Just Got a New Tattoo? Dermatologists Say the Soap You Use Makes a Big Difference
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You've endured the tattoo needles like a champ, you're out of the hot seat, and the most painful part is over. But before you flaunt your fresh ink, there is one essential part of aftercare that'll ensure your tattoo looks as good as new long after it heals — and it has everything to do with the soap you use to cleanse it. Neglect this part of the process, and you run the risk of ruining the tattoo you've worked so hard to design or, worse, getting an infection — and nobody wants that. The tattoo artist has done their part, and now it's time to do yours.
According to three board-certified dermatologists who spoke to POPSUGAR, new tattoos must be treated with a lot of TLC. "A tattoo is a wound," explained Reagan Anderson, DO, FAOCD, and dermatologist at Colorado Dermatology Institute. "And just like all other wounds, if we can keep it moist and covered while it's healing over the next six weeks, it's going to do much better than if you let it get dry and cracked and scabbed."
To promote and retain a moisturized skin barrier, Tiffany Jow Libby, MD, FAAD, and dermatologist at Brown Dermatology, highly recommends using a gentle liquid cleanser instead of a bar of soap. "Many bar soaps have a pH within the range of nine to 10 and therefore tend to be more alkaline, which can disrupt the skin's pH," Dr. Libby said. As a general rule, you should wash your tattoo no more than two times a day with warm — not hot — water, but don't use a washcloth or loofah, as this will disrupt healing.
Andrea Suarez, MD, dermatologist at First Derm, pointed out that using a gentle liquid cleanser alone won't be enough to effectively heal your tattoo. Right after properly cleansing your skin, she recommends slathering a layer of fragrance-free moisturizer over it while it's still wet to seal the skin barrier. "When the skin barrier is impaired, it loses water very, very quickly," she said. "And in order to properly heal it, having a good barrier cream can really pay off dividends." Not only does it decrease the amount of scabbing and prevent any gaps from forming in your new ink, but it also makes the healing process go a lot smoother — literally.
From the moment you leave the tattoo parlor until the last day of the full six-week healing period, pay attention to any changes in your skin. If you start noticing rashes, bumps, and pus, it's a good idea to contact your doctor. But light swelling, redness, and even a little blood are perfectly normal. As long as you're diligently cleansing and moisturizing your tattoo, you should effectively keep infection at bay. To optimize the healing of your new tattoo, we've compiled a list of six dermatologist-recommended soaps to use during your six weeks of tattoo aftercare.
— Additional reporting by Haley Lyndes
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Cerave Hydrating Body Wash
Cerave Hydrating Body Wash ($11, originally $12) contains three different ceramides that protect and restore the skin barrier to keep your skin supple and soothe irritation. "Think of the uppermost barrier of your skin as a brick wall, with each skin cell being one brick," Dr. Libby explained. "The mortar holding the bricks together are the moisturizing factors and lipids, i.e. your ceramides, fatty acids, and cholesterol." When those ceramides are disrupted in any way, like what happens when you get a tattoo, using a soap that adds more ceramides will boost healing.
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Bethesda Sun and Shield Soap
"If you let your tattoos get in the sun, they will fade, and they won't look as good," Dr. Anderson warned. Since you cannot apply sunscreen to a tattoo until it's fully healed, using a soap like the Bethesda Sun and Shield Soap ($8), which is designed for skin-cancer patients, will fortify and defend your skin against the harsh rays of the sun. Traditional bar soap is not normally ideal for tattoo aftercare, but this one is a highly recommended exception, especially as it is vitamin-enriched and contains no artificial fragrances, dyes, fillers, or binders.
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Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser
If a product comes in both a creamy formula and a foam formula, Dr. Suarez recommends always going with the creamy formula. The Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Hydrating Cleanser ($9) is the best Neutrogena soap for newly tattooed skin because it won't overstrip your skin of the natural oils it needs to restore itself. She also warned that the foaming formula has fragrance, so it shouldn't be used for tattoo aftercare. "The foaming cleanser uses mild sodium lauroyl sarcosinate while the hydrating cleanser uses a gentle plant-derived surfactant called sorbitan," Dr. Suarez explained. "Both are fairly mild, though sorbitan is considered one of the gentlest."
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Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash
Aveeno Skin Relief Body Wash ($9) is formulated with glycerin, which is a humectant that works like a sponge to help the skin retain moisture and is ideal for a healing tattoo. It also contains colloidal oatmeal, a prebiotic that Dr. Libby said is a favorite of hers. Colloidal oatmeal does wonders for newly tattooed skin because it's made up of compounds like phenols and vitamin E and "it's a natural anti-inflammatory agent that helps soothe and alleviate dryness and itching," Dr. Libby said.
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Aquaphor Baby Wash
If your tattoo is fairly large and you're worried about scarring, Dr. Anderson said the key is Aquaphor. Both the Aquaphor Baby Wash ($9) and the Aquaphor Healing Ointment ($16) will be helpful for tattoo aftercare. "A moist wound heals quicker, it heals stronger, and it heals with less of a scar," Dr. Anderson explained. "The old adage of 'keep a wound dry, let it breathe!' . . . well, wounds don't have lungs. They don't need to breathe. They need to be kept moist, and the best way to do that is with a little Aquaphor."
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Vanicream Gentle Body Wash
If you have very sensitive skin, baby wash may not actually be the best type of soap to use on your new tattoo. Dr. Suarez recommends Vanicream Gentle Body Wash ($12) instead because it's "free of cocamidopropyl betaine, which is a surfactant that's commonly present in baby shampoos and body washes. It's a very gentle surfactant, but a lot of people can develop an allergy to it." If you think you might be sensitive to this ingredient, Vanicream Gentle Body Wash is the safest option. Dr. Suarez considers it to be "medical-grade skin care," and since tattoos are technically wounds, this is exactly the type of soap you should be using if you have very sensitive skin.
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