Confused!

kennac

I got my first tattoo last friday (26th july) and am really confused about the aftercare of it. I took off the bandage about 5 hours after i got it and gave it a wash with just warm water, I only dabbed the water onto it and didnt rub it. Next morning I washed it gently again and applied bepanthen and covered it up again with cling film. Every day since I've been washing it very gently each morning and night and have been applying bepanthen four times a day and have been keeping it covered with clingfilm most of the time except for a while each morning and night to let the air at it. Because the tattoo is on my hip I'm worried about my clothes rubbing off it (It's starting to scab now and the scabs are starting to come off) and ruining it so i've been keeping it covered.

When should I take the cling film off completely??? I want to take it off but don't want my clothes rubbing off the tattoo and pulling the scabs off...

Any help would be really appreciated!!

niallam

I always take cling film off after about 4-5 hours and never put it back on
Clothes won't effect it really as much as you think.

kennac

I'm just concerned because my job involves a lot of running around and I always have to wear jeans to work and i dont want them rubbing off it and damaging it lol

endacl

Leave the trousers at home for a few days!

therewillbe

Go on the Sick:) It is Not going anywhere by this stage.

kennac

lol I'm not the type of person to go sick from work for no good reason!

endacl

kennac wrote: »

lol I'm not the type of person to go sick from work for no good reason!

It'll have to be the 'leave the pants at home' option so!

tread_softly

Best trick I did was to tape cling film into the inside of my clothes.
That way the tattoo is still getting air but it's rubbing off cling film rather than your jeans

paul_booth_fan

No more cling film at all. You're just creating a warm haven for bacteria. Go to a chemist and buy sterile dressing or bandages. Tape them in place instead and continue with bepanthen like you already are

Esoteric_

Do exactly what paul_booth_fan said. Hellrazer (a mod of the forum) mentioned doing that before, and I did it as I also have to wear jeans in work, and mine healed like a dream. Cling film is a breeding ground for bacteria because it's giving it the perfect conditions to grow and multiply!

king909

I haven't gotten my tattoo yet. 2 more weeks of waiting. Soi can't give you tattoo specific advice.

But as a nurse I can tell you to take off the cling film and don't put it back on. With any open wound (which a tattoo is) its important to keep the area free from any bacteria that will cause infection and/or irritation. Bateria multiply fastest in warm moist conditions. The sweat that will build up on the cling film makes it moist as your skin can't breathe and the heat is created by your body and clothes.

If it was me I would go and ask your chemist for a crepe bandage. It is light which will help the area to breath allowing less sweat to build up and will give you protection from your jeans.

Hope that helps

Hellrazer

king909 wrote: »

I haven't gotten my tattoo yet. 2 more weeks of waiting. Soi can't give you tattoo specific advice.

But as a nurse I can tell you to take off the cling film and don't put it back on. With any open wound (which a tattoo is) its important to keep the area free from any bacteria that will cause infection and/or irritation. Bateria multiply fastest in warm moist conditions. The sweat that will build up on the cling film makes it moist as your skin can't breathe and the heat is created by your body and clothes.

If it was me I would go and ask your chemist for a crepe bandage. It is light which will help the area to breath allowing less sweat to build up and will give you protection from your jeans.

Hope that helps

Finally (assuming you are really a nurse) a professional opinion on what Ive been saying for years.

Cling film = bad.
Crepe bandage = good!!!!!!!!

king909

Hellrazer wrote: »

Finally (assuming you are really a nurse) a professional opinion on what Ive been saying for years.

Cling film = bad.
Crepe bandage = good!!!!!!!!

I'm a lad and I just claimed to be a nurse. It's hardly known to be the most manly or cool of jobs. If I was going to lie i would have went with surgeon or something along those lines.

So I think it's safe to say I'm telling the truth.