Banger Tattoo Care

Antibacterial soap, Dove, Dr. Bronner's — most common picks are actually wrong. Here's the dermatologist-reviewed recommendation used by 1,250+ tattoo artists.

Vaseline has been part of tattoo aftercare longer than almost any other product recommendation. The problem is that it is 100 percent petrolatum — nothing else. Petrolatum creates an impermeable seal that traps wound fluids, blocks oxygen to the beneficial bacteria protecting the wound, and produces a thicker more disruptive peeling phase than any breathable alternative. Here is the biology behind why, and what the updated protocol looks like.

Aquaphor has been the default tattoo and microblading aftercare recommendation for decades. The science says it should not be. Here is exactly what petroleum does to healing tattooed skin, why the PMU industry is especially overexposed to this problem, and what the biology actually calls for.