Tanning With a New Tattoo | How To Tan Safely

Caring for your tattoos is critical for keeping your tattoos in tip-top shape for as long as possible. Tattoos are an epic and beautiful form of body art. Considering tattoos are a permanent form of art and part of you forever, treating your skin with utmost care should be a priority for you. There are many ways to care for your skin and your tattoos. 

In the early phases of the healing process, caring for your tattoo is extremely important. Tanning after a tattoo is okay, but only after a specific amount of time. Naturally, you will be able to tan again and expose your tatted skin to the sun, but not right away. If you have never had a tattoo before, you should know that the healing process takes some time.

It is perfectly normal for skin to peel and shed during the healing process. Moisturizing the skin with appropriate tattoo products and ointments can help heal your tattoo quickly. Tattoo ointments are safe and leave your tattoo looking spectacular. You must make sure that your skin heals before going to a tanning session.

Tanning just after getting a tattoo is a surefire way to cause skin damage, potentially ruin your ink forever, and leave your new tattoo looking faded and patchy. Tattoo artists recommend waiting until your tattoo heals before exposing it to the sun or any ultraviolet rays.

How long does it take for your skin to recover after a tattoo? Most tattoo artists say that it takes several weeks at a minimum, but realistically, healing can take a couple of months. Avoiding direct sun exposure and tanning at all costs for at least 2-3 months is best.

Why is it not a good idea to tan with a new tattoo?

We know that tanning, in general, can cause harm to the skin (such as skin cancer) even without tattoos. Keeping your new tattoos and your skin as safe as possible is good practice.

If your skin is still healing and peeling, you should stay away from direct sun or UV ray tanning beds until your skin heals. Many tattoo artists recommend waiting at least several weeks to up to 3 months before exposing yourself to the sun or tanning bed again. If you are in desperate need of some sun or have to go on vacation, the most important thing you can do is cover your new tattoo.

If you have to expose your skin to the sun or tanning bed, covering up the new tattoo will help save your skin from permanent damage. Be sure to wait as long as your tattoo artist recommends before going tanning again.

The rays of the sun and UV tanning beds can break down the ink in your tattoo, which can cause it to fade. If your tattoo is fresh, direct sunlight will do much more harm than good to your skin. Nobody wants a sunburn on skin that is already healing from being inked. 

Can you use a spray tan with a new tattoos?

Unfortunately, spray tanning is also a big no-no when it comes to a new tattoo. As with the sun, you also need to wait until your tattoo heals entirely before spray tanning. Spray tanning with a fresh tattoo is a terrible idea because you will be putting yourself at open risk of infection.

If your tattoo becomes infected, it will look terrible, and you could also become sick. It is simply just not worth the risk. Spray tan solution contains different ingredients that may affect the condition of your tattoo and skin. If you have open scabs from your tattoo or any unhealed open wound, you should avoid spray tanning.

Spray tanning is perfectly safe for people with tattoos, but only after waiting two to three months until the skin heals. 

How do you protect your tattoos when tanning?

There are a few ways to protect your tattoo while you are tanning. The first and most obvious way to preserve your tattoo is to use sunscreen lotion. Using a high SPF of 50 or higher should do the trick. I honestly recommend the highest SPF you can get your hands on.

You will want to buy high-quality sunscreen to protect your skin from sun damage. Proper sunscreen keeps your tattoo looking bright and bold instead of faded. Avoiding the sun during peak sunlight hours is best if you want to preserve your tattoos.

If you have a day at the beach, the best thing you can do is apply sunscreen to your tattoos at least once per hour to make sure you are completely protected. There are also specially made tattoo lotions that contain ingredients to help preserve your ink and leave your tattoos looking good as new after tanning. 

Most people, especially those who use tanning beds, prefer to use specially made tanning lotions designed to keep tattoos looking bold and vibrant. Tanning lotions made with tattoos in mind can be found online or sometimes even at your local drugstore. Using the right products to protect your tattoo is the key to preservation.

The harmful rays of the sun can cause damage to your skin, similar to how laser tattoo removal makes tattoos fade over time. Those rays break down the pigment in the skin, and if you are serious about your tattoos, you do not want that to happen. Covering your tattoo with a wrap or bandage can also be a great alternative to preserving the beauty and color of your tattoo.

There are tons of tattoo sleeve covers or various sizes of tattoo covers for different areas of the body. Tattoo covers are helpful for sun protection. For larger tattoo pieces, keeping the tattoo-covered during tanning might not be an option. If that is the case for you, please avoid the sun until your tattoo heals.

How do you know when your tattoo is ready for you to tan?

All things happen in good time! It takes time for your tattoo to heal. Once several weeks have passed, you should be entering the final stages of the healing process. After a certain amount of time, the pain, cloudiness, redness surrounding the tattoo, peeling, and scabbing will come to a halt.

You will know that your tattoo is ready for tanning once the peeling stops and your skin is smooth. When the skin heals, there will be no peeling, oozing, or scabbing on the tattoo. The healed layers of skin will have grown back, and you will not see any dry patches or shedding skin at all.

You will know when your tattoo is ready for tanning because you should recognize the top layer of skin that has healed over your tattoo. If you decide to go into the sun with a new tattoo, make sure to play it safe by keeping it protected.