Alternative to Bepanthen?

jimmy180sx

Can anyone recommend an alternative cream? I find bepanthen very greasy, and uncomfortable during the night as it Sticks to the bed sheets. Also not nice when wearing a shirt to work.

Thanks

Viva La Gloria

Tattoo goo is fairly handy to use. Plus it smells really good

ruby37

Boots have a cream for Baby's Bottoms, not sure of the name but its a barrier cream and its in a white tube with blue writing. Works perfect and its only around 2 euro.

Penny Tration

Johnson's Baby Lotion. You'll need to apply it more frequently than Bepanthen.

If your clothing is covering a healing tattoo, you should stick a breathable dressing on the tattoo while it has clothing against it, too.

Adiboo

I've been using Tattoo Goo for the past few months. Not a bad thing to say about it. Would never switch back to Bepanthen either myself.

jimmy180sx

Thanks guys. Will have a look for tattoo goo.

Sinister Kid

Has anyone tried Forever Ink balm?
I got a tube on sale in boots, thought I would give it a go when I start my next tattoo in a few weeks... Just wondering if it is any use!

http://www.tattooguardian.com/forever-ink-products/ink-balm/

jimmy180sx

Sinister Kid wrote: »

Has anyone tried Forever Ink balm?
I got a tube on sale in boots, thought I would give it a go when I start my next tattoo in a few weeks... Just wondering if it is any use!

http://www.tattooguardian.com/forever-ink-products/ink-balm/

Was in town so went into boots. 30g tube was €17 reduced to €2!! Bargain..got a few tubes along with a sheild cream with spf45 for €4.

Sinister Kid

jimmy180sx wrote: »

Was in town so went into boots. 30g tube was €17 reduced to €2!! Bargain..got a few tubes along with a sheild cream with spf45 for €4.

I got a couple of tubes at €2 too, crazy over priced at €17 though!
Have you used it yet?

jimmy180sx

Sinister Kid wrote: »

I got a couple of tubes at €2 too, crazy over priced at €17 though!
Have you used it yet?

Lou molloy...what do you expect. I used it, very good, and exactly what i was looking for. I hate the greasiness of bepanthen, and the forever ink is just like a moisturiser. Recommends being used at least twice a day, but would say it would need a few applications during the day.

Sinister Kid

jimmy180sx wrote: »

Lou molloy...what do you expect. I used it, very good, and exactly what i was looking for. I hate the greasiness of bepanthen, and the forever ink is just like a moisturiser. Recommends being used at least twice a day, but would say it would need a few applications during the day.

Good point!! Doubt he will be getting much of a cut at 2quid a tube though...
3 more weeks and I'll get to try it out myself

kingaaa

Boots all sold out...there seems to be a couple of different types of forever ink...any advice on which one for a fresh tattoo?

deise08

What about aquous creams?

kingaaa

http://www.amazon.co.uk/FOREVER-INK-BALM-50-SHIELD/dp/B009P0OG8S/ref=lh_ni_t?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A2X7KPRGENT0NX

Just ordered 4 x 50ml tubes from Amazon - the one with the built-in sun protection....worked out at £14-odd sterling with free UK delivery for 200mls + plus the €3.50 parcel motel fee. This stuff gets great reviews on the net...and will do for the holliers!!!

jimmy180sx

Im finding the forever ink balm very good. Non greasy, but needs a few applications during the day instead of twice as per the instructions. Havnt used the ink shield but will also come in handy during the holliers.

Sinister Kid

Just in the Square there and they still have some of the Ink Balm, reduced again to €1

jimmy180sx

Ink balm made in dundalk.

arybvtcw0eolkf

I've been using Vaseline on tattoo's for over 30 years.

Adiboo

Jazmine Sticky Xerography wrote: »

I've been using Vaseline on tattoo's for over 30 years.

Awful stuff. Tattoos need to breathe.

Hellrazer

Adiboo wrote: »

Awful stuff. Tattoos need to breathe.

Agreed.
Anything oil based is a no no.

Water based products or else even nothing is better than Vaseline.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Adiboo wrote: »

Awful stuff. Tattoos need to breathe.

I'm 48, I brought my mother into Johnny Eagles when I was 14 to swear I was 18 for my first tattoo and none of my tattoo's have died from suffocating yet

Vaseline has served me well, 'tis grand ol'stuff :cool:

My present tattoo has a nice film of vaseline & clingfilm atm.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Hellrazer wrote: »

Anything oil based is a no no.

Water based products or else even nothing is better than Vaseline.

I switched from vaseline to KY once ~ ONCE

Norma_Desmond

I have always used bepanthen myself for my tattoos and healed in no time but I know a couple of people who swore by preparation h (I know it's for hemorrhoids) but they said it was great.
Never tried it myself but thought I'd mention it anyway, never know it could help someone.
Hope your tattoo works out well

Star Lord

Jazmine Sticky Xerography wrote: »

I'm 48, I brought my mother into Johnny Eagles when I was 14 to swear I was 18 for my first tattoo and none of my tattoo's have died from suffocating yet

Vaseline has served me well, 'tis grand ol'stuff :cool:

My present tattoo has a nice film of vaseline & clingfilm atm.

Think of it this way though, if you had an open wound, would you cover it with vaseline and clingfilm, or would you put some kind of breathable covering over it that'd allow it to heal better, and quicker?

arybvtcw0eolkf

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

Think of it this way though, if you had an open wound, would you cover it with vaseline and clingfilm, or would you put some kind of breathable covering over it that'd allow it to heal better, and quicker?

I'd rather think of it this way, I've been using vaseline for thirty plus years and its served me very well.

