CBD and Tattoo Aftercare: What Your Skin Needs After Getting Inked
There is no beating around the bush on this one – getting tattooed hurts. The levels of pain you may experience differ based on the size of the tattoo and the spot you are getting it on, but there’s no denying that it will cause some pain.
The other fact is that the tattoo needs time to heal, so there’s a period after finishing the piece where it will still be painful. So, how can you help alleviate the pain, and can you use CBD (cannabidiol) for tattoo aftercare?
Aftercare Is Important
Getting a tattoo doesn’t end when the needles stop and you walk out of the shop. There’s still a period of around two weeks where you will need to take care of the piece and yourself in the process.
Taking care of your fresh tattoo is a way to stop any possible inflammation or even infection, keep the artwork looking pristine, and have the area heal up nicely. Now, the healing process can be painful, and some people use painkillers to deal with it.
However, not everybody can use traditional painkillers, or they simply don’t want to. That’s why people have been resorting to using natural products with similar effects that are sourced from plants and don’t have the side effects prescription drugs do.
CBD as a New Alternative in Aftercare
Cannabidiol (CBD) has been used as a medicinal supplement in many fields for a while now. The reason for that is because it’s a natural product that very rarely has any side effects. So, it makes sense for the ever-expanding tattoo industry to look into the advantages they might get out of it.
Many CBD skincare tattoo lotions, balms, and ointments have appeared as the alternative means to care for your tattoo in the weeks after getting it. The main reason is that it’s supposed to reduce swelling and the pain associated with the healing piece.
Another reason for the CBD expansion in this industry is that it serves as a replacement for nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin or ibuprofen, which some people may not tolerate, or simply prefer a natural solution for healing their artwork.
How Can CBD Help?
When it comes to the tattoo healing process, this hemp-based product can be of assistance in two ways:
- Mentally – reducing the stress that a healing tattoo can cause;
- Physically – helping alleviate the acute pain, you may feel in moments of straining the body part that got tattooed;
When it comes to physical factors, CBD is supposed to help in a couple of different problems. Its properties can be anti-inflammatory and analgesic at times.
Anti-Inflammatory
The tattoo process will leave your skin sore, inflamed, and swelled up. The anti-inflammatory effects of CBD can reduce inflammation and swelling, making your tattoo heal faster and smoother. Applying CBD based salves or lotions to your tattoo is also supposed to be the healthier option for your skin.
The reason for that is the antioxidant properties that are found in CBD may greatly reduce the itchiness and scabbing of the tattoo itself. So, not only can it reduce the pain and inflammation, but the flakiness of the artwork as well.
Analgesics are essentially pain relievers – and if you’ve gotten a tattoo before, you know why such a benefit in your aftercare product could be a great addition. Certain studies show that CBD can interact with glycine receptors in your body, reducing the skin’s pain and sensitivity.
CBD also reportedly lets the skin breathe much better while still providing analgesic effects, leading to the tattoo healing faster. People have also found that taking CBD before getting tattooed can help reduce the pain of the process itself.
In Conclusion
The tattoo artists are professionals, and they know best how a tattoo heals and what can improve upon that process. They will usually advise you on how to care for your tattoo, and you should listen to their recommendations, especially if this is your first tattoo.
If you are looking for a natural way to decrease the uncomfortableness and pain of a fresh tattoo, you should definitely look into some CBD based products. You can discuss it with your tattoo artist (as you should for any uncertainties you may have) to get a recommendation on an aftercare method they prefer.