July 30, 2016

My Tattoo Healing Progress

Hello, cuties! How are you?! Remember when I got a tattoo back in May? Well that tattoo is now fully healed and ready to be shown off to the world! (It's actually been healed for about 7 weeks now, but I didn't even think about doing an updated post until last night.)

So without further ado, here is my fully healed tattoo and how I've been taking care of it!


HEALING PROCESS

A few days after I got the tattoo, the layers of skin around the new ink started to peel. This is totally normal by the way, so don't be scared if you've just gotten a tattoo or plan on getting one! The whole peeling process is INCREDIBLY itchy, which is something I had trouble dealing with. It takes a lot of self control to not mess with your tattoo while it heals!

A few of the vertical lines within the pattern on the balloon literally came off during the healing process. This is partly because the ink didn't go far enough into my skin, partly because the lines were too thin, and partly because I might've aided in the healing process by peeling off some of the flaking skin, which led to peeling off some of the tattoo. Sorry to gross you out.

The same thing happened with the strings of the balloon and one of the lines in the basket. I think the reason these lines disappeared is because they were too thin.

All in all, my tattoo took 3 weeks to heal.

AFTERCARE/TIPS

ALWAYS keep your tattoo moisturized; that's something I learned at the beginning of the healing process. Nobody wants a crusty tatt, right? Not only is moisturizing essential in the healing process, but it's also a great way to keep your tattoo looking fresh. Whenever I think my tattoo is fading, I slap some lotion on and it looks good as new! Moisturizing also helps the tattoo to look smoother and less dry and "cracky". You'll understand what I mean when you get your own tattoo!

Keep your tattoo out of the sun! This prevents major fading. Whenever I go out in the sun, I make sure to put on SPF. This is essential even if you're going swimming, seeing as the water magnifies the sun rays. If you don't have sunscreen, cover up your tattoo with a towel or an article of clothing. I keep my tattoo out of the sun and it still looks as dark two months later as when I first got it. And I've spent a lot of time outside!

TOUCH UPS?

I'm debating whether or not to get the tattoo touched up to fix the missing lines. On one hand, fixing the lines would make the tattoo look better; on the other hand, I think the imperfections give it character!

Speaking of touch ups, do you see the blank banner smack-dab in the middle of the tattoo? I'm thinking of getting that - along with the flowery things on the top and bottom of the balloon - shaded in with a color a couple shades lighter than the color of the lines.

While I'm at it, I might get the 6 vertical segments of the balloon shaded to make the tattoo more 3-dimensional. I'm not sure though, because I'm kind of liking the sketched look. I'm trying to plan out what to do with this tattoo based on the tattoos I want to get in the future. I want them all to have the same level of intricacy.

Well that's it for today's post; short and sweet! I hope I've answered any of your questions and addressed all concerns you may have had about healing a tattoo. I'll see you soon in my next post!

Until then,
Jordan x

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