First of all , you must understand that some of these products you may or may not be allergic to.
It really depends on the person .

Make sure any time you touch the tattooed area your hands are CLEAN unless you want an infection , don't pet the dog, change you kids diaper , or change your oil and then apply ointment or lotion to the tattooed area unless you want a really bad infection !

Also you must understand there are many ways to care for a tattoo , we are only giving you this advise based on years of experience , trial and error but feel that this advise is the best you will get in our professional opinion.

The are two ways we suggest taking care of a new tat :  you can use  A) or B)  please read both before you decide.

No more than 2 hours after your tattoo remove the bandage.

Apply a hot pack to the tattoo using a hot, wet washcloth (as hot as you can stand it , its going to burn but do it anyway !) and hold it on the tattooed area until it feels like its cooling off , do this again 3 more times ( in a row ) .
(the hot pack pulls the plasma and coagulated blood out of the tattoo and seals it)

Dry the tattooed area off and let it stand until the next day.

A couple of times a day apply a small amount of hand lotion , A&D Ointment  or what ever works for you (just enough that it rubs in) to the area .

Do not get your new tattoo wet .... ( apply a thick coat of Vaseline before showering , No swimming or soaking until the area is healed) Make sure you take the Vaseline off when you are done !

B)

#1 To care for your new tattoo first of all you must keep a thick coat of Vaseline or A&D ointment on it and KEEP IT COVERED FOR 12 HOURS ! it take the skin that long to quit seeping and bleeding . Some shops will tell you to wash the tattoo in a couple of hours but this will only allow the scabbing to increase in thickness. The thicker the scabbing the more chance there is to loose the color and blow out the lines of the tattoo. 

#2 After 12 hours remove the bandage and apply a coat of ointment or Vaseline , Rub it in until you have loosened the initial scabbing . Wash the tattoo off with warm water (not hot) and antibactial soap , lightly do not scrub but apply just enough pressure to remove the scabbing so it looks like it did when it was first done.

#3 Dab the tattoo until dry and apply a thing coat of A&D ointment or Lotion (not vaseline petroleum jelly) and continue to dab the tattoo until it quits seeping , Think if the tattoo as and abrasion on the skin , it will seep for a few minutes again like when you knock the scab off a cut.

Once the tattoo quits seeping  , you must follow the rest of these direction exactly if you want your tattoo to heal quickly and with out infection .

#4 Apply ( no matter what a thin coat of lotion or ointment , just enough that it is absorbed by the skin  every two hours .

#5 DO NOT GET IT WET AGAIN ! Apply a thick coat of Vaseline Petroleum Jelly to the tattoo to keep the water off it. The scabbing is like a sponge and will swell up if you get it wet , this will cause the scabbing to go deeper into the skin and you take the chance of knocking them off and damaging your tattoo . ( Make sure you remove  the Vaseline lightly once you get out of the shower. NO baths until it has peeled completely . Meaning there are no rough spots at all on the tattooed area .

#6 DO NOT EXPOSE TO SUN LIGHT! even on cloudy days you will boil the oil in your skin and cause damage to your tattoo .

#7 DO NOT PICK AT THE SCABBING ! it will peel like a sunburn and  itch (Really bad ) but still do not pick at it . allow the scabbing to come off naturally , when it itches try applying a small amount of ointment or lotion and the itching should be tolerable . itching means the tattoo is healing.

#8 Once the tattoo has peeled it will look shinny ,, keep in mind that the skin is still healing even though it has peeled , the skin will be extremely sensitive and easy to damage , if you cut , scrape expose to sunlight or scratch the area you will damage the tattoo and your skin . It will take another week or so before the skin will get back to normal . At that point you can have any light areas of the tattoo touched up but not before .

IT TAKES MONTHS FOR THE INK TO CURE IN YOUR SKIN ! the ink has to mix with the oil in your skin and cure before it will become stable .

For example : if you try to turn yellow  red before the ink is cured it will turn Orange , Red to blue will result in a purplish color. 

You can use the following products on your tattoo provided you follow the directions on this page and look for signs of irritation.

