Niche industry alert: tattoo aftercare

The idea of keepinf your tattoo nice and moist (Reuters)

When I was a daft young thing who thought there was nothing cooler than getting tattoos in provincial tattoo parlours (yes, I have the indelible proof), the aftercare of my inkings was a fairly rudimentary thing. Cover it with clingfilm, then apply Preparation H cream.

The idea being that haemorrhoid ointment kept the tatt nice and moist. And gave the chemist a laugh. Once the tattoo was healed, I had to apply sunblock when I was on holiday.

That was the Nineties. Tattoo care in 2013 is a lot more high-end. Now there’s a dedicated skincare range for your tribal etching/Arabic phrase/hipster finger ‘tache tatt. Called Forever Ink, it currently consists of two products: Forever Ink Balm, with vitamins E and B and Manuka honey (to do the job of the Prep H of my youth) and Forever Ink Shield with moisturiser and SPF45 to lock in the ink’s colour. Fancy! Starting at £6.99, it’s certainly less embarrassing than buying bum cream. If only I could say that about the dragon tramp stamp on my back...