While you may love to adorn your body with beautiful tats, swelling is one of the main concerns that may stop you. The good news is, you may use some techniques to reduce it if you get excessive swelling. The artist draws a tattoo using a needle to insert ink underneath your skin. So, it has a medical procedure.

Swelling refers to the abnormal enlargement over any part of the body. If it does not reduce, you need to take some precautionary measures. The inflammation can cause severe allergies and infection. However, it is essential to address it immediately.

Taking proper care of tattoos can prevent complications and heal the tattoo completely. Make sure to hire a professional artist and take great care of your tat at home. Here’s a step-by-step guide to assist you in caring for your tattoo.

Do’s

Ensure proper tattoo aftercare

One of the most efficient ways to keep your tattoo safe from swelling or other infections is by taking proper aftercare measures. You can follow your artist’s advice, keep it clean and dry, and ensure not picking at the flakes.

Apply ice on the swollen area

The next step to deal with swelling is applying ice on the swollen area. Ice can reduce swelling quickly and gently as well as it doesn’t hurt. Try to rub ice smoothly so that it does not get scratched.

Use Mild soap to wash

Wash your tattoo with mild soap as it does not have harsh chemicals. It is more considerable to use a fragrance-free soap. Use it gently to remove all excessive blood, ointment, ink, and plasma from your tattoo.

Ensure to wash it with only hands and avoid using a washcloth. It is advisable to use antimicrobial soap and water to pat dry twice a day before applying antibacterial/Vaseline ointment.

Keep it neat and clean

Keeping your tattoo neat and clean is the best way to prevent the risk of infection and swelling. Wash your tattoo mildly after any dirty or sweaty activities. Keep your tattoo safe from sun exposure while healing.

Cleaning is significant to heal it soon; otherwise, sweat and dirt would breed germs and bacteria.

Apply an anti-inflammatory balm

You can apply an anti-inflammatory balm to minimize swelling and redness. Moreover, pain-relieving creams and gels also soothe and provide comfort. If you feel excessive pain, you can use an anesthetic spray and keep it exposed maximum to heal fast.

Use loose-fitting clothing

Avoid using any cloth bandage or pads because fiber material can stick to open tattoos and create problems in the healing process. Consider loose-fitting clothing with soft fabric, especially for the first two weeks, and avoid the irritating and abrasive type of cloth.

Drink plenty of water

The most important thing is to drink plenty of water during the healing process. The more water you drink, the sooner it will get healed.

Water keeps the body hydrated and helps the skin to get moisturized. So, it gets healed properly and soon. You can either drink some fresh juice to add taste to the simple water.

Use local anesthetic spray

When you feel severe pain and itching, you do not even need to touch the tattoo to apply cream and ointments. The anesthetic spray will do the job. It will give you magical relief and make your tattoo painless.

Don’ts

Don’t remove your bandage too soon

Take your artist’s advice into account to remove the bandage. While removing it, be careful and wash gently afterward with unscented hand soap and warm water. Use this method three times a day for a minimum of a week until the tattoo gets healed.

Never tear the bandage off

Be careful not to tear off your bandage since your artist has already rubbed antibacterial ointment and wrapped your tattoo up. Dressing keeps your tattoo safe from airborne bacteria and prevents form infection. You can remove it after a minimum of 2 hours.

Evade Pressure on the tattoo

Prevent your tattoo from pushing too much pressure on it. It can cause scratches and worsen your injury. So, you will feel much pain. Tissues beneath the skin are so sensitive that they can get damaged because of the weight. In addition to that, avoid lifting heavy weights to save your muscles from damage.

Use blood thinners

Medication and other thinners can help to prevent your tattoo from clotting efficiently. Especially, aspirin is recommended more in this condition. It allows the tattooed skin to remain open.

Don’t get hot showers

Getting hot showers may not be suitable when you get a tattoo recently. The reason is the blood flow raises due to high temperature and affects the tattooed area negatively. The best rule of thumb that would work is not to let your body expose to hot water for a minimum of 2 days after getting a tattoo.

FAQs

How long will my tattoo remain swollen?

It depends on the location of the tattoo. Commonly, it lasts only for 24-48 hours after the session gets over. If you have got a tattoo on a joint or movable area, swelling may remain for about seven days.

To what extent a new tattoo will experience swelling?

It depends on the placement of your tattoo. If you get tattooed on large flat areas where the skin gets less stretched, it will get moderate swelling but not bulging. For the joints and movable body parts, bulging can occur, especially if you constantly move joints.

Conclusion 

Finally, swelling can be normal to some extent, but it is more considerable to keep an eye on how it subsides. The above tips will surely get you rid of swelling in no time. Keep taking great care of it by cleaning and keeping it moisturize to reduce the risk of swelling or any other complication.