Before getting a tattoo, you need to know how to protect a hand tattoo at work. Besides, going to the most reputable tattoo parlor to acquire a tattoo is not enough. Your brand-new tattoo can only heal fully if you give it the necessary care.
In other words, it helps to prevent infections and other skin problems from occurring around your tattoo.
Let’s check these various ways of protecting hand tattoos at work.
How to Protect a Hand Tattoo at Work
Use SPF and Moisturize the Tattoo
After getting a tattoo, moisturizers have to be your best friend. Moisturizing the area around the tattoo lowers the risk of inflammation and irritation. As a result, your tattoo will maintain its smooth appearance.
You should also become familiar with applying sunscreen. It is very important to use sunscreen with a high sun protection factor (SPF) when you have a tattoo. When you leave the house, don’t forget to put on some sunscreen to shield your tattoo from the sun’s harmful rays.
Some high-quality moisturizers also function as an efficient sun protection factor (SPF). Check to ensure you get your preferred product for your healing process.
It is important to remember that if a tattoo has not lasted for two weeks yet, you should shun using sunscreen in the region where it is located because doing so may cause irritation to the tattoo as it is healing. If your ink is less than two weeks old, you should keep it entirely out of the sun so that it may heal as quickly as possible.
Cover-Up Your Tattoo
You have every reason to be pleased with your latest piece of body art, and it is only natural that you want to flaunt it. However, it is important to keep them covered to protect them from irritants such as sunlight and rubbing against surfaces at work.
You are also more likely to be enticed to expose your skin to your coworkers, which might leave it vulnerable to infection and germs when it should be covered up.
Also, when you dress, keep your tattoo in mind and make an effort to cover it up as much as possible. If you have to dress in a way that conceals your flesh, it can be extremely uncomfortable. Nonetheless, it would be best if you thought about the long term. After the wound has healed, you will have several years during which you can flaunt your new tattoo.
On the other hand, avoid wearing anything too tight since you do not want to prevent oxygen from reaching the tattoo or create any unwanted rubbing, which can irritate the region and slow down the healing process.
Stay Hydrated
Water is another important component of the aftercare for your tattoo. Take a bottle or a flask with you to work and make frequent use of it to rehydrate during the day.
Hydration is essential for your skin, especially around the location of the tattoo. Drinking water will maintain your skin supple and fresh while keeping your tattoo in good shape.
A high-quality moisturizing lotion will also do wonders for maintaining the area’s healthy level of hydration and nutrition.
Use Saniderm
Saniderm is a flexible, transparent, and breathable film that protects fresh tattoos from infections, friction, and other potential risks.
In addition to facilitating the delivery of oxygen and vapor to the skin to maintain its health, it also expedites the healing process for new tattoos. It will still perform the job and keep your skin protected, even for several years old tattoos.
However, to avoid any complications, you need to know how to protect your hand tattoo at work even if it means wrapping it. This is the only way to ensure that nothing goes wrong.
Whenever you wrap your new tattoo without maintaining high hygienic standards, you will create a breeding and thriving zone for bacteria. This applies if you stay too long without unwrapping, which accumulates sweat in the plastic.
It is highly recommended that you don’t wrap your tattoo without the help of a professional.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I use to cover my tattoo?
You can utilize any material that does not cling to the skin and prevents germs from entering the skin. New tattoos are often concealed with a sterile plastic wrapping in most cases. Check to see if the tattoo artist you’re working with has any issues with the wrapping for your tattoo.
How can I protect my tattoo from fading?
The easiest technique to prevent your finger tattoo from fading is to keep your hands clean. This is because hands tend to become filthy rapidly.
To avoid the ink from fading, however, you should avoid using soaps that are abrasive and instead opt for soaps that are delicate or moderate.
Moisturizers that do not have any added fragrance or color, like Aquaphor, are an excellent choice for treating dry skin on the hands.
Can I still wear gloves if I have a tattoo on my hand?
No. Rubber gloves should be avoided as much as possible during the first week or two after getting a hand or wrist tattoo. If your job involves mainly using your hands and considering getting a hand tattoo, you should preferably prepare to stay off work between one and three days.
Can I drink after getting a tattoo?
No. It’s not a good idea to take alcohol while having a new tattoo. Taking alcohol leads to your blood becoming thinner, causing excessive bleeding. Whenever you bleed excessively, it might cause visibility complications to the artist, putting the overall design quality at risk. Extra bleeding might also cause the ink to become more watery.
Will my fresh tattoo react negatively to sweat?
After getting a tattoo, you should wait at least a week before engaging in strenuous physical activity or considerable perspiration. Failure to do that will cause discomfort to your brand-new tattoo, increase the likelihood that it will become infected, and potentially even ruin the artwork!
Is it okay if I cover my tattoo with a bandage?
Yes. After spreading an antibiotic ointment coating on the tattoo, it should next cover the area with a plastic wrap or bandage to prevent infection. This layer stops microorganisms from penetrating your skin and causing an infection.
Additionally, it prevents the tattoo from rubbing against your clothes and being inflamed due to the rubbing.
If I get more muscle, will my tattoo get stretched out?
There is no doubt that putting on a lot of muscle will cause your skin to stretch, but this can’t stretch a tattoo significantly enough to change its appearance in most cases.
Even if you exercise big weights and do so frequently, the bulking-up process will not normally occur quickly enough to affect the tattoo’s appearance.
Final Word
Having plenty of work doesn’t necessarily mean that you cannot get a hand tattoo. You can have the tattoo and still work hassle-free.
However, it would be best to be cautious with your tattoo to ensure no bacteria invade and prevent infections.
Given that it will take some time to heal, you’ll have to wrap it up and ensure you keep it clean throughout.
Good luck with your new look!