Vaseline Petroleum Jelly ( only for the first 12 hours and then to keep the water off the tattooed area when you shower )

Vaseline Intensive care for dry skin

Lubrederm Hand lotion (Recommended ) 

Tattoo Goo Lotion (Recommended)

Tattoo Goo Ointment  (many people are allergic to this ointment , not all but We have had some bad experiences with it .

A&D Ointment (Recommended , although we have had 1 out of 50 people who have had and allergic reaction to it)

If you follow these directions you should have no problem caring for your tattoo .

Signs of infection :

Keep in mind that you have a 1 in a 500,000.00 chance of getting an infection from a tattoo studio , this is not exact but close . Only a few cases of AIDS have ever been reported from getting a tattoo , the most common is 'Hepatitis" which was very common before proper sterilization was put into effect. If the shop is clean and they sterilize their equiptment (properly) use the needles only once and practice safe proper techniques in handling the pigments , utensils and personal hygiene you should have no problem.
 

Allergic reactions to ointments :

The tattooed area will get extremely red , small bumps may appear on the surrounding area . the tattooed area will usually feel very warm or hot . To stop this use Antibacterial soap and a warm wash cloth to wash the area , dab dry and apply triple antibiotic ointment to the area, or just use lotion in small amounts to keep it moist. you may have to experiment until you find something that works for you.
 

Allergic reactions to the ink (pigments) :

Many people are allergic to certain pigments or ink . Keep in mind that there the pigments in tattoo ink are the same as what is in house paint , the only difference is that the toxic chemicals and substances were not included in the process of manufacturing the ink.
There is no FDA approved tattoo ink , many artist mix their own , this can be a benefit but also a down fall if they do not process the ink properly.  We prefer to purchase our inks from know manufactures who have a track record of quality pigments.

You can recognize an allergic reaction to the pigment most of the time depending on the severity :
first of all with in hours of getting the tattoo it will become extremely red , you will see a yellowish or milky looking mucus  begin to come from the tattooed area , it will swell and become inflamed.

If you are allergic to the pigment you should go to your local physcian immediately . He should instruct you to wash the area with antibacterial soap continuously  and keep it out of the sun until the infection heals . You will loose all of the ink with the exception of maybe the outline , most people are not allergic to the pigment used to outline tattoos.
 

Signs of severe infection: will be same as an allergic reaction to the pigment but may not show up for a few days , if you see red lines extending from the tattoo , mucus , severe swelling or redness , the tattooed area feels like it is on fire or EXTREMELY sensitive , call a physician IMMEDIATELY !
 

Do's and Don'ts  :

Don't listen to your friends they will make you believe they know everything , only listen to a professional tattoo artist with a good reputation when seeking advise on tattoo's .

Don't assume you know what to do or how to care for a tattoo ASK FOR ADVISE ! make sure the artist explains to you in detail how to take care of the tattoo before you leave and then check this page to confirm his advise .

DON'T trust anyone who does homemade tattoos ! they most likely do not have a certified sterilizer and you may end up with something more permanent than ink in your skin !
 

Keep in mind that Hepatitis "B" can live on a counter top or utensil for up to 30 days . Anyone can walk by and put there hand on it , if they have a cut or abrasion they will get it . PEOPLE THIS STUFF WILL KILL YOU ! not just make you sick , Most cleaners such as Spectrum HBV  take 10 minutes to kill Hepatitis "B" and some other viruses . BE CAREFUL , There is no such thing as over sterilization.

The term Sterilization means this and this only !

Using a Hospital quality sterilizer :

To Steam Sterilize the equiptment you must use Distilled Water , bring the sterilizer to a minimum of 260 degrees  which is equivalent to roughly 18-20 lb. of pressure for a minimum of 20 minutes . (keep in mind this is the minimal process we use and some health publications may vary) Generally our process is 270 degrees equivalent to 30 lb of pressure for 30 minutes. 

Chem Sterilization is close to the same .

Dry Heat sterilization is less effective and take longer . the equiptment must be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner , then scrubbed with cleaning solution and then put in the sterilizer . The sterilizer must be brought to 350 degrees for thirty minutes.
 

 PEOPLE STERILIZATION DOES NOT MEAN PUTTING ALCOHOL ON A NEEDLE OR  USING A BIC LIGHTER !!!! this is not proper sterilization !!!!