Gym after tattoo

Dangerdunf

Hi,

I'm getting a tattoo done on my left shoulder blade tomorrow. How long should I wait before getting back to the gym after the tattoo is done?

Raze_them_all

until it's healed.

lil_tuts

At least a week make sure its healed , keep it covered with a dressing as well

Raze_them_all

lil_tuts wrote: »

At least a week make sure its healed , keep it covered with a dressing as well

for a week??? Eh no tattoo's need to breathe to heal

djflawless

you only need the bandage on it till you get a shower/bath after getting it done.do not let it soak in water untill its fully healed which should take between 10-20 days depending on size.always make sure ythe tattoo has cream or gel on it to keep it a small bit moisturised.a small tub of tattoo goo is the ideal job,if not, wash with warm soapy water and smear with a tin layer of vaseline every 6-8 hours

lil_tuts

I was told to keep it covered with a dressing and with cream on it .... On both my tattoos ?

Melion

lil_tuts wrote: »

I was told to keep it covered with a dressing and with cream on it .... On both my tattoos ?

Well whoever told you that was very very wrong and if it was your tattooist I would seriously reconsider ever going back to them again

RoryMurphyJnr

wouldn't be using Vaseline on a tattoo either I always use Bepanthen.
Works a treat but might just be me.

And as for covering it for a week, sweet jesus

Pauleeeeeeee

Melion wrote: »

Well whoever told you that was very very wrong and if it was your tattooist I would seriously reconsider ever going back to them again

Wrong. As long as the dressing is changed frequently enough to stop bacteria growing and causing an infection it's a perfectly acceptable approach to healing. One I prefer in fact.

I wash my tattoos 3/4 times a day for 4 days after I get them. I reapply Bepanthan each time and then wrap with new cling wrap. After those 4 days are up I just moisturise the tattoo. I find I have quick healing and minimal ink loss with this approach.

petebricquette

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

Wrong. As long as the dressing is changed frequently enough to stop bacteria growing and causing an infection it's a perfectly acceptable approach to healing. One I prefer in fact.

I wash my tattoos 3/4 times a day for 4 days after I get them. I reapply Bepanthan each time and then wrap with new cling wrap. After those 4 days are up I just moisturise the tattoo. I find I have quick healing and minimal ink loss with this approach.

Different strokes I suppose but I did exactly as suggested above (no more wrapping after the initial shower) and the detail is nearly exactly as it was when I left the place. Granted, it needs a slight touch-up as it's hard to get dotwork completely 100% without it but it still looks great.

On a side-note, I found Bepanthan to dry out very very quickly and ended up using a body lotion I found in the house. Kept it lovely and moisturised for about 5 or 6 hours as opposed to Bepanthan where my skin dried out after maybe 2 or so.

feelpablo

Have to agree with Pauleeee, I was told to wash the tattoo 3-4 times daily with an antibacterial soap, apply a thin layer of bebanthin and apply a new cover of cling film each time for the first 3 days, after that just a light layer of cream till its healed.

I find my tattoos heal within 7-10 days and are just as good as the day i leave the shop.

There are different ways for different artists but as long as you keep the tattoo clean and for the love of jebus DO NOT pick at it while it is healing all should be fine....

Pauleeeeeeee

Yeh some artists don't really like to suggest that healing method because if it's not done right (ie the person forgets to change the cling wrap frequently enough or just isn't arsed) bacteria can grow fairly easily under the cling wrap which could result in an infection.

niall_f

My friend started trains 4 days after making tatoo and everything is fine, you've go to remember about covering it by cream few times a day.

feelpablo

Pauleeeeeeee wrote: »

Yeh some artists don't really like to suggest that healing method because if it's not done right (ie the person forgets to change the cling wrap frequently enough or just isn't arsed) bacteria can grow fairly easily under the cling wrap which could result in an infection.

Ah i can understand an artists reluctance to suggest this way.

I just cant understand why any one who goes through the effort and pays a substantial amount of money to get a piece done that they wouldnt put every possible effort for two weeks into looking after it properly

hdowney

i agree. you would think they'd wanna keep it looked after.

but i would say what happens is, as it starts to heal they come to think they don't need to put as much effort into looking after it and become lax about it.

pfft no way i would do that. had my new one since tuesday and it seems to be progressing nicely. teeny tiny bit of a scab on the section that was gone over the most. other than that tis lovely if still a bit sore!

Pauleeeeeeee

You'd be amazed at how poorly a lot of people look after their tattoos.

TerrorFirmer

I wash mine after they're done regularly - particularly the first day or two - but I take the clingfilm off after a few hours. I don't know why there seems to be such differences in opinion, but two tattooists in San Francisco said to take it off after a few hours, but any tattooist here says several days- who's one to believe? I've always gone for the 12 hours/1 day approach, never had any problems, but like I said I do wash them regularly.

Magic Eight Ball

I use to take the cling film off after a few hours but lately I've being keeping new tattoos wrapped for 5 or so days, changing dressing 4 times a day and it's resulted in my tattoos healing faster with more vibrant colour.

Different strokes..