Newsgroups: rec.arts.bodyart,news.answers,rec.answers Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!nic.hookup.net!swrinde!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ames!news.Hawaii.Edu!uhunix3.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu!teshima From: teshima@uhunix3.uhcc.Hawaii.Edu (Lani Teshima-Miller) Subject: rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 3/4: Care of your new tattoo Message-ID: Followup-To: rec.arts.bodyart Summary: This posting contains the Frequently Asked Questions file about tattoos and other non-piercing bodyart. Anyone who wishes to read/post to the rec.arts.bodyart newsgroup should read this first. Sender: news@news.Hawaii.Edu Organization: University of Hawaii Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 18:55:32 GMT Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.Edu Lines: 371 Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.arts.bodyart:10792 news.answers:15940 rec.answers:3384 Archive-name: tattoo-faq/part3 Last-modified: November 22, 1993 Posting-frequency: Monthly This is Part 3 of the 'other' half of the rec.arts.bodyart FAQ file that is posted on a monthly basis (in the latter half of the month) and includes information about everything but piercing that might concern bodyart. If you are a regular reader of r.a.b. and do not want to read this monthly posting, you may want to set a KILL command in your file for all four tattoo FAQ postings. The rec.arts.bodyart tattoo FAQ is broken up into four parts: Part 1/4: Introduction, and getting a tattoo Part 2/4: Artist list Part 3/4: How to care for a new tattoo Part 4/4: Miscellaneous information This section includes the following information: 1. Is using a sauna or steamroom bad for tattoos? 2. Is sunlight bad for tattoos? 3. How do I care for my new tattoo? 3.1 Suggested Method #1: The Minimal Moisturizer Method 3.2 Suggested Method #2: The Pat-with-Listerine Method 3.3 Suggested Method #3: The Wait-24-Hours-to-Take-Off- Dressing Method 3.4 Suggested Method #4: The Coconut-Oil-Itch-Relief Method 3.5 Suggested Method #5: The Huck Spalding Method 3.6 Suggested Method #6: The Noxzema Method (NEW) 4. How does weight gain/loss affect a tattoo? 5. Can a tattoo be removed? 5.1. Get it reworked--cover-up 5.2. Get it reworked--touch-up 5.3. Get it removed--Tissue Expansion 5.4. Get it removed--Sal Abration 5.5. Get it removed--Staged Excision 5.6. Get it removed--medical lasers 1. Is using a sauna or steamroom bad for tattoos? ---------- Once it is healed, there is very little that will screw up a tattoo. The one exception is prolonged exposure to sunlight. (the other is scarring, but that is patently obvious). 2. Is sunlight bad for tattoos? ---------- Well, unfortunately it is. The newer inks are better at resisting fading but whatever you do, if you spend lots of time in bright sunlight your tats will fade (over a lifetime not over a week). The best is to try and keep them out of bright sunlight. No one wants to become a cave dweller just to keep their tats looking good, just use your common sense.{Think of your tat as an investment--slather on that sunblock so it doesn't turn into a dark blob. Like I say, "There's no such thing as a healthy tan!" Take it from a Hawaii local! I've seen my share of melanoma here, and they're not even from surfers or beach bunnies!} 3. How do I care for my new tattoo? ---------- The artist that did your tattoo will have something very definite to say about the care of your new tattoo, and it is probably a good idea to listen to him/her. Many shops will actually have an information sheet listing care instructions. This section lists a series of treatments to give you an idea of the breadth of suggestions being offered. The suggestions have been given "titles" using some unique facet of the method, and is thus named only for the sake of convenience. These methods are NOT actually called these. Each set of instructions is followed by commentary. Special thanks to Lance Bailey (zaphod@ctrg.rri.uwo.ca) for this section. 3.1 Suggested Method #1: The Minimal Moisturizer Method From Ancient Art Tattoo, (Orlando, Fla) Ancient Art puts a heap of vaseline on the new tattoo and then bandages up the whole thing, they give you these instructions: Tattoo Care Instructions: 1. Remove bandaid in 18 hrs. 2. Wash tattoo immediately, with soap and water When washing off the tattoo, there should be old ink and some body fluids. At this state there is little that can harm the tattoo. 3. When skin feels like normal wet skin, pat dry. 4. Put nothing on the tattoo for 3 days. 5. From the 4th day, apply the *tiniest* amount of lotion possible once a day to keep it from drying out completely, and gently work it in. (Mike suggests a drop for a 1 inch by 4 inch piece). 6. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy. 7. Do not permit sun on tattoo. 8. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy. 9. Scabbing may or may not occur. Scabbing is normal. do not pick scab. 10. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy. His strongest advice: "MOISTURE IS THE TATTOO'S ENEMY". On using Vaseline: Neosporin is Vaseline-based, and doesn't hurt. On using Neosporin: Not really neccessary, but it doesn't hurt. Strong warning: Never let the shower directly hit the tattoo. This procedure is how I healed the four I got at Ancient Art and they seem to be the slowest to heal. After 2.5 weeks, they still have scabs. sigh. Lance Bailey says: I used to go to great lengths to keep my tattoos moist while healing. But now, looking at the ink I healed then, and other art which is not much older but healed without all the moisture, I see that the ones where I kept it real moist to prevent any scabs are a lot fainter--grey where the others are still black. I quite literally drew a lot of the ink out of the piece. Yes, it is important to keep the tattoo from drying out, but a scab is part of the normal healing process, and trying to fool mother nature is risking trouble. Your mileage will of course vary. 3.2 Suggested Method #2: The Pat-with-Listerine Method From Tattoos Unlimited (London, Canada) 1. Change your bandage within two hours, wash hands before touching tattoo, 2. Clean tattoo with soap and water, pat with Listerine for a few minutes. 