Why are people still putting vaseline, A&D ointment or neosporin on tattos?

Question

Are there artists out there that are still telling people to do this? When I got my first ink, neosporin was thought to be the best thing, that was a long time ago but even then vaseline was bad and A&D wasn't far behind. Now there have been several discoveries in the world of body art and I haven't heard of any artist recommending the use of such heavy, mineral based ointments in years because they clog pores, impeed the healing process and can even cause damage to the art. So why do people still use them and why are they recommending them to others?

For the last several years my artist and friends artists have said, unscented lotions and natural ointments. I am an aromatherapist and have made my own ointment, works great and everyone who uses it loves it. There are products out now that are made specifically for tatoos, most of them have a bees wax base with essential oils and companion oils, no mineral junk.

Answer 1

Elf, Unfortunately, you are right, old habits die hard. I have been in the industry long enough to witness when many tattooists were still fighting over having to use gloves! The "never hurt anyone yet" syndrome.

It's the same with after care products - "this has worked fine for me all these years" scenario. Many still don't understand why you can't put plastic wrap on a tattoo, why you shouldn't use products that contain petrolatum or lanolin, and why they can't "prescribe" antibiotic ointments. The truth is, the skin is a wonderfully strong organ and it can take a lot of abuse which is why tattoos when kept clean, for the most part heal well despite these things going on them.

I am glad to see you have put an ointment together. Many don't understand that is needed the first couple days, either. Seriously, would we put over-the-counter lotions on a skinned knee right after it happens? Of course not! Same thing for tattoos, it is not timely until after a few days of a very thin film of a healing ointment designed to safely protect the wound. Yes, the tattoo is a wound.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention - good luck with your ointment.

Answer 2

Ointments and neosporin bleed the tat because it is meant to get rid of things in the wound to heal it faster. It does in fact draw the color out. The only way to keep that from happening is using a non-scented lotion. My tat guy recommends Aquafor which is lower % of ointment and keeps the tat moist which helps retain color and speeds the healing process. I always use lotion, like Lubriderm non-scented for sensitive skin. Colors are bright, non fading here.

Answer 3

My first artist told me to use bacitracin ointments on my tats, but never to use neosporin period. Then I had about a 10 year break in getting ink. When I started getting more ink my new artist told me to use lotion. So figuring that my first artist knew better, i stuck to the ointment. I realized that the tat seemed to sort of ooze ink, and it also looked dirty to me. So, I got rid of the ointment and started using lotion only. It seems to keep the itching way down, scab much less, and heal much faster.

Answer 4

My guess is that your dog is itching from the shaving before surgery. Some dogs get irritated skin from the clippers. As long as the spay incision looks good -- no worse than how it looked right when you brought her hone -- she's probably fine. Your vet probably wouldn't charge you anything to "check incision." We do that all the time. And if your dog was "clipper-burned" they will tell you what to do about that. We usually don't tell people to put anything on the skin, other than the neo-sporin to the scratches. Instead, we tell them to buy a little t-shirt knot it, and let the dog wear it to keep their little toenails off the skin so it can get better. vet tech

Answer 5

there are many artists out there sadly who do not have a passion for their vocation and they just want to make mone, fortunately there are thousands who do and after care is as big a part of their service as the work itself, those who go to less scrupulous artists are pretty much left on their own as far as aftercare goes and so (old) word of mouth is all they have to go on, there are also a lot of kids gettin ta2's and they dont realize how important aftercare is, here in the uk the best product, by far is LASONIL. its a tissue injurt reair cream and keeps ta2's supple and heals them quickly, having worked in a studio i recommended this dozens of times daily and never had anyone say they weren't 100% satisfied, it costs very little, doesnt sting and u will notice improvement from the 1st application, i used it on all of mine, large and small alike, its handy to have around anyway for any household burn or cut, my artist gives each customer a small application sample and rec's it on his after care sheet which he talk through with each customer at the end, if only all were the same, perhaps there wouldnt b as many horror stories-and misconceptions about tattoos

Answer 6

This is not right. The last tattoo I had I had used the A&D ointment and I broke out and then told me that I might be getting a allergic reaction. I didn't know what going on. As soon as I stopped using the A&D ointment. The bumps went away.

Answer 7

I have found using an unscented lotion works the best on new a new tattoo. I have also come across a body oil you can find at www.slumberparties.com that works on older tattoos. It will not clog your pores and it brings the colors out in you r tattoo more. it really make colors in tattoo pop and looks like new.

Answer 8

I've heard that they pull colors from the tattoo ... I think it's just because there are so many different "aftercare" directions. What may be right to my artist may be different directions than you receive from yours. Different thoughts from different artists I guess?

Answer 9

I have heard them say that too, but i found the best thing to use in coco butter

Answer 10

My partner had his done about 5 weeks ago. He covered it in cling wrap for two weeks and put nappy rash cream on it all the time so it stayed moist. It came out really well and he never had any problems.