How to Keep Your Tattoo Healthy --10
Tips
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July 10, 2010
By Katrina Devine, Contributing Columnist
Tattoos are an ancient art form that have been used to signify many
things over the centuries. Your position in the tribe, your Naval record,
your motorcycle gang affiliation or your undying love of Tweety Bird.
Today, many people in all walks of life have tattoos. Once thought of
as "edgy" or "rebellious", you are now as likely to find a tattoo on a
nurse, doctor or lawyer as on a leather-clad Hells Angel biker or gang
member. No longer the exclusive badge of outsiders and acid
rockers, even the most harmless popstars have tattoos these days.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that there are 16,000
professional tattoo artists working in the U.S. There have been no
official surveys and no way to tell exactly how many Americans have
tattoo but in 2006 Dr. Anne Laumann of the Feinberg School of
Medicine and Dr. Amy Derick of the University of Chicago conducted
joint research into the prevalence of tattoos in the US. They estimated
from a telephone survey that 24% of Americans have tattoos.
Health Dangers and Risks from Tattoos-- What Is Tattoo Flu?
According to the FDA there are several risks related to Tattoos. One of
the dangers is an allergic reaction. The FDA maintains that this is rare
but serious when it occurs because the agent in the Tattoo that may be
causing the reaction is difficult to remove from the skin. The main
danger is infection from improperly cleaned needles. These infections
can range from skin surface infections to serious life threatening
conditions such as septicemia. So many people get sick from having
tattoos done and not taking care of them properly that it is commonly
called "tattoo flu". Tattoo flu symptoms can include vomiting, fever
and blister formations.
Others dangers according to the FDA are granulomas which are
groups of immune cells that form under the skin, it is a rare form of
inflammation that may happen with Tattoos. Also if you are prone to
Keloid formation (scars that form beyond normal boundaries) then
tattooing can lead to problems. Also there have been cases of people
undergoing tattoos and experiencing burning in the area of the tattoo.
The FDA has conducted research at the National Center for Toxicology
Research into the safety of tattoos.
The FDA warn that they have not approved any of the pigments used
in tattoos for injection into the skin. They also have not approved the
use of Henna tattoos or other non-permanent tattoos.
A study completed by the Department of Dermatology ,University of
Regensburg, Germany in 2010 studied the composition of 19
commercially available black tattoo inks and looked how they reacted
with the skin. The study found that when the ink was injected into the
skin and then exposed to UVA rays it proved to be carcinogenic over
time.
Here are top 10 tips on how to keep your tattoo healthy:
1. Don’t Scratch Your Tattoo: When your tattoo begins to heal, you
will feel a slight tingling and definitely an urge to scratch. Avoid this
urge at all costs unless you want another trip to the tattoo parlor in a
few weeks. If you scratch while the healing process is ongoing you
run the risk of losing some parts of your tattoo. Worse yet, you can
cause an infection.
A study conducted into henna tattoos by the Floridsdorf Allergy Centre,
Vienna, Austria, in 2001 noted that itching in permanent tattoos should
be avoided for 2-3 weeks to avoid any damage to the tattoo and to
avoid infection.
2. Don’t Expose Your Tattoo to Sunlight: Use extra sunscreen to
protect your tattoo. A study led by Eva Engel at the Department of
Dermatology, University of Regensburg, German in 2007 looked at
how sunlight works on the pigment of tattoos. They found that there
was destruction of the pigment with continued exposure to sunlight.
This means that tattoos that are constantly exposed to sunlight are
going to fade more quickly.
Therefore, it is important that you use a high factor sunscreen on your
tattoo every day --at least SPF 30-- if it is located in an area that is
exposed to the sun. However, you should not apply sunscreen in the
healing stages of the tattoo as that may cause irritation. It is best to
keep the tattoo covered at this time.
3. Avoid Exposing Your Tattoo to Chlorine and Sea Water: While your
tattoo is healing, avoid bathing in any water for extended periods of
time.
Even after your tattoo is healed, you have to consider the effect that
swimming will have on the color of the tattoo and its prominence.
A study completed at the Naval Medical Center, San Diego, in 2008
looked at tattoo’s reaction to certain chemicals. They were studying
this with the purpose of furthering tattoo removal research but they
did identify that chemicals such as chlorine and other chemicals cause
tattoos to fade or certain colored inks to change their color.
A study conducted by the Floridsdorf Allergy Centre, Vienna, Austria,
in 2001 found that salt was an abrasive and acted to damage the
vibrancy of the tattoo.
4. Apply Ointment to Your Tattoo. As most tattoo artists recommend,
don’t let your tattoo dry. A professional tattoo artist should give you
advice about the healing process. They will probably recommend an
ointment such as Tattoo Goo to apply on the tattoo. You should avoid
any alcohol-based oils or ointments to prevent drying.
The most important thing is to not let the tattoo and the area around it
dry out as in the healing process this can cause cracks in the tattoo.
5. Don’t Shave Your Tattoo: If your tattoo is on your leg or anywhere
else you need to shave then it is best to leave it until the healing
process is finished. As mentioned in the 2001 study by the Floridsdorf
Allergy Centre, Vienna, Austria, any abrasive activity can damage the
tattoo. Don’t use any oils or other shaving creams near the tattoo
either until the healing process is finished.
6. Wash Your Hands to Avoid Infecting Your Tattoo: This is basic
hygiene but it is very important to follow the rules of hygiene while
dealing with your new tattoo. According to the study completed by
university of California, San Diego in 1994 there are several
infections that can be transmitted after the actual tattooing itself.
Signs to watch out for are: excessive swelling around the area,
redness and oozing pus.
7. Use Hot Water to Prevent Infecting Your Tattoo: Again this is to
remove any bacteria around the tattoo. As mentioned above it is not
recommended to soak the tattoo in anything. Also don’t use water that
is hot enough to burn or dry out the tattoo.
According to the FDA’s guidelines if you think your tattoo is infected
visit your doctor rather than your tattoo artist. He or she is not a
trained medical professional. Depending on the infection time could be
of crucial importance. If any of the symptoms mentioned above appear
with a fever or sickness visit the hospital immediately.
8. Don't Use Petroleum Oils on Your Tattoo: Petroleum fades the
color of tattoos therefore it is advised to avoid any creams or
treatments that contain petroleum. The is supported by the study
completed by Department of Dermatology, University of Regensburg,
German in 2000 which found petroleum to have the ability to aide in
tattoo removal as it disturbs the pigments in the skin.
9. Moisturize Your Tattoo: As I have mentioned keeping the tattoo
moist is an important element in keeping your tattoo healthy. This is
not only limited to the healing period but should be a life long
commitment.
10. Be careful Around Others: If you work in an environment with a
lot of contact make sure that your tattoo is safe from any harm. This
means no contact sports where the scab may get damaged. Even an
over zealous hug could damage your new tattoo making it unevenly
colored or patchy.
Bottom Line-Treat your tattoo like a wound that needs to be looked
after appropriately.
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