How Long After A Tattoo Can You Take A Bath?

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How long after a tattoo can you take a bath

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Tattoos are a great piece of art that needs proper care; when getting a new tattoo, you should be ready to make sure it heals well. You can get a tattoo from a professional artist who knows his or her job.

How long after a tattoo can you take a bath

How Long After A Tattoo Can You Take A Bath?

Tattoos are beautiful, but after getting one, you should be very cautious if you want them to heal faster; tattoos are just like wounds and should be treated with proper care. So when you get a tattoo, you should know what to do and what not to do.

If you are new, ask your tattoo artist to guide you, you can shower after getting a tattoo but make sure it does come in contact with water. You can rub around the tattoo with something that is water-resistant; this is just for a few days.

You should avoid submerging your tattoo in water and getting it wet for at least some time. The things you should avoid are sitting in pools, bathtubs, hot tubs, and even swimming. Two weeks is enough healing time for your tattoo, and you can now do everything like before.

If you happen to swim with your new tattoo, it might not heal fast because swimming pools contain chemicals and might get into your wound, causing serious infections. Give your new tattoo enough time to heal, and then from there, you can do anything you want.

How soon to shower depends on the covering your artist used and how long you should keep it, If it’s wrapped in on a piece of regular bandage or plastic, you will have to wait for 24 hours, but it depends on the tattoo’s size and ink.

If your artist used a waterproof bandage or a medical-grade, then you can shower anytime and wear the bandage for the length of time the artist advised you.

Keep in mind that your tattoo is a wound, and when soaked in water, there are high risks of getting bacteria which can cause infections. You will have to avoid keeping it wet for a particular period of time; your skin heals within two to three weeks, but that doesn’t mean you start swimming or getting in contact with water as it’s too soon.

What Happens If You Take A Shower After Getting A Tattoo?

It depends; if your bandage is waterproof, there is no problem with taking a shower, but if not, then you should expect your wound to take time before it heals. Apart from that, you will likely get exposed to bacteria which can lead to serious infections.

If you know nothing about tattoos, it’s good to ask before doing the wrong thing. Tattoo artists will help answer many questions ringing in your mind, don’t ignore them; tattoos look like some things, but they need good care and attention.

However, if you have to shower, you have to follow the right procedures to ensure your tattoo is safe. The following are good procedures you need to follow when taking a bath after getting a tattoo.

Set Water Temperature and Power

Turn your shower on and run the water until it’s lukewarm. To confirm this, use your hands to check the water temperature. You should never shower with hot water when you have a new tattoo because you might feel pain or sting in that particular area and it might even cause swelling more than how it was before.

Hot water opens up skin pores and can cause the ink to get lost, thus causing a faded or patchy tattoo. To avoid all these, make sure that water pressure is set to low lever because if your tattoo comes in contact with the Jetstream, it will start stinging.

Make the Tattoo Wet

Dampen the affected area with water and not directly pouring water on it using a showerhead. Instead, get water with your hand and slowly wet the area. This cannot affect sensitive skin at all.

Clean the Tattoo

Now that it’s wet, gently clean using a fragrance-free soap; rub the soap gently on the tattooed area. In case there is blood, run it off. When satisfied that the area is super clean, wash away all soap with clean water.

Get Out of the Shower

Do not stay in the shower for long so long as you’ve cleaned yourself and the tattoo well. Do not expose your tattoo to soap; steam nans water because your tattoo might fade because water washes out ink while soap causes dryness.

Dry your Tattoo

Use a clean towel, and don’t use one that you normally use to dry yourself if possible. You can use a paper towel, your wound is open, and it’s not good if you use a dirty towel that might contain germs.

Moisturize the Area

After your tattoo has dried well, apply a lotion to it. This helps to prevent the skin from drying out excessively. Use a special tattoo lotion as it contains vitamins and other ingredients that speed up healing.

Can I Take A Bath With A New Tattoo If I Don’t Get It Wet?

Of course, if there is a possibility of showering without making your tattoo wet, that is a good idea. A tattoo should not get wet at its early stages, and it is recommended that you wait for about 2 days before your tattoo comes in coy with water.

However, some artists are professionals and might give you bandages that are waterproof and with this type, taking a shower becomes so easy. The bandage should not stay for too long to be removed; take it off as advised by your artist.

The important thing is you can shower so long as you protect your tattoo against water and mostly hot jetting water. Some people might take advantage of the tattoo so that they can’t shower, but there are ways to follow to shower without affecting it.

