Butterfly Tattoos – How To Maintain The Colors As That Day You Got Inked

A butterfly tattoo is usually pretty colorful. It makes sense. Butterflies are colorful, their wings display a rainbow of different patterns and tones that are both pleasing to the eye and also symbolic of beauty and change. However, just like the wings of a butterfly, this type of tattoo design is equally fragile. Unlike blocky symbols or shapes, a butterfly tattoo, because of its heavy use of color, is vulnerable to smearing, smudging and fading if the correct healing practices are not observed. Here is a guide on how to make sure your butterfly tattoo stays as crisp and clear as the day it was inked for years to come.

Keep it covered

After you have received your new butterfly tattoo design, the tattoo artist will apply a bandage to let it heal. The skin, for all intents and purposes, is injured from the hot needle going in and out. The bandage is so the open wounds can close and to minimize the risk of infection. However, be cautious about what type of bandage is used. Many times a tattoo artist will apply a layer of saran wrap to the new tattoo. Remove this as soon as possible and replace with a soft cloth bandage. Plastic wrap will suffocate your tattoo and prevent air from reaching it. This prolongs the healing process and may lead to damage as body plasma and blood begin clogging the pores of the site. Regardless, keep some form of bandage over your butterfly tattoo for the first couple hours so open wounds can clot and begin to close.

Clean it up

After several hours, remove your bandage and clean the tattoo site. When cleaning make sure you use a very mild antibacterial soap. Use your hand to clean the tattoo because a towel or sponge will likely be painful and cause damage. Let the water air dry or pat it up with a non abrasive paper towel. Make sure you remove any dried blood and to clean up secretions of bodily plasma to allow the tattoo to breathe.

Keep it moist

During the haling process, your butterfly tattoo will likely begin to crack and scab up. The best way to prevent this is to keep your tattoo moist with a low impact ointment or lotion that is free of colors or scents. Color ink often has a harder time setting into the skin and remaining crisp than black ink does. Scabbing will fade your ink. To keep your tattoo crisp make sure this does not happen by keeping it moisturized. Should scabbing occur, make sure you do not pick it or touch it as this will only compound the problem. Keep the tattoo site moisturized for the next several weeks in order that it heals fully and soaks up vital moisture.

Caring for butterfly tattoos is important given their complexity and reliance on color. Follow the recommendations of your tattoo artist regarding brands to use in terms of soaps, ointments and lotions.

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