infection

No telling what it was from here in front of my computer. If it wasn’t your equipment chances are he is applying something to the tattoo with dirty hands or is leaving it exposed to bacteria without being mindful of keeping it clean. People tend to forget a tattoo is an open wound initially and should be cared for as such.

I use bacitracin for about four or five days on a new tattoo…it has a bit of anti-bacterial in it. When it is far enough in to the healing process I switch to lotion. I’ve never cut myself, or gotten an abrasion and felt like Vaseline intensive care lotion was the correct plan of action to care for it. Not sure why it seems accepted for tattoos.

Not sure if that helps. Maybe you can help clients rethink their aftercare plan.

Mark

How did everything turn out? Ever get down to the bottom of it?

I think the clue might be in the tips and tubes cleaned with ultrasonic might be a clue. If you can’t autoclave use disposables, ultrasonics do not sterilize.

@Tarantula wrote:

I think the clue might be in the tips and tubes cleaned with ultrasonic might be a clue. If you can’t autoclave use disposables, ultrasonics do not sterilize.

Exactly, ultrasonics do not sterilize. Go disposable.

Right. There is a difference between cleaning, disinfecting, and sterlizing.

@wrathone11 wrote:

@Tarantula wrote:

I think the clue might be in the tips and tubes cleaned with ultrasonic might be a clue. If you can’t autoclave use disposables, ultrasonics do not sterilize.

Exactly, ultrasonics do not sterilize. Go disposable.

:arrow:

You need to take some classes on infection control, sterilization, etc. All an ultrasonic cleaner does is help dislodge skin and ink particles from your tubes before you place them in the autoclave to be sterilized. Your best bet is to use disposable tips and tubes to remedy this problem. Next you need to be aware of personal hygiene and sterile practices like having everything laid out on a sterile surface and have everything ready so that you don’t have to ever go and get something and contaminate yourself and your client. You need to be bagging your machine and clip cords to keep body fluids off of them. Your workstation needs to be wiped down with an antiviral and antibacterial every time before you start the next tattoo and you need to wait the recommended time to ensure all the bad stuff has been killed. Not to talk down to you but you need to ensure that you know these aspects of tattooing backwards and forwards because not only are you possibly endangering yourself but also the people you are tattooing. HIV, Hepatitis, Staph, MRSA are not things to be taken lightly and can kill.

I know when i used the autoclave,, (not anymore) i used and ultrasonic cleaner to set my tips in in while i was tattooing with the liner and then when i was finished with my liner i would set it on the machine holder then grabbed the shadder that was sitting in the running ultrasonic. That was AFTER i used the ultrasonic cleaner to shake lose all the ink and stuff and clean well and then autoclave to sterilize all my tubes, tips, and grips.
I hope you haven’t been using a Ultrasonic only for 2 years!!!! If so i am very scared for your clients!!!!

Avoiding infection is important if you have a body piercing or tattoo. Poor hygiene and after-care can lead to complications, infection and blood-borne diseases such as hepatitis B or C, or HIV. Choose a shop that is registered with the local council and complies with health regulations to minimize the risks.

While getting tattooed we have to look out whether the tattoo needle and tattooing kit are hygenic this would be helpful for keeping us infection free.

I have heard neosporin or triple antibiotic ointment and aloe would dull or pull out color. I always tell em to put a very thin layer of a&d one to three times a day leave it on no more than 15 mins and wash it off for the first three days after three days use cocoa butter or a fragrance free lotion until healed. if you keep the ointment on more than 15 mins it seals bacteria into the tattoo and can cause infection it also make the scab thicker and doesnt allow air to get to the wound increasing healing time. it is better to use no ointment at all and dry heal the tattoo than to use too much ointment.