Diving with a new tattoo?

[MSilvia]

It seems to work well and stand up just fine. It didn't sting at all either, but I have a high pain tolerance. Maybe it's a different brand though.

Originally posted by Crispy
MSilva, if you haven't used that liquid skin before, try it on a healthy spot of skin and then get it wet. I didn't have much luck with it. But I was sweating not swimming.
Also, not that it will make or break it, But that stuff stings like the dickens until it dries. How it compares to that of the Tat' gun I don't know.

hope it helps.

Crispy

 

[MSilvia]

but I'm just getting solid blackwork with no shading or varying colors.

Originally posted by bengiddins
I was told when I had one done on my back not to get it wet for 2 weeks - but I went swimming a week later with no ill effects. This was a simple line tattoo though, with no shading - and it healed very fast. Personally, I'd blow diving off until it totally heals if you're getting shading - you don't want it to scar or mess it up for life, for the sake of a day's diving.

 

[Tavi]

I wouldn't use it on a tat.

A&D Ointment works well. It comes in a large tube (compared to neosporin or bacitracin) and is cheeper.

When I use vitamin E oil, I heal in 1/2 the time.

 

[Dee]

Originally posted by Tavi
I wouldn't use it on a tat.

A&D Ointment works well. It comes in a large tube (compared to neosporin or bacitracin) and is cheeper.

When I use vitamin E oil, I heal in 1/2 the time.

I've got several tats. With the first one I was instructed to use Bacitracin until it healed and it took forever. With the others, the studio used A&D Ointment for the initial bandage and I kept a light coating on for the first week and after that used Vit E oil. Healed in half the time! There is less ink loss and the colors are more vibrant....seems to me.

 

[divedivedive!]

I would really hold off for the 2 weeks... my tattoo artist was also a dive instructor, and he was adamant about this. Not sure if you're diving saltwater, but if you are, the sea could really screw up an open wound both through infection and just by washing off the ink. I don't think there's any way you can keep it truly, permanently water proof.

Think about it... the tattoo is for life... do you really want to mess it up for a couple hours' fun? Sit it out... perhaps its a problem you should've avoided pre-emptively.

 

[Louie]

I'm with the sit it out crowd. I've seen on other people what careless maintenance of a new tattoo can do (they won't be recognisable after a severe infection).
When I got my various inkworks done, I was told to use antiseptic cream sparingly during the first couple of days and then switch to baby lotion (because the antiseptic has a bleaching effect).
I was told that freshwater is a greater source of infection than salt and swimming pools are an absolute no no.
But whatever the case, I would go with the previous responders who stress that it's not worth risking a lifelong decoration for the sake of one day's diving.

 

[Dyno Bill]

When I was getting my ink work done the rule was to let it scab and shed the scab twice, that seems to be the normal healing process. It took about 2 weeks each time . My tats took about 70 hrs to do so I went through the process a number of times. I used Noxema for healing the wound, seemed to work really well.If your gonna spend the money to get ink I would imagine you want it look good after a while so skip the dive or the appointment.
Bill

 

[Zagnut]

A & D or Neosaporin(sp?) will do. Stay away from liquid skin...that can't be good for a fresh tat. The time frame you mentioned is probably sufficient to just slap a little A&D and go... It'll probably be well on it's way to being healed...probably just a little tender. Skin heals pretty fast, although everybody's is different. Mine never really scabbed, they were just tender and oozed clear stuff for a few days. I think my skin may heal a little faster than some, but I say you probably won't need to take much precaution other than some antibiotic ointment. Really, after a few days, you should switch from ointment to cream or lotion anyways. If you stick with the ointment too long, your tat will start to sort of chafe and hurt. The lotion moisturizes the skin and allows it to "breathe". The ointment will not and actually starts to sort of impede the healing process.

 

[Capnsnott]

Interesting thread.
I don't have a tat story, but I do have a sea water one.
I had a nasty cut on a nuckle before a dive, almost needing stitches. I was stressing over getting infected. Turns out the salt helped it heal at least twice as fast as normal. And with a lot less scabbing. After one day, it looked like it had been a three or four days since the cut.
Just my .02.
The timing thing is good for me to see too. I was wating till after my next dives (end of Feb) to get one. Maybe I'll just do it next week, that's almost a month.