3. Apply Polysporin Ointment and bandage. Repeat this process 4 times a day until tattoo is healed. This is how I healed the first four or five tattoos. The theory is that by keeping it covered with ointment, you don't form a scab -- and no scab means no scab problems. UNFORTUNATELY, this method also draws out a lot of the ink and can result in a pretty pale tattoo. sigh. I would not recommend this method for a good final result, although it can heal up a tattoo in as little as a four days if you use Vitamin E and Polysporin.. 3.3 Suggested Method #3: The Wait-24-Hours-to-Take-Off-Dressing Method. From Joker's Wild (London, Canada) 1. Remove bandage after 24 hours while you are showering. 2. Use a mild soap then pat dry 3. Allow tattoo to dry for 24 hours. 4. Apply supplied healing lotion four times a day. Please do not use anything else on tattoo then the supplied cream. 5. When using the healing cream, use it sparingly, you want to moisten your tattoo, not soak it. 6. Do not soak your tattoo in the bath for 2 weeks. 7. Do not swim in chlorinated water for 2 weeks 8. Do not tan your tattoo for 2 weeks 9. If your tattoo does happen to scab, do not pick. Roland at Joker's Wild (no longer there) also recommended protecting the new tattoo from the shower. Since all of mine are on the lower leg, he suggested putting a bag over it which is a bit of a pain, but probably worth it. This is how i healed the 3" X 6" piece on the front of my shin with the exception that I washed it gently at least twice a day to clean off old ointment. I am very pleased with the result. 3.4 Suggested Method #4: The Coconut-Oil-Itch-Relief Method From Blue Dragon Tattoos (London, Canada) For effortless healing of your new tattoo please follow these directions carefully. 1. VERY IMPORTANT. Leave sterile dressing covering tattooed area for a minimum of 2 hours. 2. If desired, dressing can remain on tattoo for a maximum of 24 hours. 3. After removing dressing (non-stick), gently wash tattooed area with soap, pat dry with a clean towel. 4. Apply Polysporin twice daily until healed. Usually 3 to 6 days. 5. Please refrain from picking or scratching tattoo during the healing process. Damaging the light scab formation will result in poor colors in your tattoo. If tattoo irritates, you may apply a slight smear of pure coconut oil. I have never tried this method; the owner of Blue Dragon and I don't seem to get along. Pity because one of my favorite artists now works there. 3.5 Suggested Method #5: The Huck Spalding Method From Huck Spalding's "Tattooing A to Z" 1. Bandage(*) should stay on for at least two hours. 2. Remove bandage, rinse gently with cold weather and blot dry. 3. Apply Bacitracin ointment four times a day and blot out the excess. 4. Keep tattoo fresh and open to the air. Do not bandage. 5. For the first week, avoid swimming or long soaking in the water. 6. For the first month, avoid too much exposure to the sun. 7. Do not pick or scratch scabs 8. Itching is relieved by slapping or alcohol. 9. Keep tattoo covered with loose clothing. * Bandaging Summary 1. After tattooing clean whole area with green soap and white paper towel. 2. Spray it with alcohol and hold a paper towel on it. 3. apply film of Bacitracin ointment. 4. Cover with bandage or Handi-Wrap and securely tape it on. I have yet to try this method, but have seen a few tattoos which have been bandaged with handi-wrap and they turned out just fine. (Huck writes that the handi-wrap stops people from peeling off the bandage in the first few hours to show friends.) 3.6 Suggested Method #6*: The Noxzema Method *New as of 11/93, again from Lance Bailey (zaphod@ctrg.rri.uwo.ca) This method is recommended by Suzanne at Creative Tattoo (Ann Arbor, Michigan) 1. Remove bandage after 4 - 5 hours. 2. Wash gently with soap or water. 3. Do *not* scrub or soak until completely healed (usually a week). Showering, however, is OK. 4. Usually neccessary to re-bandage. 5. Keep tattoo OUT OF THE SUN or tanning booths while healing. Once healed, ALWAYS use sunscreen on colors. 6. We reommend Noxema Medicated Skin Lotion twice a day to aid healing and comfort. DO NOT USE Vaseline, oils, anything greasy, or anything with cortisone. Oils block your skin from contact with air, inhibiting healing 7. Tattoo "peels" in 4-7 days. Do not pick or scratch! "Your tattoo was applied with sterile equipment and procedure, and with non-toxic colors. We guarantee the workmanship. Healing and caring of your tattoo is YOUR responsibility." This is how I healed a 3-inch band around my right ankle. While the healing was more like 2 weeks, I also protected it from the shower with a bag. For the last few tattoos I noticed that after I stop covering it in the shower (after about 2 weeks), the tattoo seems to speed up in healing. I suspect that this might be either timing (it was ready to heal), or the action of the shower helps to knock of any dead skin thus promoting better healing. I only used a wee bit of Noxzema twice a day, leaving the art "moist and glistening" but with no "smears of white cream." Am very happy with this method. The cream really does help the itching and the final result is a good deep black. 