Growing Up With Your Tattoo

Tattoos have been popular throughout the years. They are a way for anyone to make a statement about themselves, show affiliation to a group, show their creative side and general outlook on life. You will love growing up with your tattoo. They are becoming more widely accepted and have gained in popularity in the last few years. Surveys show that about one in four people have at least one tattoo.

Tattoos are permanent. They are made with a needle and ink which goes through the skin causing bleeding. This is necessary for it to be permanent as the ink has to go into the epidermis so the skin can absorb the color. If it is done professionally or with a tattoo gun the needle moves very fast through the skin. The tattoo is cleaned and disinfected as you go so that no infection sets in. It is perfectly safe to have a tattoo put on your body.

The unique thing about tattoos is that they change over time. The environment such as sun, wind, rain and other factors will affect the way your tattoo looks. You skin will stretch, sag, or shrink with age or with weight gain or lose. You are basically growing up with your tattoo.  A good tattoo will retain its color and beauty over the years with the exception of natural changes due to aging and environment.

You need to take care of your tattoo if you want it to stay attractive over the years. Take good care of your skin. Take the necessary steps to prevent infection. A new tattoo will take a few weeks to heal. Keep it moist to prevent scabbing and keep an antibiotic cream on it until it heals. If it does form a scab it will take some of the color from the tattoo and make it less attractive. Do everything you can to help heal your skin; it will make a big difference in how well your tattoo looks.

Keep your tattoo out of the sun as much as possible. It will fade the same as other things that are exposed to the sun. Cover your tattoo when you are outside and use a good sunscreen. Yellow and red colors fade the easiest, so they need more care and attention than the colors of blue and black. These colors are much easier to take care of as they do not fade as easily as the red and yellow. Your tattoo is a part of you, so take care of it the same as you would any other part of your body.

Tattoos that are taken care of properly will retain their beauty and uniqueness over the years as you are growing up with your tattoo. They need to be correctly applied, taken care of during healing process and sheltered from the damaging suns rays. Changes will occur over time, but taking good care of your tattoos will greatly reduce the effects of time and the elements.

Tattoo Aftercare – Here Is An Excellent Video On Tattoo Aftercare

Tattoo Goo aftercare products are a combination of vitamins, herbs, and other ingredients developed especially to aid your body in the healing and protection of a new tattoo. The majority of products currently used for the aftercare of new tattoos were designed to prevent infection in cuts, burns, and scrapes – not for healing and aftercare of new tattoos. Tattoo Goo aftercare products are gentle enough for everyday use will not clog the pores of your skin that can retards the natural healing process. Tattoo Goo contains natural moisturizers to enhance the colors and protect your tattoo for the LIFE of your tattoo.

The Interpretation of Tattoos

You’ve finally decided upon the tattoo design you want to get. You’ve worked up the courage to go to the tattoo parlor. Forgotten anything? You might want to look into the implications behind your chosen image. It may be beautiful, but what does it mean? The interpretation of tattoos is not an exact science but here are a few widely held associations.

Butterfly Tattoos – The butterfly is linked with the soul in some cultures and butterfly tattoos signify happiness, freedom, fragility, metamorphosis, and beauty.   Many females choose to wear a butterfly tattoo.

Lotus Flower Tattoos – In Buddhism and Hinduism, the lotus flower is a symbol of spiritual awakening. A lotus tattoo is considered by many tattoo enthusiasts to signify life in general and represent the primal struggle of life as demonstrated by the lotus as it emerges through the mud and grows into a thing of great beauty. In turn, this tattoo symbolizes the transformation of a person as he grows into something more spiritually beautiful.

Japanese Koi Fish Tattoos – The Koi symbolizes individualism and strength. The Koi is often complimented with peonies or lotus flowers since those flowers are popular among Japanese tattoo artists.

Dolphin Tattoos – Dolphins are another popular choice in tattoos for the ladies. Dolphins have traditionally been associated with the divine and matters of a spiritual nature.

Dragon Tattoos – In this instance, the interpretation of tattoos will vary according to culture. Dragon tattoos are very popular and symbolize different things to different people in different cultures. In Japan a dragon symbolizes supernatural power, hidden wisdom, and great strength. Old legends say the only way to pass by a dragon is to answer its riddles.

