By Maggie Fuller
Summer is upon us and the warm weather is the perfect opportunity to show off your ink! However, as every tattoo artist I’ve ever met warns you THE SUN IS BAD FOR YOUR TATTOO. According to the American Cancer Society sun in general is bad for you if you aren’t safe about it.
So what do you do if you don’t want to miss out on the Beer-B-Q’s and long days at the beach? Here are few rules to follow to keep your tattoo fresh:
- SUNBLOCK. Only use sunblock on your tattoo if your tattoo is fully healed (usually a month after you were inked). Apply sunblock (with an SPF over 30) to your healed tattoo twice for every one time that you apply or reapply sunblock to the rest of your body. Some tattoo artists even recommend applying it every 30 minutes.
- If you have a new tattoo keep it covered and out of direct sunlight! Sunblock will irritate your new tattoo.
Hate the thought of having to use sunblock every time you go outside? Remember the sun and sunburns can cause tattoos to lose colors, fade and in some cases make details blurry.
According to the FDA sunblock that will be beneficial to you will have an SPF over 15 and should contain: benzophenones (oxybenzone), cinnamates (octinoxate or cinoxate), ecamsule (mexoryl SX), sulsiobenzone, salicyclates, titanium dioxide, zince oxide and avobenzone (parsol 1789). These will all be listed on the label.
If you’re going to cover your new tattoo with clothing the FDA recommends tightly-woven, light-colored and lightweight fabrics.
So head to the store grab some SPF and meet us outside with a beer!
