Tattoo Pro Care Tips to Keep Your Tattoo Bright & Beautiful in Summer
You’ve just had the most amazing design tattooed onto your skin and the last thing you will want is for the colors to fade. Learning how to care for your tattoos during the summer months will be one of the most beneficial tattoo self-care routines you will learn, especially if your ink is new or extremely colorful!
Steps To Caring For Your Tattoo In Summer
Caring for your tattoo in the right way will help you keep your new design bright and protected. It is a lot harder to care for your tattoo during the summer months compared to the winter months as the UV rays are partially strong and could potentially fade your tattoo. If you are lucky enough to live in a hot climate, you will need to put in the work to protect your tats.
How does it work? Well, the UV rays from the sun will be absorbed into the skin which can then result in a breakdown of the pigments in your tattoo. Even though your design is two skin layers deep, the top layer of skin is not a strong enough barrier to completely protect from the UV rays.
Following some simple summer, tattoo care tips can make a huge difference to the quality and longevity of your tattoos. Once your design has been completed at one of our Philadelphia tattoo shops, the tattoo artist will give you instructions to follow in order to protect your fresh tattoo from sun damage.
In the meantime, here are the basics:
1. Slap On That Sunscreen
The most obvious and most forgotten, wear sunscreen! Wearing sunscreen can add another layer of protection to your ink. Most tattoo artists will recommend that using a product that has at least SPF 50 is the best way to protect against sun damage. Choosing a sunscreen that is fragrance-free can also help prevent irritation on the delicate skin around your ink. When choosing a sunscreen, make sure that the sunscreen also protects you from UVA rays as these kinds of rays can be more powerful than UVB rays.
Check out Oracle Tattoo Gallery’s Instagram to see beautiful bright tattoos that have been correctly cared for.
2. Wear An Extra Layer Of Protection
When you are attending an appointment at one of our Philadelphia tattoo shops, it is recommended that you wear a light layer of clothing to make sure you can cover up where your tattoo is being placed. A loose item of clothing will work best as this will not press against your fresh ink. Wearing an extra layer of clothing can act as another layer of protection from sun damage. It is wise to not expose your new tattoo to strong sunlight for the first month as the sun could cause the colors to fade and may also easily burn the skin.
3. Moisturize, Moisturize, Moisturize
We can’t stress enough how important it is to moisturize! Keeping your skin hydrated on the outside will protect the skin from dryness which can commonly occur during the summer months. Moisturizing your new tattoo will help your skin develop its natural moisture barrier. For the first month of your new tattoo, it is best to use a fragrance-free moisturizer as your skin may be more sensitive to irritants.
4. You Are What You Eat
Vegetables and fruits are full of various antioxidants and vitamins that can help protect your body. If you are wanting to protect your ink, you can add certain foods into your diet that can help fight UV damage. Treating your body from within can work wonders for your skin and can even help your new tattoos to heal faster. Eating foods like peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and watermelon regularly may give your body a boost! These particular foods contain vitamins that can help heal and hydrate the skin.
5. Complete Your Ink During Winter
If you are wanting the easy way out, then completing your ink during the winter months is the simplest way to protect your new ink from being affected by the sun. It is generally safer for your new tattoos to be completed in the winter as it is easy to care for them after your appointment. Although, before you quickly type into Google “local tattoo shop near me”, you will need to do your research on where you would like your tattoo placed. The downsides to getting your tattoo completed in the winter are that the skin becomes drier and will need moisturizing more often. If you are getting your new ink somewhere that is naturally covered up then choosing the summer to get it completed would be the best as the skin tends to be less irritated by the climate.
6. Avoid The Sea
Another simple summer tattoo care tip is to avoid the sea and water in general! We know that the summer months make you want to splash around in the water while you can, but think about how much you love your new tats before you go for it! When you have a tattoo, the skin will be damaged as it is a wound. Protecting that wound from an infection needs to be the number one priority when caring for your new tattoo. Ocean water can carry bacteria that could have a nasty effect on your new ink and therefore it is best to avoid it.
The Self Care Is Worth It
Taking care of your new ink during the summer months can feel like a fuss over nothing, but when your tattoo still looks like it did the first day you got it, then it is well worth the effort.
If you are looking for a tattoo shop in Philadelphia with skilled artists and a friendly atmosphere, check out Oracle Tattoo Gallery. Whether this is your first tattoo or your twentieth, it will be a fantastic experience. Schedule a consultation with us today to learn more!
