Usenet 1994 January/usenetsourcesnewsgroupsinfomagicjanuary1994.iso/answers/tattoo-faq/part3

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Newsgroups: rec.arts.bodyart,news.answers,rec.answers
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From: [e-mail] (Lani Teshima-Miller)
Subject: rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 3/4: Care of your new tattoo
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Followup-To: rec.arts.bodyart
Summary: This posting contains the Frequently Asked Questions
    file about tattoos and other non-piercing bodyart. Anyone who
    wishes to read/post to the rec.arts.bodyart newsgroup should
    read this first.
Sender: [e-mail]
Organization: University of Hawaii
Date: Fri, 17 Dec 1993 18:55:32 GMT
Approved: [e-mail]
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Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu rec.arts.bodyart:10792 news.answers:15940 rec.answers:3384

Archive-name: tattoo-faq/part3
Last-modified: November 22, 1993
Posting-frequency: Monthly

This is Part 3 of the 'other' half of the rec.arts.bodyart FAQ file that
is posted on a monthly basis (in the latter half of the month) and
includes information about everything but piercing that might concern
bodyart. If you are a regular reader of r.a.b. and do not want to read
this monthly posting, you may want to set a KILL command in your file
for all four tattoo FAQ postings.

The rec.arts.bodyart tattoo FAQ is broken up into four parts:
   Part 1/4: Introduction, and getting a tattoo
   Part 2/4: Artist list
   Part 3/4: How to care for a new tattoo
   Part 4/4: Miscellaneous information

This section includes the following information:
  1. Is using a sauna or steamroom bad for tattoos?
  2. Is sunlight bad for tattoos?
  3. How do I care for my new tattoo?
     3.1 Suggested Method #1: The Minimal Moisturizer Method
     3.2 Suggested Method #2: The Pat-with-Listerine Method
     3.3 Suggested Method #3: The Wait-24-Hours-to-Take-Off-
         Dressing Method
     3.4 Suggested Method #4: The Coconut-Oil-Itch-Relief Method
     3.5 Suggested Method #5: The Huck Spalding Method
     3.6 Suggested Method #6: The Noxzema Method (NEW)
  4. How does weight gain/loss affect a tattoo?
  5. Can a tattoo be removed?
     5.1. Get it reworked--cover-up
     5.2. Get it reworked--touch-up
     5.3. Get it removed--Tissue Expansion
     5.4. Get it removed--Sal Abration
       5.5. Get it removed--Staged Excision
       5.6. Get it removed--medical lasers


 1. Is using a sauna or steamroom bad for tattoos? ----------

Once it is healed, there is very little that will screw up a tattoo.
The one exception is prolonged exposure to sunlight. (the other is
scarring, but that is patently obvious).


 2. Is sunlight bad for tattoos? ----------

Well, unfortunately it is.  The newer inks are better at resisting
fading but whatever you do, if you spend lots of time in bright
sunlight your tats will fade (over a lifetime not over a week).  The
best is to try and keep them out of bright sunlight.  No one wants to
become a cave dweller just to keep their tats looking good, just use
your common  sense.{Think of your tat as an investment--slather on that
sunblock so it doesn't turn into a dark blob. Like I say, "There's no
such thing as a healthy tan!" Take it from a Hawaii local! I've seen my
share of melanoma here, and they're not even from surfers or beach
bunnies!}


 3. How do I care for my new tattoo? ----------

The artist that did your tattoo will have something very definite to
say about the care of your new tattoo, and it is probably a good idea to
listen to him/her. Many shops will actually have an information sheet
listing care instructions. This section lists a series of treatments to
give you an idea of the breadth of suggestions being offered. The
suggestions have been given "titles" using some unique facet of the
method, and is thus named only for the sake of convenience. These
methods are NOT actually called these. Each set of instructions is
followed by commentary. Special thanks to Lance Bailey
([e-mail]) for this section.

