tattoo healing?

Question

About how long does it take for a tattoo's cover layer to come off all the way once it starts pealing?

Answer 1

Yep, 4-7 days for just the top layer of dead skin. The lower layers will slough off as well, but in smaller bits and later. I find this runs up until about a month after the tattoo is done & with more than one peeling, although everything after the first has pretty small skin flakes.

Keep in mind the other usual comments about how it will look shiny and possibly gray until healing is done, and the area will not have the usual skin elasticity & look until 1-3 months.

Answer 2

DO NOT PICK!!!!!!

Tattoos have become a new accessory for the twenty-first century, and just like a fur or a pair of old favorite boots, they require some care to stand the test of time.

Tattoos done before about 1990 have little hope of staying clear and unsullied by sun and weather and wear. The inks used before that time had many pigment ingredients which could react to sun exposure, and to the wearer's own body fluids. These days, most tattoo inks used by professional artists are inert and hypo-allergenic, and at the very least should not react to the skin itself. They can still be faded and worn if not cared for properly.

A tattoo is ink that is permanently set just under the translucent top layer of skin. This top layer is like an elastic window that you look through to see the ink. If the top layer is damaged or thickened or darkened, it becomes a dirty window. Age, sun exposure, and scars can all obscure a gorgeous tattoo and turn it into indecipherable mud.

First and most destructive on the list of tattoo-destroyers is the sun. Just as a photograph left in the sun will fade over time, the pigments in a tattoo will fade. The pigmentation of skin is a poor defense, and putting sunblock on your tattoo will keep it looking fresh over the years. If you tan, try using a high SPF lip balm, and apply it just to the tattooed area. If you use a stick lip balm you can use it like a crayon and color in just the tattoo, letting the skin right up to it tan. This makes the tattoo look even newer next to the tanned area. If you will be out in the sun use a high SPF sunblock, even if your tattoo was done last year. The pigments can be faded even after the tattoo is long healed.

Second, wrinkles will obscure your tattoo, and may even distort it. Over the years, the cells in skin shift a bit and change relative position. As any dermatologist will tell you, avoiding sun exposure and staying hydrated keep wrinkles away. This will help your tattoo, also. Once the tattoo is applied it becomes part of your largest organ- your skin. What is good for your skin is good for your tattoo, too, so drink enough water. Moisturizing the tattooed area helps. Even years after the procedure, the area that was tattooed remembers the abrasion, and can get dehydrated more quickly than the rest of your skin. So be sure to continue moisturizing occasionally, even after the tattoo heals.

Of course, accidents happen. Scars that destroy tattoos are almost never intentional. The good news is that most scars can be tattooed over. Unless the scar is raised more than 1/4 inch from the surface, or is heavily textured, there are many tattoo artists that are willing to repair or retouch scars. If you're planning on repairing a tattoo that's been scarred over, try to allow at least six months for the scar tissue to "settle". Use some light vitamin E oil or Emu oil on it from time to time and massage against the grain of the scar. This can sometimes help reduce the texture of the scar, and makes the tissue softer and easier to tattoo over.

When your artist gives you care instructions, follow them to the letter. Every artist uses different techniques to apply a tattoo, and usually they know which healing procedure will work best in conjunction with it. Don't listen to your friends, other artists, or people you meet out and about. If you don't trust the artist to know best, you should buy your tattoo from someone you DO trust.

Last but not least, if your artist offers a free touch-up, take advantage of it. The best time to get tattooed is in the winter, when your new art won't get exposed to the sun. But wait until after the summer sun has done its damage before you go back to get a touch-up. This way, the artist gets the satisfaction of a second look at your work, and you get to repair any damage the vacation did to your new ink.

Answer 3

DO NOT EVER use Neosporin!! the neosporin will try to draw the ink out of the skin. use A&D ointment only. if the tattoo is kept moist you should see it peel like a sunburn peels. About 5-7days. if not it will scab. DO NOT pick the scab. keep it moist with ointment and hope for the best. if the scab peels off it will leave scar tissue (pale spots). After the 7 days (if there are no scabs) you can use Lubraderm to keep it moist and dont forget sunblock durring the summer so you don't loose color.

Answer 4

anywhere from a couple of days to over a week. Depends on how big the tattoo is, and how much you're keeping up with it(with lotions). I have 5 and they all took a different length of time to toatlly heal. Just remember DO NOT pick at it while it scabs....you could end up pulling off color.

Answer 5

The stage 1 scab should be off in about a week but do not rush it . You will end up with areas that have no color at the least or scars at the most. Be carefull for about 4 weeks.

Answer 6

7-10 days

Answer 7

anywhere from a week to 10 days is normal. You may have a few small spots for longer than that if they went deep in an area.

Answer 8

I would say 5-7 days of peeling

Answer 9

a week to 10 days depending on ur body and how well u take care of it... just remember to follow ur artists after care instructions... and never ever try and pull off the scabs...

Answer 10

Don't allow your tattoo to peel. Use and unscented moisturizer that is emollient rich and apply it several times throughout the day.