Antibiotic Ointment For Tattoo Infection

How To Treat An Infected Tattoo

Minor bumps and rashes can usually be managed at home with antibacterial ointment, proper cleaning, and rest.

If youre experiencing an infection, treatment depends on the cause. Your doctor may take a swab of the area or lance a pus pocket to see what bacteria or virus is causing the infection.

In most cases, your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic to help stop the infection. In severe cases of infection, antibiotic treatments may last for weeks or months.

If your infection was caused by MRSA bacteria, antibiotics may not be beneficial. If MRSA causes an abscess, your doctor may drain it instead of giving you antibiotics.

In rare cases of infection, surgery may be required. If your tissue has died due to the infection , surgery may be needed to remove it.

Persistent, sometimes itchy, and painful bumps in your tattoo may be signs of an atypical mycobacterial infection. This requires long-term antibiotic treatment.

Other Health Concerns And How To Avoid Them

When getting a new tattoo, whether it be your first, fifth, or fifteenth, you should be aware of potential health concerns. In addition to the risk of having a tattoo become infected, you can potentially contract gangrene, syphilis, TB, hepatitis B and C, and HIV from infected needles and instruments.

High Temperature / Fever / Extreme Tiredness

Generally, all infections have the ability to raise the core body temperature and cause lethargy/extreme tiredness.

If you have a high temperature/fever/extreme tiredness in addition to one or more symptoms in this list then you may have an infected tattoo and should visit a doctor.

If your symptoms also include a fast heart rate, increased breathing, and/or general confusion then seek medical attention immediately, as these could be signs of a serious condition, such as .

Remember

Some of these symptoms can also be mistaken for normal tattoo healing as they can be very similar, and vice-versa.The best way to differentiate is to rate the severity of the symptom. Symptoms of infection tend to be much worse than common side-effects of healing. While symptoms caused by general healing will slowly go away, symptoms of infection will normally remain the same or continue to get worse.

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What Are The Signs Of An Infected Body Piercing Or Tattoo

Richard S. Ferri, PhD, ANP, ACRN

Question

We see many people in our clinic with newly acquired tattoos and body piercings and are having a difficult time discerning if the artwork or jewelry is infected or just going through a normal healing process. Can you please provide some clinical insight?

Your question is very timely and right on the money. Tattooing and body piercing are now very common in the general population. According to a recent survey done by Harris Polls, 16% of all Americans have at least 1 tattoo. Therefore, it is important for nurses and other clinicians to have better assessment skills in separating infection from healing issues.

First, it is important to remember that although both piercing and tattoos are invasive, they are probably not done by medical professionals but by tattoo or body-piercing artists. However, virtually all states have very strict and detailed requirements for the artist and the studio to follow with respect to aseptic technique, equipment sterilization, and universal precautions with appropriate medical waste disposal. These requirements can be found at your states Department of State Health Services or Department of Public Health Web sites.

Body Jewelry

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Signs And Symptoms Of Tattoo Infection

The signs and symptoms you may encounter if your tattoo becomes infected can vary greatly depending on the type of infection you contract, the location of the infection, size of the wound, how your immune system copes with fighting it off and how long the infection persists.

It is important to note that some of the symptoms mentioned below, for example redness, swelling and mild discomfort may be experienced as part of the normal tattoo healing process. It is when these symptoms worsen that you should be concerned.

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Antazoline and Xylometazoline over the counter pink eye treatment medication is good in fighting allergy symptoms such as hay fever and works as an anti-inflammatory

Other common OTC pink eye relief drops brands include Eyebright Drops by Wisdom of the Ages, AquaSite, Celluvisc, Bion Tears, Gen Teal, Duratears, HypoTears, OcuCoat, Liquifilm Tears, Tears Naturale, Refresh, Systane, and TheraTears

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Is Staph Infection Likely

A staph infection is one type of infection you might get with a tattoo. Although these infections are treatable, staph bacteria can often develop resistance to regular antibiotics, making prescription treatments ineffective.

Staph bacteria, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, can also get into your bloodstream and internal organs. When this happens, other conditions can develop, such as , arthritis, and toxic shock syndrome.

Some common symptoms of staph infection include:

• aches or pains in your bones or muscles
• fever of 102°F or more
• swelling of the infected area

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More Wound Care Advice

Looking for more tips on managing wound care? Check out our wide range of health tips from leading health professionals.

What is Wound Debridement?

Debridement is a French word that literally means to remove constraints. In the case of a wound and wound debridement, constraints may be due to necrotic, or dead tissue. This type of tissue has

How do I look after a new tattoo?

