There is a lot of talk about dry healing throughout the tattoo healing process. I figured shedding some light on this subject may assist or at least contribute to the ongoing conversation on this topic.
Before we get into this, everyone needs to realize that people heal in different ways, although pouring bleach on a new tattoo would not benefit anyone just because dry healing may not work for me or you does not mean that someone else is in the wrong for doing it.
Dry Healing a tattoo is:
Not applying any ointment to the new tattoo
There’s really only two things to say about this topic, why someone would do it and why I don’t.
Why people choose to do it:
Some people have phenomenal results dry healing their tattoos, people say that their tattoos heal quicker and as long as they don’t itch the tattoo it is better than using any ointment or lotion.
I honestly think this is because people are not using the correct types of ointments/lotion to heal their tattoos.
If they were to look into different options that are provided, they would find a product that helps their tattoos heal far more efficiently than not using anything at all.
Why I will not dry heal my tattoos:
I have no reason to.
My tattoos turn out fantastic using the products I choose to use. This is both in part to my artist as well as the care I take in the tattoo healing process.
Remember that “getting a tattoo” does not end when the needle stops.
Let’s logically break this down. If you were to get an open wound on your body, you would most likely apply something to help it heal and prevent infection/scarring.
This is no different for a tattoo, you have technically self-inflicted an open wound on your body (while it is art) the body does not care what it is.
With that being said, I have let my tattoos go dry and I am able to observe a few things:
- Itching intensifies the drier the tattoo gets
- The skin elevates similar to a bump (this has only happened on color for me)
- Scabbing is more evident and the skin tightens
- As the skin tightens and you move around you are going to break open the scabs (this happened to my tattoo on the elbow joint).
- As the tattoo scab breaks open the healing process is extended.
- If you rub into something by accident its going to hurt.
I have been applying A & D ointment to my new tattoos to keep the area moisturized and clean. By applying this to the tattoo I noticed several things happen:
- The tattoo rarely itches
- The scabbing process goes by quickly
- The tattoo heals quickly (1-3 weeks)
- If you rub into something by accident… it still hurts.
I want to make it clear that some people 100% believe in dry healing tattoos. I hope this provides some insight into why I 100% believe in keeping the area clean and moisturized with the proper ointments.
What is your preferred healing method?