Chemistry (sorta kinda) Question

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Calleja

Calleja

Ok, so for the tattoo care lotion thing, my artist recommended I use this pretty common ointment we have down here that's a neomycin (antibiotic) retinol (vitamin A) compound. But I also want to add some more moisturizing and Vitamin E to the mix...

A friend of mine who recently got a tattoo himself used almost exclusively this Vitamin E gel, and the artist told him when he saw the tattoo a few weeks later that it had healed up pretty effin' good, congratulated him on caring for it properly and everything.

SO, my question is, I've been mixing a bit of the neomycin/retinol ointment with a bit of the vitamin E gel on my hand, and then rubbing THAT on the tattoo.... am I simply combining both and getting the benefit of both OR am I totally destroying the properties of the two and being incredibly stupid?
 
C

Chazwozel

Calleja said:
Ok, so for the tattoo care lotion thing, my artist recommended I use this pretty common ointment we have down here that's a neomycin (antibiotic) retinol (vitamin A) compound. But I also want to add some more moisturizing and Vitamin E to the mix...

A friend of mine who recently got a tattoo himself used almost exclusively this Vitamin E gel, and the artist told him when he saw the tattoo a few weeks later that it had healed up pretty effin' good, congratulated him on caring for it properly and everything.

SO, my question is, I've been mixing a bit of the neomycin/retinol ointment with a bit of the vitamin E gel on my hand, and then rubbing THAT on the tattoo.... am I simply combining both and getting the benefit of both OR am I totally destroying the properties of the two and being incredibly stupid?
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Nah. Neomycin should work just fine (it's a pretty hearty antibiotic). Vitamin A supplements the neomycin in making the environment hard for bacteria to grow as well as shrinking certain glands on your skin. The vitamin E could help topically, I dunno, I'm not a dermatologist. I know it's a pretty good antioxidant.
 
Calleja

Calleja

But is the mixing of both lotion thingies irrelevant to their individual benefits, or is my bathroom mixing causing them to become, like, incredibly unhealthy and will make me grow thick back hair or something?
 
C

Chazwozel

To be honest. Your friends healing probably has more to do with his own immune system over any products he slathered on.
 
W

WolfOfOdin

Keep in mind, slathering the ointment on can be just as harmful as not doing anything to it, Cal. The flesh needs to breath a bit so it can heal properly, and clogging the pores with ointment will only prolong the process. This is coming from someone with tattoos so...yeah haha.
 
C

Chazwozel

WolfOfOdin said:
Keep in mind, slathering the ointment on can be just as harmful as not doing anything to it, Cal. The flesh needs to breath a bit so it can heal properly, and clogging the pores with ointment will only prolong the process. This is coming from someone with tattoos so...yeah haha.
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True dat. Don't go throwing vasline all over it. We know you smother yourself in Vasline on a normal basis. And KY Jelly.
 
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Wasabi Poptart

Mixing the vitamin E in with the other ointment shouldn't be a problem. Just be careful like Wolfie said because you don't want to over do it.
 
Calleja

Calleja

hahahaha, idiots.

No, I know, when I rub the mixture on it's a very thin layer I use, so the wound can breathe and shit. It also helps with the itching.
 
D

Disconnected

Seems pretty well answered by all so just to ad mixing is fine but probably not 'making it a better' lotion, and in my experience any moisturizing lotion with Vitamin E seems to be pretty standard fare around here. Your body will heal either way but the moisturizer helps when things start to peel so that chunks of ink don't get pulled out like a scab.
I'm not a doctor I just play one on the forums.
 
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