Do Tattoos Get Brighter After They Heal?

Do Tattoos Get Brighter After They Heal?

It’s not common for many people who get tattooed to think of the healing process with regard to tattoos.

Indeed, the healing of tattoos is an afterthought after many get their tattoos. By default, people are simply concerned with how beautiful the tattoo will be on their bodies.

But do tattoos get brighter after they heal?

Yes! After the tattoo’s healing process, your tattoo will become more vivid. The colors will be brighter, and the lines will be sharper. However, a tattoo will not brighten up until it heals completely.

In the course of healing, your tattoo may become darker. This may scare you, but it should not bother you at all.

This is a process through which your tattoo heals. A tattoo is not a mere piece of art. It’s more than that.

In addition to a tattoo being a way of asserting yourself and your style, it comes as a medical procedure since the artist inserts the ink under your skin using a needle.

It’s a fact that when our skins are opened, they are left vulnerable to infections that are opportunistic and will attack the open wound easily.

Therefore, care should be taken to ensure that the tattoo heals safely.

There is a process that a tattoo goes through to heal. It’s not an instantaneous activity. During this process, the top layer of your skin will peel off.

During this process, some of the ink will disappear as well.

Since your tattoo artist is conversant with this process, they will mostly try to do what is necessary for the tattoo to get the desired color after it heals.

How Long Does It Take for Tattoos to Heal?

Perhaps, you may be wondering how long does a tattoo takes to heal. This is a very common concern for those who intend to have tattoos or have just been tattooed.

Another common concern is if there are ways a person can speed up the healing process of tattoos. Well, there are so many theories and myths out there.

Unfortunately, these are just theories that are not scientifically proven.

Within a period of two to three weeks, your tattoo should be healed.

That will only be in appearance. Indeed, complete healing may take up to about five weeks, or even several months, to be precise.

This is because the skin will need enough time to smoothen up and for the colors to brighten up as well.

For all the layers of your skin to heal completely, it may take you something like four months.

Therefore, as you decide to go for a tattoo, you need to know that you will be in it for the long haul.

What’s the Best Way to Heal a New Tattoo?

The problem with information concerning the healing of tattoos is that it’s propagated by almost everyone who has a tattoo.

The tattoo artists do not help the confusion as they add more confusion to the already confusing situation.

To prove this, ask anyone down the street about ways of healing your tattoo.

Astonishingly, you will be bombarded with too much information that you can reasonably process.

Information you get will be from how fast to heal a tattoo to the best way to heal a tattoo.

The first thing to do is paying attention to how your skin looks. You will also need to assess how the skin feels as well.

Some of the advice out there is to pay close attention to what your artist says. This is a bit tricky since some of the artists are not professionally trained in the trade.

This is more reason why you need to choose your tattoo artist carefully. There are many quacks out there.

Imagine following the advice given by your artist to the letter, only to realize that your artist is not qualified.

Following your tattoo artist blindly is not the best thing that you can do regarding the healing process of tattoos.

If you do this, you may realize very poor results and get disappointed at the end of the day.

Again, as you consider the advice given by your tattoo artist, remember that skins are very different.

Again, all tattoos are different, and their effect is different on different people. Therefore, there may not be a universal verdict concerning these things.

When your tattoo is healing, the best thing to do is pay close attention to your skin. Listen to the skin as it will “tell” you what it feels like.

Indeed, tattoos should be custom made, paying attention to the needs of each different skin. But that may never be achieved in this lifetime.

Therefore, it’s best to listen to your skin and then define a customized way of healing your tattoo. This will be the best way that will work for your peculiar skin.

Your skin is different from any other skin in the universe. As such, you need a peculiar way to heal your tattoo.

If in the process of healing the tattoo healing, you may stumble on a product that your skin prefers.

When this happens, do not change the product. Just stick with it. On the other hand, avoid products that your skin rejects, even if your tattoo artist says you use them.

Will Tattoo Coverings Help My Tattoo To Heal?

Yes. Tattoo coverings are great in helping your tattoo to heal. Indeed, it should be covered up by your tattoo artist even before you set your foot out of their shop.

Of course, this is based on the assumption that we are talking of a coverable area.

Several coverings may be used, like surgical dressing pads, saran or plastic wrap, or non-stick pressure dressings.

Schools of thought abound about when the covering needs to be removed.

However, there is an absolute minimum, and that is about two hours. Again, remember tattoos are open wounds.

As such, it’s essential to understand that they are very susceptible to infections. Their susceptibility to infections is more pronounced within the first several hours.  