 3.1 Suggested Method #1: The Minimal Moisturizer Method
    From Ancient Art Tattoo, (Orlando, Fla)

Ancient Art puts a heap of vaseline on the new tattoo and then
bandages up the whole thing, they give you these instructions:

Tattoo Care Instructions:
 1. Remove bandaid in 18 hrs.
 2. Wash tattoo immediately, with soap and water
    When washing off the tattoo, there should be old ink and some body
    fluids. At this state there is little that can harm the tattoo.
 3. When skin feels like normal wet skin, pat dry.
 4. Put nothing on the tattoo for 3 days.
 5. From the 4th day, apply the *tiniest* amount of lotion possible
    once a day to keep it from drying out completely, and gently work it
    in. (Mike suggests a drop for a 1 inch by 4 inch piece).
 6. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy.
 7. Do not permit sun on tattoo.
 8. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy.
 9. Scabbing may or may not occur. Scabbing is normal. do not pick
    scab.
10. Do not get the tattoo wet; moisture is your enemy.

 His strongest advice: "MOISTURE IS THE TATTOO'S ENEMY".
    On using Vaseline:  Neosporin is Vaseline-based, and doesn't hurt.
   On using Neosporin:  Not really neccessary, but it doesn't hurt.
       Strong warning:  Never let the shower directly hit the tattoo.

This procedure is how I healed the four I got at Ancient Art and they
seem to be the slowest to heal. After 2.5 weeks, they still have scabs.
sigh.

Lance Bailey says: I used to go to great lengths to keep my tattoos
moist while healing. But now, looking at the ink I healed then, and
other art which is not much older but healed without all the moisture, I
see that the ones where I kept it real moist to prevent any scabs are a
lot fainter--grey where the others are still black. I quite literally
drew a lot of the ink out of the piece. Yes, it is important to keep the
tattoo from drying out, but a scab is part of the normal healing
process, and trying to fool mother nature is risking trouble. Your
mileage will of course vary.


 3.2 Suggested Method #2: The Pat-with-Listerine Method
    From Tattoos Unlimited (London, Canada)

 1. Change your bandage within two hours, wash hands before
    touching tattoo,
 2. Clean tattoo with soap and water, pat with Listerine for a few
    minutes.
 3. Apply Polysporin Ointment and bandage.  Repeat this process 4
    times a day until tattoo is healed.

This is how I healed the first four or five tattoos. The theory is that
by keeping it covered with ointment, you don't form a scab -- and no
scab means no scab problems. UNFORTUNATELY, this method also draws out a
lot of the ink and can result in a pretty pale tattoo. sigh. I would not
recommend this method for a good final result, although it can heal up a
tattoo in as little as a four days if you use Vitamin E and Polysporin..

3.3 Suggested Method #3: The Wait-24-Hours-to-Take-Off-Dressing
    Method. From Joker's Wild (London, Canada)

 1. Remove bandage after 24 hours while you are showering.
 2. Use a mild soap then pat dry
 3. Allow tattoo to dry for 24 hours.
 4. Apply supplied healing lotion four times a day. Please do not use
    anything else on tattoo then the supplied cream.
 5. When using the healing cream, use it sparingly, you want to
    moisten your tattoo, not soak it.
 6. Do not soak your tattoo in the bath for 2 weeks.
 7. Do not swim in chlorinated water for 2 weeks
 8. Do not tan your tattoo for 2 weeks
 9. If your tattoo does happen to scab, do not pick.

Roland at Joker's Wild (no longer there) also recommended protecting the
new tattoo from the shower.  Since all of mine are on the lower leg, he
suggested putting a bag over it which is a bit of a pain, but probably
worth it.

This is how i healed the 3" X 6" piece on the front of my shin with the
exception that I washed it gently at least twice a day to clean off old
ointment.  I am very pleased with the result.


 3.4 Suggested Method #4: The Coconut-Oil-Itch-Relief Method
     From Blue Dragon Tattoos (London, Canada)

For effortless healing of your new tattoo please follow these directions
carefully.

