Dealing with Inflammation in Tattoo Healing
"Good tattoos aren't cheap and cheap tattoos aren't good." ~Author Unknown
During tattoo healing you can decrease inflammation and pain rapidly without medication.
So the other day I decided to get inked. After being inked my next concern is about tattoo healing. A tattoo isn't done until it has healed properly.
If the aftercare is deplorable, you'll have a faded tattoo and go through lots of scabbing. The picture to the right was taken right after the tattoo was completed.
This page isn't about proper tattoo care but is about inflammation and healing. I'll have to admit, the process that I went through to achieve the desired tattoo was not pleasant. Frankly it sucked. However I did not bleed much which I thought was a good thing.
After the tattoo was done (and all the pain that I could deal with), I had to figure out how to sleep comfortably with my new tattoo. The area was very red, swollen and sore to the touch.
Since I'm not a tattoo artist I am not going to discuss how to care for your tattoo. If your tattoo artist did not discuss with you about how to care for your tattoo it is best to search for a good site that will help you. A few sites that I recommend are:
- Tattoo Aftercare by Sharp Tattoo
- Tattoo aftercare from a client's points of view, one thing he did not talk about is A&D ointment. It is about as good as Bacitracin.
One thing you have to remember is that getting a tattoo is like getting a small wound or incision. You are cutting into the skin. And with every wound there is always inflammation and possibility of infection.
I know magnet therapy is good for bringing down inflammation. Inflammation is common in tattoo healing. However I did not take my own advice and use it for the inflammation (and my magnetic field generator is broken).
After my first miserable night I decided to take action. After one night with my magnetic insole placed near my tattoo region, the swelling and redness was gone. The soreness is still there but about 60% gone.
I'm not going to tell you that magnetic therapy healed me. What magnet therapy did was decreased my swelling, redness and soreness by a significant amount in one night. Besides figuring out what ointment works best for you, tattoo healing also means dealing with any pain or inflammation.
Ibuprofen can be taken for pain and inflammation but I like natural methods better than popping pills.
Good luck with your tattoo healing!
Update, July 31, 2009
It's been two weeks since my tattoo and it has healed so great! I remember when I got my first tattoo and the aftermath. It was awful. The area was scabbed, peeling and I itched terribly.
This second tattoo did itch but I did not scab at all. In about 10 days all the swelling was gone and after the third day all the soreness was gone.
For the first four nights I slept with my magnetic insole (again b/c my generator is broken) on the area. I believe that this time around that the tattoo is healing so well is because of that. I'll post new pictures very soon.
Return from Tattoo Healing to Home Page
Learn more about inflammation and healing
