Let's talk ink for a moment...
Tattoos are expensive and rather permanent. That is unless you want to pay for 5-10 laser tattoo removals at around $150 per session, which many people have come to see me for.
If you want to keep the ink on your skin and let the tattoo fly for years, you want it to heal.
That doesn't mean a great artist can't trick you by designing old-school aftercare products. Many have done this for decades and continue to do so. Nor does it mean that a novice or sketchy artist can give you great aftercare when they overwork your skin and expect a healed tattoo.
The big problem with 90% of all tattoos is that there is a phase called "hard healing". This is where scabs, rashes, pimples, itchy white bumps, or severe peeling appear. Why is it happening? Dandruff can be the result of congested skin, a poor immune system, or several other reasons.
The most commonly used are "medicated" aftercare products that contain lanolin, petroleum, mineral oil, sea salt, food coloring, or alcohol—all of which have dangerous and even fatal side effects. None of these ingredients are healing when it comes to tattoos.
Let me introduce you to the ingredients that can cause the above situations.
Lanolin - comes from sheep's wool. It is an allergen, contains pesticides, can cause rashes, wetting, or skin infections, and increases sensitivity to the sun. When used, lanolin can cause diarrhea, intestinal problems, and vomiting.
Petroleum/Mineral Oil – is a known carcinogen, used as a laxative and a by-product of gasoline. These ingredients leach vitamins from the body and increase the risk of cancer of the scrotum, skin, gastrointestinal tract, rectum, bladder, and respiratory tract.
Food coloring - can be pigmented from animal, vegetable, INSECT, and synthetic sources that are used to color products. Some dyes are derived from coal tar and are tested on animals for their carcinogenic properties.
Alcohol, and sea salt - when cleaning, they dry out the tattoo and thus damage it. These ingredients have the potential to heat the skin and also burn it. Have you ever heard the phrase "pouring salt into an open wound?"
These are a few of the ingredients used during the typical tattooing process, as well as the healing process.
Would you go to your mechanic to give you tattoo aftercare products? Some of the above ingredients are the same as pouring motor oil on a tattoo. The bottom line is that if you use inferior products, you WILL have an inferior tattoo!
Poor healing is a LOT of wasted time for everyone involved.
You spend a lot of time choosing a clean shop, and a talented artist, and more time letting your artists design a permanent piece of art on your body. Then why would you drop the ball at the most important stage of the healing process with an inferior aftercare product?
Why would you use "medicated" ointments made with ANY coloring (food or otherwise) when no fragrances or colors are recommended in lotions after day 3?
But there is good news...
You can take control of the one part of the process that makes a big difference in how well your ink stays where it's supposed to stay...in your skin!
Would you believe a tattoo from a non-tattoo artist? So you also wouldn't want an aftercare product made by men in white coats, with no ink or tattoo knowledge, would you? Old-school "aftercare" products were not designed to treat tattoos. It's so simple. These old-school products leak your ink and cause the above problems.
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