 1. VERY IMPORTANT. Leave sterile dressing covering tattooed area
    for a minimum of 2 hours.
 2. If desired, dressing can remain on tattoo for a maximum of 24
    hours.
 3. After removing dressing (non-stick), gently wash tattooed area
    with soap, pat dry with a clean towel.
 4. Apply Polysporin twice daily until healed. Usually 3 to 6 days.
 5. Please refrain from picking or scratching tattoo during the healing
    process. Damaging the light scab formation will result in poor
    colors in your tattoo. If tattoo irritates, you may apply a slight
    smear of pure coconut oil.

I have never tried this method; the owner of Blue Dragon and I don't
seem to get along. Pity because one of my favorite artists now works
there.


 3.5 Suggested Method #5: The Huck Spalding Method
    From Huck Spalding's "Tattooing A to Z"

 1. Bandage(*) should stay on for at least two hours.
 2. Remove bandage, rinse gently with cold weather and blot dry.
 3. Apply Bacitracin ointment four times a day and blot out the excess.
 4. Keep tattoo fresh and open to the air. Do not bandage.
 5. For the first week, avoid swimming or long soaking in the water.
 6. For the first month, avoid too much exposure to the sun.
 7. Do not pick or scratch scabs
 8. Itching is relieved by slapping or alcohol.
 9. Keep tattoo covered with loose clothing.

* Bandaging Summary
 1. After tattooing clean whole area with green soap and white paper
    towel.
 2. Spray it with alcohol and hold a paper towel on it.
 3. apply film of Bacitracin ointment.
 4. Cover with bandage or Handi-Wrap and securely tape it on.

I have yet to try this method, but have seen a few tattoos which have
been bandaged with handi-wrap and they turned out just fine. (Huck
writes that the handi-wrap stops people from peeling off the bandage
in the first few hours to show friends.)

3.6 Suggested Method #6*: The Noxzema Method
    *New as of 11/93, again from Lance Bailey ([e-mail])

This method is recommended by Suzanne at Creative Tattoo (Ann Arbor,
Michigan)

 1. Remove bandage after 4 - 5 hours.
 2. Wash gently with soap or water.
 3. Do *not* scrub or soak until completely healed (usually a week).
    Showering, however, is OK.
 4. Usually neccessary to re-bandage.
 5. Keep tattoo OUT OF THE SUN or tanning booths while healing.
    Once healed, ALWAYS use sunscreen on colors.
 6. We reommend Noxema Medicated Skin Lotion twice a day to aid
    healing and comfort. DO NOT USE Vaseline, oils, anything greasy,
    or anything with cortisone. Oils block your skin from contact with
    air, inhibiting healing
 7. Tattoo "peels" in 4-7 days. Do not pick or scratch!

"Your tattoo was applied with sterile equipment and procedure, and with
non-toxic colors. We guarantee the workmanship. Healing and caring of
your tattoo is YOUR responsibility."

This is how I healed a 3-inch band around my right ankle. While the
healing was more like 2 weeks, I also protected it from the shower with
a bag. For the last few tattoos I noticed that after I stop covering it
in the shower (after about 2 weeks), the tattoo seems to speed up in
healing. I suspect that this might be either timing (it was ready to
heal), or the action of the shower helps to knock of any dead skin thus
promoting better healing.

I only used a wee bit of Noxzema twice a day, leaving the art "moist and
glistening" but with no "smears of white cream." Am very happy with this
method. The cream really does help the itching and the final result is a
good deep black.


 4. How does weight gain/loss affect a tattoo? ----------

Tattoos can definitely be affected by stretch marks. Whether you will or
won't get stretch marks is apparently determined genetically, so
placement is a consideration if you are planning on getting pregnant.I
know for a fact that stretch marks can ruin a tattoo, because I have a
very small tattoo that now looks more like a blob because of a large
stretch mark running through the middle of it. Luckily, this was a home-
brewed job (the kind done with India ink and a pin wrapped in thread) so
I was never particularly attached to the artwork.  :-}

If your skin stretches from weight gain and then shrinks back up without
losing its elasticity (the loss of elasticity is what results in stretch
marks), then I would expect that there wouldn't be much distortion of
the tattoo, maybe none at all.

