Aftercare

cadete

Lads getting a sleeve at the start of October and been reading up about aftercare. Some websites say not to use cling film on the tattoo as it heats up and is a breeding ground for bacteria. Any truth in this?
Also have to fly to America the day after the sleeve is finished, any tips on what I should wear for the flight over the area? Loose hoodie? Uncovered? What's your thoughts?

Sam Hain

You should remove the cling film a few hours after the tattoo, wash it with a mild unscented soap or equivalent. Air dry or pat dry with a soft clean towel or my preference would be a clean paper towel, maybe even leave to air for a few minutes,then apply ointment of choice. I have used benpanthen and also tattoo goo and skin2 skin and some others with pretty much the same results. Repeat at least 3 times daily until it starts to peel There are loads of suggestions I seen on here about after care, the majority of advice is sound but I think someone suggested vaseline. That would be a bad idea as its too thick and will clog pores and could do bad things to the ink and the healing process. Mostly listen to your tattoo artist. As for flying, I guess thats OK, once you prepare properly, yeah loose fitting clothing would be best, a sleeve would be prone to knocking up against people and stuff in a crowded plane, carrying baggage etc. could irritate the fresh wound. There is a covering called dermalize which i think you can leave on for up to 24 hours after a tattoo. Maybe research into that. I used it before and it worked a treat and healed up really fast. Also there must be some users here who have traveled abroad for work and flew home soon afterwards, maybe they would have better advice.

joeguevara

Every tattoo artist will say something different. Ask the artist doing your tattoo and follow their advice. They know what works best with their pieces. Each one of my tattoos have had a different aftercare regimen. From cream to nothing. All worked out fine.