4. How does weight gain/loss affect a tattoo? ---------- Tattoos can definitely be affected by stretch marks. Whether you will or won't get stretch marks is apparently determined genetically, so placement is a consideration if you are planning on getting pregnant.I know for a fact that stretch marks can ruin a tattoo, because I have a very small tattoo that now looks more like a blob because of a large stretch mark running through the middle of it. Luckily, this was a home- brewed job (the kind done with India ink and a pin wrapped in thread) so I was never particularly attached to the artwork. :-} If your skin stretches from weight gain and then shrinks back up without losing its elasticity (the loss of elasticity is what results in stretch marks), then I would expect that there wouldn't be much distortion of the tattoo, maybe none at all. Or, put the tattoo someplace that won't get stretched so much, like the chest area above the breasts. My upper stomach didn't stretch much, either, but the lower abdominal skin did stretch quite a lot. (I've seen stretch marks on hips, thighs and arms as well--probably related to muscle gain from weight lifting as well as general fattening/thinning.) 5. Can a tattoo be removed? ---------- There are several methods for "removing" a tattoo, listed below. However with all of these methods, you either still end up with a tattoo (albeit a better-looking one), a scar, or a skinnier wallet. In other words, it is much easier to *get* a tattoo in the first place than to get rid of one. If you are considering getting a new tattoo, think carefully before you do--or you may end up re-reading this section. 5.1. Get it reworked--cover-up There are different ways to get cover-up work, depending on the situation. A name can be tastefully camouflaged with a small design, making the name impossible to read. If it's the entire thing you want covered, it could be covered with another design. It is easier to cover a lighter color with a darker color, although oftentimes the original work is done in a dark color. This means not just a good tattooist, but a really good artist; what they'll have to do is find a way to work the existing tattoo into a new design that will cover and disguise what's there. I have seen some brilliant coverup; there's a lot of it in one or two issues of'Tattootime'. --Patti Kelley from Avalon (see entry under 5.1 US West Coast: California: San Diego) has won some awards for cover-up work. The main idea is to check with the individual artist. If they've done significant cover-up work, they should have before and after photos of it in their book. --The people at Tattoo City can do it (see their entry under 5.1 US West Coast: California: San Francisco). 5.2. Get it reworked--touch-up With the advances in technology, technique and the availability of new, brighter colors in the past few years, faded or blurred tattoos can look brighter and sharper than when they were new. 5.3. Get it removed--Tissue Expansion The tissue expansion method is where a balloon is inserted and inflated under the skin to slowly stretch the flesh. The tattoo is then cut out and the newly stretched skin covers its place. This is a popular method for removing smaller tattoos and leaves only a straight-line surgical scar. 5.4. Get it removed--Sal Abrasion Sal abrasion involves rubbing the image with salt and "sanding" it out. 5.5. Get it removed--Staged Excision The staged excision method actually cuts the image out, a small portion at a time. Both the sal abration and staged excision methods result in more scarring. Also, homemade tattoos can be more difficult to remove because while the concentration of ink may not be as great as in a professional tattoo, it often goes deeper into the skin (you may want to consider cover-up work in this case). 5.6. Get it removed--medical lasers There are a number of new laser methods for tattoo removal, although they tend to be costly and are usually not covered by medical insurance plans. Of the three forms of medical lasers currently available (the CO2 laser, the Q-stitched ruby laser and the Tatulazr), the new Tatulazr has been deemed one of the most effective ways to remove blue-black tattoos. According to Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick of Dermatology Associates of San Diego County (who is the clinical investigator for the Tatulazr), the Tatulazr delivers pulses of energy that are selectively absorbed by the pigment granules of the tattoo. He says that the Tatulazr's wavelength causes less absorption of the laser light by the normal skin, resulting in less risk of scarring. The longer wavelength allows more energy to reach the target tattoo pigment, resulting in greater removal success. In addition, the wavelength allows for deeper penetration into the skin, which means fewer treatments may be required for complete tattoo removal. For the name of a physicial in your area who uses the Tatulazr, call the Candela Laser Corp. at 1-800-733-8550 Ext. 444 (or write to them at 530 Boston Post Rd., Wayland, MA 01778). ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This ends the rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 3/4. This section should be followed by rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 4/4. -- Lani Teshima-Miller (teshima@uhunix.uhcc.Hawaii.edu) "Sea Hare" o/ /_/_/ UH School of Library & Info Studies. "Whatever the cost of our o|<0_0>------* libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant \=^-| |_| | nation." -Walter Cronkite [R.a.b.bit says: "Think Ink!"] \_} \_}