Getting your tattoo wet can be okay but soaking it is not right; soaking is when you go swimming or stay in a bath tap for long, and your tattoo gets submerged in water. It’s fine if you can wait for your tattoo to heal before returning to your normal life.

How Do I Know My Tattoo Is Healed?

If you are planning to get a tattoo and you are wondering how you will know when it’s healed and safe for you to go swimming. It is good to know that your tattoo’s healing depends on how you take care of it. Healing varies from person to person, be careful not to think that your tattoo is healed yet it’s not.

Stage One: Week 1

Your body begins to heal from the first time you get a tattoo, this is the stage where your tattoo is said to be an open wound, and it will look red and very sensitive. If you see it, don’t panic, as it is a normal healing process. You need to follow your artist’s instructions strictly because, at this stage, your tattoo is at great risk of infection.

Stage two: Week 2

At this stage, your skin might itch, and your tattoo might develop scabs, swelling should be gone at this point, but the tattoo could still be sensitive. You may realize some parts of the scab flake off, but don’t think about touching or picking the scabs because it can slow the healing process and remove some ink.

At the end of this stage, the scab flakes off on its own but might be still itchy; try as much as possible not to scratch because that how the tattoo heals.

Stage Three: Week 3

At this stage, all the scabs should have fallen off, and the tattoo could be looking dull because the skin covering it is dead; that is why the full pigmentation might not show up. You can still damage your tattoo; it’s not time to use harsh cleansers. Instead, use a special sunscreen meant for tattoos.

Stage four: Week 4 to 6

The color big your tattoo should be bright; if you notice a shiny appearance, don’t panic as it’s normal. The final layer of dead skin has fallen off, and your body is trying another skin over the new fresh skin.

It takes a few weeks or months for your tattoo to heal completely, but you should know the deeper layer of the skin takes time to heal compared to the top layer of the skin.

What to Avoid After Getting a Tattoo?

Getting a tattoo is a three-way process; you get inked, your tattoo heals and admiring the artwork on your skin. Things might happen that might delay your tattoo’s healing process, and to stop that from happening, you should avoid doing the following things after getting a tattoo.

  • Avoid soaking or baths of any kind for about a few weeks
  • When showering or washing bit, don’t waterlog your tattoo
  • If In case you apply lotion or ointment, remove the excess lotion using a paper towel to prevent bubbling
  • When taking a shower, keep your tattoo away to prevent soaking it
  • Before applying lotion or ointment, make sure your tattoo is dry
  • Don’t apply too much lotion or ointment

How Do You Sleep With A Fresh Tattoo?

Now that you own a tattoo, it’s good to allow your tattoo to heal correctly, you already know about tattoo aftercare, and it’s time to know how to sleep with a new tattoo. Below are various ways of sleeping with a new tattoo.

Keep the Adhesive Wrap on Overnight.

If your artist gave you an adhesive wrap, leave it overnight because it helps protect the ink on your new tattoo from ruining bed sheets.

Take Sleep Seriously

You need to get enough sleep in the first week, even if you are not the type that loves sleep. You should make sleep a priority at this particular time.

Use a Spare Bedsheet

If your tattoo is not wrapped, consider using a spare bed sheet but keep in mind that it might have ink after that. It protects the tattoo from bacteria, sweet, and germs in general; it keeps that tattoo clean.

Sleeping Position

If possible, avoid lying on the tattooed area because if you do so, you are putting pressure on your wound, so try looking for a comfortable position that does not affect your tattoo.

What happens if you take a bath after getting a tattoo

How Often Should I Moisturize My New Tattoo?

It is important to moisturize your new tattoo because the healing skin gets itchy, dry, and tight if you don’t. You should keep in mind that no matter how itchy your skin might be, you should not scratch it because it will damage your new piece of art.

You should start moisturizing your new tattoo when it starts to dry, which takes about 1 to 3 days. Use the right moisturizer that is free from chemicals; dry skin is bad news for a new tattoo because it dries out your new tattoo and causes it to bleed and crack.

Moisturizing lotion is suitable for dry skin, apply a thin layer of this lotion on your skin, and in no time, your skin gets hydrated. It also helps your skin generate new cells, heal your tattoo and close up the tiny needle holes.

Your tattoo should be moisturized immediately it starts healing, and not only once, don’t just let it dry, or else it will take time healing and even end up damaging your new tattoo.

To take care of your new tattoo, you should know what happens if you take a bath after getting a tattoo, how long to take a bath after getting a tattoo and whether you can take a bath with a new tattoo without getting it wet.

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