I'm not even disagreeing with anyone here, the OP asked for an alternative to Bepanthen & vaseline is mine.. Btw I've used Bepanthen too and the only difference I found was that Bepanthen could be applied easier when at body temperature, I'd usually hold it in my hand or in a pocket for awhile before using it and found it much easier, and more pleasant to apply than vaseline.

Just Like Heaven

Sure your tattoo will heal fine eventually if you cover it in breadcrumbs and wrap it in a paper mache. Your body will naturally heal it. So it's not fair to say that none of your tattoos have healed badly so vaseline is just as good as anything else. The whole point of aftercare is to accelerate the process as much as possible.

You can use vaseline like and it'll be fine but you'll get a better result with some balm designed for those kinds of wounds.

arybvtcw0eolkf

fewtins wrote: »

Sure your tattoo will heal fine eventually if you cover it in breadcrumbs and wrap it in a paper mache. Your body will naturally heal it. So it's not fair to say that none of your tattoos have healed badly so vaseline is just as good as anything else. The whole point of aftercare is to accelerate the process as much as possible.

You can use vaseline like and it'll be fine but you'll get a better result with some balm designed for those kinds of wounds.

Brilliant post, very informative. Thank you, I'll try bread crumbs and get back to you.

Hellrazer

Ive said it before but I haven't really gotten around to it but I want to test all these various healing techniques out.

Next tattoo I do Ill split it in 4 and try out the 4 most popular methods and see if I can tell any difference in healing.

I have a plan for a nice Koi on my leg that would suit this experiment down to the ground.

Im a huge hater of the cling film method having had a conversation with a microbiologist about it.

Anerobic bacteria + heat(the cling film) + nutrients (all the crap that leeches out of a tattoo) is stupid.
To add an oil based cream on top is in my opinion just as stupid.


Ive had the best success with Johnsons baby Lotion and if needed to purely stop clothes rubbing a sterile dressing.

Ive even healed tattoos with nothing just antibacterial soap twice a day and they have healed fine.

Look at it this way.
You get a bad cut/ injury--What does the hospital do?They put a sterile dressing on it and maybe an antibacterial cream.Maybe if its bad enough a course of antibiotics to prevent infection.
They ask you to clean it with an antibacterial soap.
Its all about preventing bacteria from growing and colonies of it getting out of control and not allowing your body to heal itself.

Youre opening yourself up to infection using cling wrap.

Theres a new (well not that new but new to tattooing) product called tagaderm which is a breathable dressing that looks like a sheet of cling film that some artists are starting to use.
Its supposed to be really good for healing and is currently used for burn victims.Its antibacterial (theres that word again) and is breathable.
Theres a brand called tattoderm which is the same stuff.

Havent tried it yet but Im hearing good stuff about it.

Just Like Heaven

Jazmine Sticky Xerography wrote: »

Brilliant post, very informative. Thank you, I'll try bread crumbs and get back to you.

Please don't. If you read my above post you'll see I don't recommend this.

osaurus

Tegaderm is usually used to cover IV sites. When healing wounds it's usually a combination of dressings depending on the type of wound. You will treat and dress a burn completely differently to say some sort of laceration.

If you wanna take a wholistic view of wound healing in general you would wanna look at your diet, increasing protein consumption to help healing. Stress and anxiety levels inhibit healing along with chronic illnesses and your general health

Wound heals in 3 stages - inflammation, proliferation and maturation. You know well how swollen you can be right after getting a tattoo. Inflammation is your bodies normal response, temporarily repairs the area and is a small barrier against pathogens. Your body temperature rises too due to your metabolism being kicked into overdrive which accelerates your defenses and can inhibit some viruses/infections that may be having a go at you.

Things that will inhibit good wound healing is contamination, dryness, excessive exudate (clear discharge usually) and poor blood supply. Hence why bepanthen is usually the method of choice as it lets the skin breath while creating a barrier right over the tattoo and keeps it moist. I never understood the idea behind cling film but I guess it's a hell of a lot cheaper than a surgical dressing and probably why it's the option of choice for many studios and clients too.

Personally I'd only have the cling film on until I get home and then remove it once I hop into the shower. Once showering is over just lash on the creme of choice and keep it moist and not let it dry out.

arybvtcw0eolkf

osaurus wrote: »

Personally I'd only have the cling film on until I get home and then remove it once I hop into the shower. Once showering is over just lash on the creme of choice and keep it moist and not let it dry out.

More or less the same here.. the only time I reapply clingfilm is for Judo & BJJ practice until the tattoo is completely healed, and thats only to stop friction against the tattoo.

jimmy180sx

I really like the ink balm stuff. Its great. Acts like a moisturiser and isnt greasy. Would really recommend it!! Have a few tubes ready fir my next piece at the waterford convention

Blitz17

I've noticed that with bepanthen I get spots on the area that's covered. Not millions of them but usually one or 2 and its obviously from the bepathen. Tattoo still heals perfectly fine but I'd rather not get them. Going to try different method when I move onto my back. I think my brother used that tegaderm film on his sleeve and he said it was great.

At the end of the day everyone does something different and works for them. Just don't try the breadcrumb method, I done this once and was attacked by 16 pigeons on way to work.

sligojo

Sorry for coming in late wouldn't be like me but thought I'd add to the list. 9 tattoos in and I use Vaseline aloe vera body lotion, no problems with it and it keeps the skin sort and dries in very well.

RoadhouseBlues

I used savlon before. It was fine.

Hellrazer

sligojo wrote: »

Sorry for coming in late wouldn't be like me but thought I'd add to the list. 9 tattoos in and I use Vaseline aloe vera body lotion, no problems with it and it keeps the skin sort and dries in very well.

That's almost the same stuff as Johnsons bay lotion. Its water based not oil based.

sligojo

Hellrazer wrote: »

That's almost the same stuff as Johnsons bay lotion. Its water based not oil based.

I find it lighter but then I'm odd