If there is anything that your tattoo artist had suggested for your tattoo aftercare right after the procedure, it would be to avoid the sunlight at all costs! The sun is your tattoo ink’s greatest enemy, as exposure to sunlight can break up the ink pigments. After breaking it down, your body’s immune system works to get rid of it, resulting in a faded tattoo. If you are itching to get some tan then you may wonder, how long to keep the fresh tattoo out of the sun!
You are supposed to protect your tattoo from sun exposure all the time, regardless if it is fresh or completely healed. But a healed tattoo won’t get damaged easily like a healing one would. That is why it is important to know exactly how long you should keep your new tattoo away from the sun.
Key Takeaways
- You should be keeping your new tattoo away from the sun until it heals. For healed tattoos, you should be careful as they will still be vulnerable.
- Some tattoos are most at risk than others. The placement and colors of tattoo will really determine how at risk they are.
- It should be always in your best interest to protect your tattoo the best you can. With the right products and clothing, you can achieve this.
- In case of a sunburn on your tattoo, follow the steps mentioned below to help you deal with it so you can save your tattoo!
How Long To Keep New Tattoo From Sun Exposure
A new tattoo is more prone to get sun damaged as the surface of the tattooed skin hasn’t healed yet. Exposing a new tattoo to sunlight can fade it, make it blurry, and cause blistering. You should not let your new tattoo get exposed to sunlight until it is healed which can be around 2 to 4 weeks.
Typically, the healing process may last for about 2 to 4 weeks after getting a new tattoo. So, the first few weeks are the most crucial. During this time your fresh tattoo will act like an open wound. It will sting, peel, scab, and do everything that a normal skin would likely behave. Of course, this is due to the skin being penetrated up to the dermis layer of the skin during the tattooing procedure. Sunlight can easily penetrate through your tattooed skin and damage the tattoo. Want to avoid tattoo damage? Then avoid harsh rays of sunlight.
New Tattoos: How The Sun Affects It & Can You Apply Sunscreen
Too much sun exposure can damage even completely healed tattoos but new tattoos are more prone to this damage. Because the surface layer of your tattooed skin can not shield the tattoo ink from sunlight as it is not healed yet. If you expose your new body art to the sun’s rays it won’t heal properly. You may want to put sunscreen over the healing tattoo to protect it but applying sunscreen over a recently done tattoo is not recommended.
You are not supposed to put any beauty products over a healing tattoo or any skin wound, you have to wait till the wound is healed. This involves sunscreen as well. Sunscreen may have ingredients that can irritate the skin and delay the healing, some times it can cause an infection too!
That is why it is important for the tattoo to heal first before heading out in the sun. The very top layer will need about 2 weeks to partially heal so that you have natural protection against the sun to some degree. The next weeks would be when the layer beneath the skin fixes itself. Once the top layer of your skin is healed, you can put sunscreen on your tattoo and have the safety net of sun protection for it.
Tattoos That Are Most At Risk When Exposed to Direct Sunlight
Certain types of tattoos are more at risk in the sun than others. This is due to how the UV rays from the sun interact with the pigments in your tattoo ink. So let’s look at the most vulnerable types of tattoos.
New tattoos
As I have mentioned previously, your newly done tattoo is most at risk from exposure to direct sunlight. There are a couple of reasons for this to happen. First, your recent tattoo is like an open wound. It will take at least 2 weeks for the top layer of the skin to partially heal to create some protection against sunlight. This is what makes a new tattoo so vulnerable to sunlight. The chances of your skin being sunburned and drying become very high, both of which you can’t have while the tattoo heals!
Next up is that your tattoo ink has not settled in properly. It will take a long while for this to completely settle, needing anywhere from 4 weeks to 4 months to set permanently on your skin! If the ink pigments are broken down before it is set, it will ruin your tattoo before it has a chance to heal.
Light color tattoos
You might think that darker colors like black or red are more in danger of sun exposure because they will absorb more sunlight.
You are correct in thinking that, but it is actually lighter colors and tones that are more in danger! Darker colors take longer to fade whereas lighter colors fade faster and change color as they do so.
The lightfastness of light colors makes them more vulnerable to the sun and UV rays. So if you have tattoos that have colorful designs or white tattoos, you should be wary of them changing colors with direct sun exposure.
Tattoos in exposed areas
Let’s face it, tattoos that are more visible mean it is more likely to be in contact with sunlight. Places like the face, neck, and hands are most susceptible to sun damage. The skin around these areas is also thinner, meaning they will sunburn more easily. With sunburns comes peeling of the skin and that can make your tattoo fade even faster. So make sure that if you have tattoos in areas where it is exposed to keep them safe.
