Getting a new tattoo is always exciting, especially if it’s your first tattoo. You just can’t wait for it to heal so you can show it off. However, what many seem to forget amongst all the excitement is that the healing process is a pretty demanding task.

You will go through super uncomfortable stages of the tattoo leaking and oozing, as well as scabbing and itching. Oy of all the things, scabbing and itching seem to be the most difficult to deal with since they awake this urge in us to pick and scratch the tattoo.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, that your new tattoo is at the stage where it’s forming scabs and it’s starting to itch. Before you do anything rash, it is always a good idea to first educate yourself and find reliable answers to the things that are bothering you. So, in this case, the question is; can I scratch my new, itchy tattoo?

To find out, let’s keep on reading. We’ve provided a detailed insight into the itching and scratching of new tattoos, so let’s get started!

Itchy Tattoo: Why It Happens and How to Find Relief

Why Are New Tattoos Itchy?

Before we get into the whole scratch-the-itch ordeal, we need to understand why the itchiness even occurs.

Let’s simply start by saying that a new, fresh tattoo is considered to be a wound. And, it technically is one. Why? Well, your skin just underwent consequent needle ‘stabbing’ at a rate of up to 3000 times per minute, which obviously creates numerous tiny wholes in the skin. Together, all these whole create a big wound that your body focuses on healing right away.

In the beginning, the tattoo is still fresh, which means it may be oozing, leaking, and bleeding for the next 24 hours. That is your body trying to get rid of the ‘foreign objects’, aka the tattoo ink. Once everything has calmed down, the tattoo will start to go through different healing stages, which include the closing of the wound, forming a new protective barrier, and finally healing completely, which is often recognized by the mattifying of the tattoo.