Or, put the tattoo someplace that won't get stretched so much, like the
chest area above the breasts.  My upper stomach didn't stretch much,
either, but the lower abdominal skin did stretch quite a lot. (I've seen
stretch marks on hips, thighs and arms as well--probably  related to
muscle gain from weight lifting as well as general fattening/thinning.)


 5. Can a tattoo be removed? ----------

There are several methods for "removing" a tattoo, listed below.
However with all of these methods, you either still end up with a
tattoo (albeit a better-looking one), a scar, or a skinnier wallet. In
other words, it is much easier to *get* a tattoo in the first place than
to get rid of one. If you are considering getting a new tattoo, think
carefully before you do--or you may end up re-reading this section.


 5.1. Get it reworked--cover-up

There are different ways to get cover-up work, depending on the
situation. A name can be tastefully camouflaged with a small design,
making the name impossible to read. If it's the entire thing you want
covered, it could be covered with another design. It is easier to cover
a lighter color with a darker color, although oftentimes the original
work is done in a dark color.

This means not just a good tattooist, but a really good artist; what
they'll have to do is find a way to work the existing tattoo into a new
design that will cover and disguise what's there. I have seen some
brilliant coverup; there's a lot of it in one or two issues
of'Tattootime'.

--Patti Kelley from Avalon (see entry under 5.1 US West Coast:
  California: San Diego) has won some awards for cover-up work. The
  main idea is to check with the individual artist. If they've done
  significant cover-up work, they should have before and after photos
  of it in their book.

--The people at Tattoo City can do it (see their entry under 5.1 US West
  Coast: California: San Francisco).


 5.2. Get it reworked--touch-up

With the advances in technology, technique and the availability of
new, brighter colors in the past few years, faded or blurred tattoos can
look brighter and sharper than when they were new.


 5.3. Get it removed--Tissue Expansion

The tissue expansion method is where a balloon is inserted and
inflated under the skin to slowly stretch the flesh. The tattoo is then
cut
out and the newly stretched skin covers its place. This is a popular
method for removing smaller tattoos and leaves only a straight-line
surgical scar.


 5.4. Get it removed--Sal Abrasion

Sal abrasion involves rubbing the image with salt and "sanding" it out.


 5.5. Get it removed--Staged Excision

The staged excision method actually cuts the image out, a small
portion at a time.

Both the sal abration and staged excision methods result in more
scarring.

Also, homemade tattoos can be more difficult to remove because while
the concentration of ink may not be as great as in a professional
tattoo,
it often goes deeper into the skin (you may want to consider cover-up
work in this case).


 5.6. Get it removed--medical lasers

There are a number of new laser methods for tattoo removal, although
they tend to be costly and are usually not covered by medical
insurance plans. Of the three forms of medical lasers currently
available (the CO2 laser, the Q-stitched ruby laser and the Tatulazr),
the new Tatulazr has been deemed one of the most effective ways to
remove blue-black tattoos.

According to Dr. Richard Fitzpatrick of Dermatology Associates of San
Diego County (who is the clinical investigator for the Tatulazr), the
Tatulazr delivers pulses of energy that are selectively absorbed by the
pigment granules of the tattoo. He says that the Tatulazr's wavelength
causes less absorption of the laser light by the normal skin, resulting
in less risk of scarring. The longer wavelength allows more energy to
reach the target tattoo pigment, resulting in greater removal success.
In addition, the wavelength allows for deeper penetration into the skin,
which means fewer treatments may be required for complete tattoo
removal.

For the name of a physicial in your area who uses the Tatulazr, call the
Candela Laser Corp. at 1-800-733-8550 Ext. 444 (or write to them at 530
Boston Post Rd., Wayland, MA 01778).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
This ends the rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 3/4. This section should
be followed by rec.arts.bodyart Tattoo FAQ: Part 4/4.


--
Lani Teshima-Miller ([e-mail]) "Sea Hare"  o/ /_/_/
UH School of Library & Info Studies. "Whatever the cost of our   o|<0_0>------*
libraries, the price is cheap compared to that of an ignorant      \=^-| |_| |
nation." -Walter Cronkite         [R.a.b.bit says: "Think Ink!"]       \_} \_}