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Protecting New Tattoo From The Sun
Protecting new tattoos from the sun can be a little tricky. Because you are not supposed to use sunscreen while it heals, remember? Fresh ink may face fading if you try to apply sunscreen over it. The best way to protect fresh tattoos from damage that may come from sun exposure is to avoid sunlight altogether.
If you must go out in the sun then make sure to cover your tattoo with appropriate clothing or bandage. And try to stay in shades as much as possible while you are outdoors. Make sure to protect tattoos whenever you go outdoors.
Protecting Healed Tattoo from the Sun
Even when your tattoo has healed, the sun can still damage it so you will have to protect it from the sun for as long as you have the tattoo!
Apply sunscreen
We all know that you need to wear sunscreen for your body art, but what are the things in the sunscreen that you need for the best protection?
The two important things you will need in sunscreen are an SPF rating of at least 30 and broad spectrum protection! SPF stands for sun protection factor, meaning how much more protection you are getting than normal skin. You should aim for anywhere between 30 and 50 SPF ratings. This will give you 97% to 98% protection against the sun respectively, which should be enough!
You might think of broad spectrum protection to be a fancy marketing term but there is a reason for it. UV rays come in two forms, UV alpha or UVA and UV beta or UVB. UVB is more intense but less penetrating, which becomes the primary cause of sunburns. UVA is more penetrating but less intense, meaning they will directly go to the tattoo ink pigments and break them up! You can protect your skin by choosing a broad-spectrum sunscreen that provides protection against both UVA rays and UVB rays.
Not to mention you should apply sunscreen whenever you go out even if you do not have tattoos. Because extended periods of sun exposure can cause skin cancer.
Cover tattoo using the right clothing
Did you know that UV rays can penetrate your clothes? It is very much true! A cotton t-shirt has an SPF rating of 5 to 8, meaning it can help absorb some of the UV rays but not all of them.
That is why you should make sure to cover your tattoos well. In intense sunlight, one layer of clothing might not be enough so it is always beneficial to wear at least two layers of light clothing.
This is especially the case for summer and spring to best protect your body art. What really matters is you completely cover the tattoo design and wear sunscreen underneath as well to protect your skin from the sun’s rays!
Getting tattoos in the fall or winter
The sun is the hottest and most dangerous during the summer and spring seasons. That is why I would always recommend getting your tattoo around the fall or winter seasons. There are so many benefits to getting around these times. Firstly, the light intensity is a lot less and shorter duration so you can keep your tattoo well protected. Second, the cooler weather will make it so your tattoo heals faster and you will be sweating less too. Yes, your skin will be drier during these seasons. That is why applying moisturizer is important for your tattoo! But the sun exposure will be less thanks to the cloudy sky.
Ways To Fix Your Sunburned Tattoo
Even if you take measures to keep your tattoo safe from direct sunlight, there is still a chance that you may get a nasty sunburn on your tattoo. Accidents can happen, right? It is awful but regardless you should definitely know how to treat your tattoo if it faces sunburn with these simple steps below:
- Take a cold shower to reduce the pain; pat dry the affected area afterward.
- After drying, use a lotion with soothing ingredients such as aloe vera to help ease the pain and itching.
- Drink water to prevent getting dehydrated from sunburn. It will help to keep your skin hydrated and moisturized from the inside.
- Don’t touch the skin or tattoo no matter how much it hurts. Touching it will only make it worse.
- Wear loose-fitted clothing to protect your skin from unwanted touches.
- Take ibuprofen to help deal with the pain if it becomes too unbearable.
- Take this as a lesson to always apply sunscreen before leaving the house.
Sadly, if you are to get a sunburn on a healing tattoo, you will have to do steps 1,2, and 6 very carefully. For new tattoos, shower only for 10 minutes and no more to avoid submerging the tattoo for extended periods. When using a lotion or moisturizer, make sure that it is non-fragrance so you won’t irritate the skin further. For the ibuprofen, you should consult your tattoo artist before taking it as it can hinder the healing speed of a new tattoo.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the sun is really bad for your healing tattoo. The ink pigments need to be settled in for a fresh tattoo so that it can become permanent. That is why it is very important to have protection for your tattoo against the sun. Choose your sunscreen wisely and wear the right amount of clothes so you are covering your tattoo completely to give you the best protection. Be especially wary of tattoos on areas where you have thinner skin. And before you leave the house, always wear sunscreen on your tattoo! Nothing is more important for your tattoo than protecting it from the sun so do your best in that regard.
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