BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art New Tat Turning Gray

The tat I had done last Friday, in black, is starting to turn gray (not peeling skin--that's almost over with--but the newly exposed skin is gray and not black). Should I wait another week or so to see what the final color will be or should I go back and have it touched up?

I wanted a nice, crisp black.

Lynn,

You have to give a tattoo two weeks to not only heal the surface but let the skin underneath finish healing before you think about a touch-up. What you're seeing under the scab that's coming off may not be finished healing yet.

There's a phase that's jokingly called "the saran wrap" stage, and there's still a very tight layer of dry skin over the healing tat, and it tends to have a sort of shiny look to it. Some folks get little dry edges to the tattoo during the phase, which combined with the shininess, makes the tattoo look completely like a stick-on fake.

Keep it moisturized, keep it really protected from the sun and wait for now.

Thanks, Rae! I just kept thinking it doesn't look quite right.

Lynn,

thanks to my conversation with you and with a friend of my sister's who just got tattooed, I've got a whole new article in the works on what to expect after getting tattooed.

Always happy to provide fodder for the press.

8o)

Just keep putting lotion on it and it should be fine. The quote on my back did the exact same thing, and now it is fine. It's still in the healing process, and should be back to normal in a couple of weeks.

I'm treating my new tattoo with Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour moisturiser (smells like nettles) and it is brilliant. For the first four days I used Bepanthen (a nappy ointment) which creates a waterproof barrier and helps keep ink in. Frequent washing with fragrance free hypo-allergenic soap helped too.

Rae what kind of ointment would you recommend to pu on a new tat for someone who is allergice to triple antibiotic ointment? I have tats on my shoulder that are 22 years old, and about 10 years ago I had them recolored. The artist used surgical green soap to cleanse the area, and I can't remember the brand of ink he used, but after he was done he put the Triple on it and covered it, and the next day the tat and surronding area was covered with tiny blisters, and man o man did it itch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! years later I found out that because I am allergic to sulfa drugs, that Trible anitbiotic ointments have sulfa in them. I am also allergic to adhesive. The colors did not stay nice, and I think it was because of the ointment. I would really like to get them all done again, but unsure what to do .

No doubt, an allergy to antibiotics can cause healing issues. Anyone with that same problem, make sure you tell your tattoo artist about any allergies before they start doing any work on you! That way, anything they might put on your that could react can be eliminated or substituted.

Really, you don't need an antibiotic ointment unless you have an infection. Cleaning with a mild, unscented/color-free soap and then moisturzing with an unscented/color-free lotion should be fine. For my last tattoo, I melted shea butter with my fingertips and then applied it gently to the healing tattoo.

If you are allergic to adhesive, they can often cover the tattoo with plastic wrap, and then tape that to itself. If that's not possible, you may have to use gauze bandage to hold a gauze pad in place. You only need to really keep tattoos covered for the first 24 hours at most, and then the surface benefits from getting fresh air.

^Thank you.

You do NOT need antibiotics (creams, ointments) and other fancy paraphernalia for the average body to take care of itself!

Just keep the area clean. You know how dirty you are so use your own discretion about how much washing you'll need to do throughout the day.

Don't let it scab over or it can pull out and draw away the ink to the surface in the scab. At the same time, please please please WAIT about 5-10 minutes after you've taken a shower for the skin to air dry on its own (don't let moisture from the shower get trapped under the moisturizer "oils" layer). After this period, moisturize with a no-nonsense moisturizer (ie. Curel Unscented, or Lubriderm Unscented). Those of you who are also allergic to sheep's wool, look out for Lanolin in any moisturizer. This is natural sheep fat. If you're allergic to the wool, chances are you won't react well to this ingredient.

I personally would never put anything scented or "cosmetic" even in terms of moisturizers on a fresh or healed tattoo. My daily shield is an SPF 50 Fragrance Free baby sunblock.. and I'm only in the Pacific Northwest *only* on healed tattoos. Fresh ones or tattoos in covered areas are pampered with moisturizer only (and protected with a layer of loose, breathable clothing). Sometimes the annoying scraping feeling of cloth against a fresh tattoo is too much and I've been known to sport an umbrella on a gorgeous, sunny day. So do what you feel is best but make sure your ink is protected - healed or fresh.

If you absolutely feel the need to use an antibiotic, stop use after 3-4 days. Remember this is not a moisturizer cream (but can act like one too), it is first and foremost an ANTIBIOTIC. There are dangers to using too much of it. Do your own research. Again, in my opinion, they are unnecessary. Have faith in your body's ability to heal and fight off any pathogens on its own. Give it 14-16 days to heal. 20 for any itching to completely subside. Some colours like red take a longer time to heal for a few people because of allergies. Just be patient!

Keep clean, and keep it moist (but not too moist - blot excess moisturizer). Congratulations on your new tattoo.