Tiger Tattoos – Tiger tattoos are very beautiful because of their distinctive color. Chinese tiger tattoos are popular choices and are often coupled with dragons; they signify strength and beauty.

Star Tattoos – Star tattoos can have several meanings. A shooting star could symbolize a brief but wondrous moment in one’s life much like catching a magical fleeting glimpse of a star racing across the night sky. A star could also express the wish to be a star, or signify one is seeking his ultimate destiny.

Sun Tattoos – A powerful symbol among all cultures both ancient and modern, the sun symbolizes the ultimate life force and giver of life itself. A sun tattoo is often paired with a tattoo of the moon. This duo is rich in meaning and usually symbolizes the dual nature of life and the interplay of opposites such as Ying and Yang, hot and cold, male and female. The moon and the sun both nourish and sustain our lives in crucial but different ways.

Zodiac Tattoos – Zodiac tattoos are popular and a good choice as a first tattoo. These tattoos can be in the form of a standard zodiac sign or personalized according to individual taste. Their meaning is straightforward and taken from the ancient zodiac itself so there is little room for misunderstanding the interpretation of tattoos when it comes to these zodiac symbols.

Tattoo Aftercare Instructions

You finally found the perfect design and you cannot wait to see it in ink. Perhaps you found the best tattoo artist around and now you are the proud new owner of your very first tattoo. Now what do you do what are the best tattoo aftercare instructions on caring for your prize?

A professional tattoo artist will clean your tattoo during and after each setting by applying antiseptic. All professionals know this is key to keeping the tattoo and you healthy until it is finished. Once you take the bandage off however it is all on you!

Once your tattoo is completely in ink the tattoo artist should let you know what you need to do to care for it. Some of the more professional artists will actually give you a take home sheet with tattoo aftercare instructions, like the hospital does, that will give you all the care instructions. Nevertheless if you did not get the comprehensive treatment you may be wondering what to do next. It is not all that hard to take care of a tattoo as long as you know what you can and cannot do.

First keep the original bandage on as long as you can. This does not mean leave it on for days or weeks. It simply means that if you can wait about 24 hours before removing it. Always remove it before you shower.

Do not take a shower or bath as soon as you get a new tattoo. When you do wash up you will need to use a very mild soap and wash it gently. Do not scrub with a loofa or any type of exfoliating bath washes. It is best if you do not touch the tattoo with your hands other than in the shower but if you must be sure they are clean. You will greatly reduce the occurrence of infection if you do this. Once you are done in the shower pat the area dry and apply the special protective ointment over your tattoo.

Tattoo shops all sell specialty cremes to put on your tattoo. These are usually fine but not a have to at all. With my tattoo I used a triple anti-biotic ointment and it did just fine. Curels Fragrance Free is also a smart choice and is relatively inexpensive. Many people will also advise using A&D ointment since it is an ointment for abrasions. However the recommendation from personal experience is still Curel because it contains an added moisturizer that will alleviate any itching.

It cannot be stressed enough that you should never rub the area to harshly, this will impede the healing and possibly cause an infection. Work any ointments into the skin lightly with only your clean fingertips. Curel has a new 24 hour lotion that I like really well. The tattoo will stay moist and shiny the entire day. I still like to reapply the lotion throughout the day though, about three times a day is sufficient.

Normally after about 5-6 days you can quit applying ointments. However all tattoos are not the same so use your best judgment. One good course of action is to use the A&d ointment the first few days then switch to an unscented lotion like Curel for a week or so. Never use a scented lotion because they can irritate the tattoo and or cause infections.

Somewhere around 9-14 days you should be able to quit using any type of ointment or lotion, some tattoos are prone to scabbing a little once they have healed. Whatever you do, do not pick at the scab! Scratching and pulling on a scab can cause irreparable damage to the tattoo. Leave the scab alone or continue with the ointment of your choice.

To keep your tattoo looking good remember to protect exposed ones from the sun. Use a good sunscreen on any tattoo that is constantly exposed to UV light. If you do happen to sunburn your tattoo do not use aloe on it! We did that on my husbands and the aloe lotion pulled some of the ink from the tattoo.

Tattoos are not cheap so do not balk at spending a few dollars to keep it looking great. If you take good care of it at the outset it will look nice for years to come. Follow the tattoo aftercare instructions from above and you will have no problems.

Check Out Our Tattoo Aftercare Video.