Did you know your fresh tattoo is essentially a wound? And just like any other wound, your new ink requires specific care to successfully complete the healing process and avoid infection

Compression stockings and the challenges of summer

Medical compression stockings and garments are used to control swelling in legs or arms. Often, the conditions which lead to the use of medical compression garments also means

What Really Happens To The Skin When You Get A Tattoo

Its important to keep in mind that, by getting a tattoo, you are continuously puncturing your skin for several minutes or hours and injecting a foreign substance into your body. One artist in the Facebook group explained to a concerned member, Your body is naturally going to try to fight it off because it is not used to having it in your skin. So slight redness and swelling around a tattoo for a few days is normal along with a little bruising due to trauma to the skin. Additionally, a fresh tattoo will eventually scab or the top layer of skin will look dull or cloudy as it gets ready to peel. These are both normal parts of the healing process, similar to what would occur if you scraped your hand or knee on the sidewalk.

Another typical side effect is the area may be slightly swollen, warm to the touch, and tender for a day or so after the tattoo. Infections take more than two days to become symptomatic, so if these signs persist or get worse, its time to speak with the artist or a doctor. According to Prairie Koo, a tattoo artist at Ink & Water in Toronto, the most common sign of infection is a rash or red, bumpy skin surrounding the tattooed area. He instructs his clients to see a doctor if they experience a fever, chills, swelling, pus coming from the tattooed area, red lesions around the tattooed area, and areas of hard, raised tissue. Other symptoms might include: bone or muscle aches, impetigo, and diarrhea.

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Second Week: Scabbing And Itchiness

During week two, you would have stopped covering the tattoo and exposed it to the air to start drying out and healing. Its normal during this stage for the tattoo to scab and itch, but its important to monitor how much scabbing is occurring and how severe it itches.

If the scabbing starts to become red and inflamed, you likely have an infection that needs a doctors attention. If your tattoo is oozing or developing an open womb youll need to see immediate doctor attention to stop the spread of infection.

To avoid infection at this stage, its important to keep the tattoo clean and hydrated. Youll need to avoid picking at the scabbing, keep the tattoo hydrated with an unscented lotion, and try to avoid contact with unwashed hands, pet hair, and excessive sweat.

Its ideal to avoid working out and excessively sweating until the scabbing stage has stopped and the new skin has developed. Youll also want to avoid swimming in any body of water during this stage of the process as well.

Using Neosporin On Tattoos

Despite it being seemingly logical to be able to put Neosporin on a healing tattoo, it is far from recommended one does so. Neosporin, being an antibiotic ointment, is only meant to be used on minor wounds and cuts. Tattoos are far from minor founds theyre considered to be open wounds in the initial healing stage and have to be treated as such.

One thing about tattoos people tend to forget is that one should NOT put any kind of ointment on a healing tattoo until it starts drying out and closing. Even then, the products you can use on your tattoo are specialized and limited.

Neosporin, alongside other similar ointments, acts as a skin barrier. For a healing tattoo, this can be catastrophic. A skin barrier , traps the moisture inside and doesnt allow the skin to breathe and be dry.

As a result, the covered area becomes the perfect place for bacteria growth and germ buildup. This, of course, very quickly leads to skin inflammation and infection the very thing Neorporin is designed to help treat. Neosporin therefore, inadvertently, prevents the tattoo from healing, prolongs the healing process, and can directly lead to a skin infection when applied regularly.

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Reasons Not To Apply Neosporin

Since Neosporin can cause allergic reactions, it is not a safe choice for everyone. Rashes and itchiness are the last things you would want to interfere with your new ink.

When your body, or skin, rejects antibiotics it will trigger flare-ups of small red bumps or more extensive hives. This, in turn, can seriously affect the outcome of your new tattoo.

Tattoos take time to heal and settle within your skin. Generally, partial healing will take around two to three weeks. A full recovery might take up to six months.

Of course, this doesnt mean youll have to keep the tattoo covered for all that time. It does, however, indicate that during this period, your skin is still vulnerable.

While Neosporin will keep it safe from infections, it doesnt always allow for an ideal healing environment. New tattoos recover best if they receive oxygen and a little moisture. Due to the petroleum jelly base forming a blockage, your new ink wont get the oxygen required for rehabilitation.

The best tattoo lotion Ive ever personally used is a vegan aftercare product called After Inked Tattoo Aftercare Lotion. This stuff works amazingly well during the healing process not only by keeping your tattoo really well hydrated but also by soothing any annoying itching and irritation. When using it from the very start of the healing process, this lotion will help to decrease tattoo healing times and work towards eliminating any lingering dryness and scabbing.

What Kinds Of Tattoo Infections Are Common

The most common skin infections are bacterial skin infections, such as from Staphylococcus, and are usually related to bacteria on the skin surface, use of unsterile equipment or unhygienic technique. Other bacterial culprits include infections with atypical bacteria. These organisms have been linked to contaminated inks or contaminated water . In rare occurrences, unsterilized equipment and reused needles can lead to serious viral infections, including HIV, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C.

