Summer weather is possibly your worst enemy when you have a tattoo. It’s important that if you want your ink looking great to make a point of protecting all your tattooed skin from the sun on a daily basis. Especially if your tattoo is relatively new. When tattoos aren’t properly cared for, it can result in your art possibly being ruined. It can result in blurry-looking or faded designs.
For anyone with a new tattoo, staying out of the sun is probably your best bet. Leo Palomino, tattoo artist from Atomic Tattoos in Orlando told Bustle that, “The sun may cause your skin to blister and affect some of the colors from your tattoo.” Your tattoo could look bad now, or even worse in the later future. For the first few weeks of your brand new tattoo, you should keep it covered and avoid getting a nasty sunburn, at least until the healing process is done.
for those of you with tattoos such as myself, remember to use shea butter this summer as a natural spf to protect your skin from sun damage & fading tattoos
— 5 (@hennythewitch) May 7, 2018
Now protecting your skin from harmful UV rays is the most important step in your skincare routine, especially in the summer. When you are sitting out in the sun for long periods of time, its so crucial to keep reapplying your sunscreen, even on your tattoo. It’s so important that I am repeating myself again: Sunscreen IS important! The sun can really dull the colors and cause it to fade a lot faster over time, if you don’t use the proper protection. So basically you’d be ruining a tat you spent possibly a good fortune on.
All you need is a lotion or spray sunscreen that can be used anywhere on the body. You really don’t need anything too special to coat your ink in. I tend to lean more towards drug store based sunscreens like Equate Sport Continuous Spray SPF 30 for $5 or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel Lotion SPF 50 for $13. If you are looking for a higher end sunscreen, La Roche-Posay Anthelios 60 Melt-In Sunscreen Milk was rated the best on the market, according to Consumer Reports.
Proper tattoo maintenance is major during the blistering summer days, so make sure to take care of yourself and your ink.
