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Browsing through all the online aftercare tips about tattoos and listening to different advice from tattoo artists, you may think it's hard to find a common ground when it comes to taking care of tattoos.

瀏覽著網路上眾說紛紜的刺青養護法，你可能會非常苦惱該用甚麼方法來養護即將或已經刺在身上的美麗圖騰。

Here is my personal experience about taking care of my tattoos in two different ways, hoping to help you assess and find the approach that suits you the most.

曾有擁有相同煩惱的我，就來分享一下自己的刺青養護經驗，以下是我在2個不同季節，採取2大不同養護方法的步驟！

#1

Once my tattoo is done, I leave the covering on the tattoo for a bit, then carefully remove it within 2-5 hours, and gently wash the tattoo with clean water.

刺青剛完成後，讓保鮮膜包裹的時間控制在2到5小時內，再以乾淨清水溫柔沖洗。如果刺青這個「傷口」被保鮮膜包裹的時間太長，會因不透氣而潰爛，後果比較嚴重。

#2

Dry the tattoo by gently tapping on it with a CLEAN TOWEL (you don’t want the lint from tissue stick to the tattoo!)

刺青清洗後以“乾淨的毛巾輕按”用乾，用衛生紙類容易產生毛絮，黏在皮膚上難以清除！

#3

This is the most debatable step!

再來是最具爭議性的步驟！

Option A

Leave the tattoo open to the air, put on NOTHING and keep it dry.

方案A

不抹任何東西在刺青上，維持乾爽通風即可。

Option B

Apply a THIN LAYER of unscented moisturizing cream to the tattoo, then leave it open to the air too.

方案B

塗抹一層“非常薄”的養護霜，一樣維持乾爽通風。

I adopted option A to my Tattoo A, and option B to my Tattoo B.

FYI, I got Tattoo A in winter, Tattoo B in summer, which I should’ve swapped the options. LOL

我以A方案養護我的刺青A，我以B方案養護我的刺青B，順帶一題，刺青A是在冬天用的，刺青B則在夏天，應該要反過來養護才對哈哈哈(冬天皮膚較乾燥，會較需要保濕XD)

#4

For the following 3 – 5 days, wash the tattoo 3 – 5 times a day to avoid potential infection. Clean and dry is the key, so avoid soaking it in water for about a month (showers are ok, baths are not).

刺青剛刺好的3到5天內，一天可清洗刺青3至5次，並重覆方案A或B；洗澡時請選擇淋浴而非泡澡，記住保持刺青傷口乾爽是關鍵，剛刺好1個月內避免長時間浸泡在水中(盡量不要去游泳、海邊或進行水上活動)。

#5

DO NOT SCRATCH AT ALL – slap it lightly instead if it’s really itchy.

不管有多癢，都要克制，嚴禁摳抓！如果真的癢的按耐不住，請用輕輕拍打的方式取代止癢！

#6

Avoid direct sunlight exposure.

Colored tattoos can fade in the sun, so make sure the completely healed one is covered in sunscreen (high SPF is recommended).

避免太陽直射，尤其是彩色的刺青，會在太陽長期直射下漸漸退色，如果很欠曬或會曬到太陽，也請用高係數防曬乳保護皮膚！

The pictures below are for your reference when you have some doubts about the ways to take care of your tattoos!

以下的照片就供各位大大參考囉！

Tattoo A (Option A) - Before

Tattoo A (Option A) - After

Tattoo B (Option B) - Before

Tattoo B (Option B) - After

Anyway, in the end, skin condition varies from person to person. Some are fine with dry heal (no aftercare balm at all); others might suffer from it because of the sensitive and dry skin. However, one thing we can know for sure in general is that skin needs three things to repair itself: protection, hydration, and nourishment.A small amount of the appropriate balm can provide all three. All in all, what matters the most is to listen to what your body says!!

總之，肌膚狀況因人而異，有些人採用方案A (佛系乾燥法) 刺青成品非常好，然而，有人卻因敏感易乾燥的膚況奇癢無比。但我們都可非常確定的是，皮膚的修護需要三大元素：修護、保濕以及滋養。適量的滋養霜可以提供以上這三種要素。當然，最重要的還是聽聽自己的身體怎麼說！