...

After spending so much time and effort on your tattoo design, you may spend LESS time thinking about the healing procedure. You can exert control over the one aspect of the procedure that has a significant impact on how effectively your ink remains where it's supposed to stay... on your skin!

Would you trust a tattoo from an artist who doesn't have any tattoos? So you wouldn't want an aftercare product developed by guys in white coats with no tattoo ink or experience, would you? Traditional "aftercare" products were not intended to repair tattoos. It's as easy as that. Those outdated items are consuming your ink and producing the issues outlined above.

The answer is straightforward. When looking for tattoo aftercare and investigating companies, check for the following characteristics:

The entrepreneur believes in the art of aftercare and regards their work as an art form (you can usually get a feeling for this by looking at their website and reading content). Using tattoo models instead of genuine research and material indicates that the corporation is more concerned with marketing than with healing your tattoo.

The aftercare is created by someone who is knowledgeable about the therapeutic benefits of the substances in their product! Why are the substances they've selected being used? Is it easy to tell what's in an aftercare product, or do you have to go all around for the ingredient list?

A firm that really cares about YOU and is willing to answer your concerns about properly healing your ink. Is there a FAQ page or testimonials?

Aftercare designed by someone who understands human anatomy and biology, particularly in the areas of skin healing, skin problems, and immunological difficulties.

Aftercare provided by a tattoo removal specialist. What difference does this make? To correctly REMOVE a tattoo, you must first understand how it was applied to the skin.

Aftercare products are developed with simple and restricted components to minimize basic and allergic responses. Buy items that have components you can't pronounce or that have more than three syllables. Ceresin? Bisabolol? What is microcrystalline wax? Paraffin? Cod Liver Oil (this is why they use the word "fragrance!")? Sulfate of Polymyxin B? Do you understand what these substances are or what they do?

Aftercare manufactured from organic materials to prevent allergies and promote healing—it should not cause ailments in the future.

Natural hypoallergenic aftercare at an affordable price.

A product that extends the time it takes for your work to heal.

A multi-purpose product that can be used at all stages of healing.

If you request a product with the features indicated above, you will undoubtedly recover better and quicker. Don't be cheap because the product your artist advises is $1-2 more expensive than a low-cost equivalent at your local pharmacy. What you paid for is what you get... blocked pores are harmful for tattoos and will cost you more time and money than you spend on aftercare.

Your tattoo will last you for the rest of your life if you take excellent care of it. You just spent a lot of money for permanent ink; there's no need to skimp on the healing procedure.

I got interested in skincare while studying as an Elder Greenfire WiseWoman. While researching cancer and completing my Masters degree, I discovered how harmful many of the components in many of the "healing" ointments on the market are. I've spent over 20 years investigating natural and alternative treatment methods, and I've seen fads come and go. Those 20+ years of study have lead me to continue with tried and proven, scientific solutions. My objective, or calling, is to assist people cut through the misinformation around health that they see and hear. I do this as a result of my own grief and bewilderment. I want everyone to be able to do what I do: acquire a diagnosis from Western medicine and then live a holistic, natural, sensual, and powerful life. I started making organic tattoo aftercare in 2007 with the help of my husband, who has been a tattoo artist since 2005. Real Heal Aftercare was created in response to my personal responses to normal aftercare on the market, as well as my studies into skincare and carcinogens.