Tattoo Aftercare

zenchild

I'm planning on getting my second tattoo on the Friday (or Thursday evening) before Memorial Day. My first tattoo is a tramp stamp of the Kanji character "ru" (dragon). (Don't care about your opinion of the tramp stamp; I like it, husband likes it, no one else's opinion is relevant.) The second tattoo will be two dragons, in the same brushwork style, twining up my spine, possibly incorporating the original tattoo.
I have a question about healing. With the first one, I just had to make sure I didn't bump into anything and put lotion on it occasionally. I just stayed aware of myself and kept it safe. This one will go right up my spine. This will be harder to deal with. I know I'll have to keep from resting my back on anything for a few days (good thing I'm a stomach sleeper) but I'm concerned with how I'm going to wear a bra. I'm not particularly big but going braless at work isn't an option. My office is fairly relaxed (I wear jeans every day) but not that relaxed. I'm doing it that day because I have Friday-Monday off.
Has anyone else done this? I want this to heal correctly but I have no idea how I'm going to wear a bra but not mess up the ink. And how can I moisturize the middle of my back during the day? Suggestions?

JellyBeanQueen86

take a few extra days off work.. just a couple.
I have one on my ribs and a little bit is on the bra line. I had a few days off work just to let it settle... after that it was fine

AlongCame_Molly

A soft cotton sports bra is going to be your best bet. And if you get your husband to moisturize it right before and after work, you should be fine.

JellyBeanQueen86

A soft cotton sports bra is going to be your best bet. And if you get your husband to moisturize it right before and after work, you should be fine.

Yes this... you dont need to be constantly putting cream on it. you dont want it wet wet but you just dont want to it dry out and crack.
take the cream with you and if you feel it getting dry you could ask one of the ladies at work to put it on?

susheetush

I just slathered it with tattoo aftercare cream and put a bra on. I tried not to wear tight fitting t-shirts or shirts though because I wore on on day 2 and when I went to take it off, it was stuck. It left a neat little imprint of the tattoo on the inside of the t-shirt.

But to be honest my tattoo really wasn't the worse for wear for wearing a bra. Your bra doesn't really move around much so when it scabs over the bra strap will just sit on it.

zenchild

Thank you ladies! I'm thinking about getting it done on Thursday night so I will have 4 full days before I have to wear a bra. If I see friends or family that weekend, they will just have to deal with it.
I told my husband to save a few of his old undershirts for me to wear that weekend so I don't ruin my shirts.
I'm still not thrilled about the actual process of getting the work done but I figure I'll just pull my shirt off my back and keep it covering my front. After the first few minutes I'll be much more concerned about the buzzing and pain (I'm a wimp) than about potential embarrassment. I go to a very professional shop so I'm sure the artist has seen much more than my bare back. The room I got my first tattoo in was also the room I got my, um, most southern piercing in. Having my braless back exposed for a while is certainly easier than going pantsless.

dodihere

I had a large portion of my back tattooed in a 5 hour session and most of the work is down my spine (tree), anyway, I went without a bra and wore a vest for a couple of days then went to a soft cotton oversized bra and worked my way into my normal bra - a good time to pull out that old bra and wear it.