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Can You Use Neosporin On A New Tattoo

• Written By Dan Hunter on August 12, 2019Last Updated: January 8, 2021

Using Neosporin on a tattoo may seem like an obvious thing to do. New tattoos are fresh open wounds, where bacteria can easily enter. Neosporin is an ointment we usually apply to small cuts or scrapes, so why not use it on fresh new ink?

While many tattoo artists do, in fact, recommend using this topical medicine, others advise against it. Today we are here in search of an answer. Is Neosporin effective when used on a healing tattoo? Lets find out.

Neosporin isnt the best product to use on new tattoos. While Neosporin can help with healing skin wounds, including minor cuts, scrapes and burns, it will not help to moisturize a new tattoo, and could in fact prevent the skin from breathing due to its thickness when applied. This can cause delays in healing.

Find A Reputable Tattoo Parlor And Artist

While most infections happen in aftercare, some start right at the tattoo parlor, says Dr. Rodney. Make sure the tattoo parlor is licensed because licensed parlors are regularly inspected by a health agency. Also, do a little research beforehand to check the safety/infection record of the artist and ask them about their equipment sterilization practices and protocols. They should have no problem with you seeing them in action.

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“Tattoo artists should follow Universal Precautions, the standard for anyone who could be in contact with blood or bodily fluids, and take blood borne pathogen training,” explains Joe Lathe-Vitale, a shop owner and tattoo artist for 20 years. “An artist who’s properly trained and using good safety measures will greatly minimize any chance of infection. Lathe-Vitale says a properly trained tattoo artist will always use sterile, single-use needles, and properly sterilize and clean any materials that are reused however, most artists now use entirely single-use disposable items. Youll also want to make sure they use new gloves with each client and change gloves as needed during the procedure, Dr. Rodney points out.

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Not Sure If Your Tattoo Is Infected

If youre worried about an infection but arent experiencing any serious symptoms, such as fever, chills, swelling, or excretions from the area, we suggest calling or visiting the shop where you got the tattoo. You can also treat initial signs of an infection on your own, according to Dr. Joshua Zeichner, the director of cosmetic and clinical research in the Mount Sinai Hospital dermatology department. Zeichner warns that if the skin is red, warm, tender, or has any pus it may be infected. If these are your only symptoms, he recommends cleansing the tattoo thoroughly with gentle soap and water, applying over-the-counter bacitracin ointment to the area, and keeping it dry and covered.

But not everyone is willing to treat a possible infection on their own. Experienced artists can quickly differentiate between the typical healing process and an infection. We went to the Ask a Professional Tattoo Artist Facebook group to see how artists responded to questions about infection and, not surprisingly, several members were worried their fresh tattoos were infected but, fortunately, nearly none of them were.

Can You Use Neosporin On A Fresh Tattoo

As Tattoo aftercare is a top concern for people that just got fresh ink, instead of considering Neosporin, its recommended you go with a well-known product specifically made for tattoo aftercare, like these tattoo ointments or these tattoo creams from your favorite tattoo aftercare company. Neosporin ointment is often too harsh on freshly tattooed skin, suffocates the open wound and actually dries out your skin which leads to scabbing. When getting a new tattoo its important to keep your tattoo properly moisturized, but not over moisturized. Understanding How often to moisturize a tattoo is important for your tattoo to properly recover, and Neosporin does not provide the ideal level of moisture required.

If you use Neosporin on a tattoo, it wont be able to breathe correctly, and the tattoo will be unable to absorb the necessary moisture it requires to recover properly. The triple antibiotic formula is too harsh for the fresh tattoo, when it is a critical time for the tattooed skin to get adequately hydrated. Using proper tattoo aftercare creams and ointments wont have you questioning when is my tattoo fully healed? Youll know.

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What Is Antibiotic Ointment

Antibiotic ointment is a type of topical ointment, typically in an oil base, applied to the skin to kill bacteria and prevent infection. It is intended for use on minor cuts, burns, or abrasions, and should not be applied to puncture wounds, animal bites, or severe burns. The use of this ointment can be an effective part of wound care, along with regularly cleansing the wound, and observing it to make sure it is healing properly.

Some people also choose to use antibiotic ointment on a new tattoo, though some tattoo artists advise against this for various reasons. In general, this ointment is intended to speed healing and prevent infection. If a cut or wound appears infected, it is important to go to a doctor to obtain oral antibiotics to prevent the infection from spreading.

Most antibiotic ointments come in cream forms as well, and these may be better able to absorb into the skin. In addition, sometimes these cream forms can contain extra ingredients to help with pain relief, which may be especially beneficial for burns. These ointments and creams can be found in most drugstores, grocery stores, and discount stores. They are typically quite inexpensive, and it is a good idea to keep a supply on hand to have it ready when injuries occur.