So You Got a Tatoo on your Skin. Now read on this article on how to enjoy tatooed skin. Congratulations on your new tattoo. Now, with just a few easy steps, you can keep your masterpiece looking new for years to come.

Do not remove the bandage until the next day. This will ensure that the skin has stopped bleeding. What you have to understand is, a brand new tattoo is an open wound. It will have to scab before it can heal.

If you receive any type of ointment from your tattoo artist, use it. If not, a good moisturizing lotion will do the trick. You need to keep the area coated with this cream for at least two to three weeks.

The tattoo will scab over. Do not shave over it or scratch the skin until the scab has healed completely. If you pick at the scab, you can pull off the pigment, leaving some areas lighter than others. Be careful when you are able to shave in the area again. A deep cut will leave a line in the color.

Colored tattoos are much more likely to fade than black only ones. Luckily, the black ink is much better than what was used when your grandpa got his done. They don't usually fade to that weird dark green. But you still need to take precautions, or you could be back under the needle gun sooner than you'd think.

If you sunbathe or go out in the sun regularly, make sure to apply a high SPF sunscreen to the tattoo. This will help prevent it from fading as soon. Nothing can completely prevent fading and if you have a color tattoo, you will probably eventually have to go in for a touchup. But following this advice will keep your skin art in good shape for as long as possible.

Also, a good thing to keep in mind when considering touchups is that some tattoo artists will do a touchup for free if you get another tattoo done there.