Problems can be caused if you touch your wound, if the wound is licked by your pet, or even when airborne bacteria find their way into the wound.

Some of these problems may be so severe and dangerous, with the capacity to cause permanent damage.

Consequently, it’s essential to seek medical attention without any delay.

All new tattoos seep blood plasma when the healing process starts. During this initial stage of healing, more weeping will be witnessed where the wound is bigger.

This means that the areas worked on by a machine in an extensive manner will see more weeping of the wound. This plasma should not be allowed to dry on the skin.

If it does, it will cause scabbing. Where scabbing occurs, scarring, discoloration, and even total ink loss will unfailingly follow.

Again, this is a sure way for your tattoo to take more time to heal. Avoid this.

Can I Try The Overnight Method?

It’s desirable to minimize the risk of scarring, discoloration, and even total ink loss.

This risk can be reduced by ensuring the dressing stays in place for as long as possible during the first day.

If you can, it’s best to leave your wound dressed overnight. You will have time to remove it the following morning.

Do not be hasty to remove your dressing since the healing duration will depend on how well you tackled the wound during the first day.

Within the first 8–20 hours, the weeping should have stopped. If there is no weeping, it is unlikely that scabs will appear.

Again, staying with a bandaged tattoo will ensure that your sheets are not stained with ink. Stains from this ink can be stubborn and are mostly permanent.

How Long Should I Wrap My New Tattoo?

Mostly, it’s recommended to leave the wrapping for a few hours. Still, some prefer to have it overnight.

Well, you may ask your tattoo artist if you are not sure how long it should stay wrapped. If you’re not sure, ask your tattoo artist.

However, it should not take more than 24 hours to have your cover removed. Once you remove the cover, you will not need to cover it again.

What Happens After I Remove The Covering?

As soon as you remove the tattoo’s covering, you will need to give it an antimicrobial wash. Resist any temptation to cover your tattoo again.

However, you will need to your tattoo a few times a day.

After each wash, apply a thin layer of an antibacterial ointment. However, the tattoo needs to be dry after washing. Do not apply the ointment before the tattoo is dry.

Your tattoo must be dry between washing and ointment or lotion application. For optimal healing to be promoted, this is a process you will need to repeat severally in several weeks.

What Is The Tattoo Healing Process?

There are two phases in which your tattoo will heal. Each phase will take about a week or so.

First, there is the initial healing. You will wash your hands and then remove the bandage.

After the bandage is removed, it will be time to wash the area with warm water and a diluted soap mixture.

The water should not be extremely hot. It needs to be hot but not too hot. Again, do not attempt to scrub the tattoo but instead remove the slime using gentle pressure.

After you are done removing all slime, your skin should feel smooth but not slippery. After this, your tattoo should be rinsed with cool water and then allow to dry.

You can also pat dry the tattoo using a dry paper towel.

You will then wait for about 10–15 minutes before applying a thin layer of Aquaphor to your tattoo.

This should leave your tattoo shining. Ensure that you cover the whole tattoo evenly.

Do not use too much of the product. In the day, you will need to reapply as the situation demands. If your tattoo stops looking shiny, it will be time to reply to the product.

Your tattoo should never be left to dry up. Tattoos that are covered by cloth need shorter intervals of reapplication.

The second phase will be between 4 and seven days. As most parts of your tattoo will have peeled by now, it will be best to switch to an unscented moisturizer with Aquaphor.

This should be used in all areas that have not yet peeled. This can be done once every day or every other day. You will need to reapply the moisturizer as required throughout the day.

Avoid allowing your skin to dry. You will notice that your tattoo will appear to have healed in about two weeks.

However, you will continue using some moisturizer(Amazon Link) anytime the skin feels tight or dry.

Will I Know When My Tattoo Has Healed?

Yes. You will be able to know when the tattoo heals. For this to happen, the entire tattoo will have to be smooth and with an even color.

During the first two weeks, you will need to protect the tattoo area from the water.

You will also need to avoid hot tubs, lakes, pools, sunscreens, perfumes, tanning beds, exfoliation, makeup, and sunless tanner.

However, this is not complete list as the list can be huge. For instance, you should never scratch the tattoo or pick at it. You also can never pull the skin to help it peel.

Conclusion

Tattoos get brighter as they heal. The skin will be lighter. The time a tattoo takes to heal may range from two weeks to a few months.

It’s needful to take good care of your tattoo in the first hours to avoid infection.