Summer is the season most people look forward to in Australia, it is an excuse to expose our skin, and if you have some ink, the perfect time to flaunt the art. We spend endless hours outdoors to soak up as much heat as we can. But if your ink is still new, you need to protect it, read and find out how to protect your tattoos in the summer season.
Five simple ways to protect your tattoo in summer
- Ensure your tattoo is covered up
As much as we like exposing our skin during summer, with a new tattoo, it needs to be sheltered from direct sun. Too much exposure to the UV rays will make your tattoo fade much faster. Also, sunscreen use is not a good idea; the oils in your sunscreen might interfere with its healing process.
- Sunscreen is important
We have just mentioned that wearing sunscreen is not ideal, but this is for new ink. If your tattoo is more than 30 days old, you should have some sunscreen on. Sun exposure drys up your skin and causes wrinkles, but with sunscreen on it keeps it moisturised and keeps your skin wrinkle-free. Having a wrinkly faded tattoo is not something you imagined having, so take the extra few minutes and apply sunscreen, which should be SPF 30.
- Take care of the inside too.
As you know, you are what you eat. If you want radiant, healthy skin, you will need to drink lots of water and consume nutrient-dense foods. Water helps keep your skin moisturised and looking radiant, and with such a backdrop, it immediately makes your tattoo pop. Pair this with foods that will strengthen your skin; healthy skin makes for an attractive ink.
- No tanning in the sun
We all know summer is all about seating out by the pool and adding some desirable tan colour to our skin, but this is not for you with a tattoo. Consider other tanning options; my be spray tanning if you have to. For beautiful ink, you need to give up the joy of basking in the sun.
- Try and stay out of the water.
What is summer if it’s not staying in the water to cool off? With a fresh tattoo, you will have to look for an alternative to keep you busy. Pool water that has several people in, is not something you want to expose your tattoo. All the lotions and sunscreens people have applied get left in the pool, which creates the perfect environment for bacteria to grow, not something you want on your tattoo. Also, the treatments used to keep the pools clean is not friendly to freshly tattooed skin.
Final thoughts
If your tattoo is less than 14 days old, you should wait before exposing it to the sun. Ensure you are following the tattoo aftercare instructed before you step outdoors. When your tattoo is still at its healing stage, avoid the temptation of exposing it to direct rays, give it time to heal.
