?Scab question?

I got a tattoo on the top of my right foot about 2 weeks ago (2nd tat). It is healing beautifully and scabbing as normal. However, this weekend got a little crazy and the most tender part of the scab was ripped off. Now, there is a hole in my foot (like if you pick a scab and it is all slimy on the inside). There is no pus and it is not yellow. There is a little redness but I think that is because I just got the tat. I called my tat artist and told him what had happened. He told me to put Neosporin and cover it with a bandaid for about 3 days so infection will not set in. After 3 days, keep putting the Neosporin on but leave it uncovered. I thought that Neosporin will remove the ink from a tat. I just wanted some input????? Thanks all!

Put some neosporin on it and cover it, but not for three days. You should wash it off reapply neo and cover it again every once in a while, but don't keep it covered for too long. You should let it breathe whenever possible If there was an infection in your cut it would be bad to keep it covered since bacteria thrives in hot, moist places(Paris Hilton's vag for example). Just make sure you keep it clean and apply a thin layer of neo for a couple of days and if you're not out and about keep it uncovered and let it breathe. When you're just chillin at home, for example, you shouldn't have it covered.

Neosporin should never be used on a fresh tattoo...ever!

That's true...I was thinking of it as a regular wound...Just keep it clean and clean it off with alcohol and let it breathe.

can you explain WHY Neosporin should not be used??

Kristine, a quick google search will give you more than enough articles to get your answer. From the first one in the search, Then, along came the over-the-counter triple anti-biotic ointment, Neosporin. It had a healing agent that was good at fighting infection, and it didn't pull the color out of tattoos like petroleum jelly. After a few years of Neosporin being the #1 product recommended for tattoo aftercare, it soon became apparent that it was falling short of its expectations. Several people were coming up with allergic reactions to the ointment, and were getting tiny red bumps on their tattoos. After these red bumps disappeared, they took the ink along with them and the customer was left with a "spotted" tattoo. That pretty much covers it. It isn't good for the tattoo and many people are allergic to it.

All that is basically true however Neosporin ( the brand ) has a higher concentration of neomycin sulfate than plain ol generic triple anitbiotic ointment. This higher concentration causes many problems the worst of which is a way too accelerated rate of healing wherein the antibiotic actually sees the pigment in a fresh tattoo as an invader and tries to get rid of it....this problem generally does not exist with plain ol triple antibiotic because the concentrations of neomycin sulfate are just enough to do the job without being so much as to damage the tattoo. Yes neosporin does fine on some people but I prefer to not take the risk...I have seen it FUCK some tattoos up!!!

The bottom line is that you should listen to what your artist told you to do, since if there is a touch up situation, (s)he'll be the one doing it providing you listen to what they told you to do. If you listen to strangers on the net, you'll get a hundred different answers. Each artist has their own preferences to how you should take care of your ink, and if your artist was qualified enough to do the tattoo, then follow their suggestions and everyone will be happy.