- "Should I clean my tattoo while it is still healing? How?”
- "Can I shower while my tattoo is still healing?"
- "Can I sunbathe while my tattoo is healing?”
- "Can I go to the swimming pool while my tattoo is still healing? And immediately after that?"
- "How long will it take for my new tattoo to heal?"
- "Can I go to the beach while my tattoo is healing?”
- "My tattoo is itchy... Can I scratch it?"
- "What clothes can I wear over my fresh tattoo? Will it stain my clothes?”
- "My new tattoo is scabbing. What should I do? Should I pick them off?”
- "I have very sensitive skin. Can I use Tattoo Defender products?"
- "I have a new tattoo on my arm and I work in a dusty or dirty environment. What should I do?"
- "I have a new tattoo on my feet and I work in a dirty or dusty environment. What can I do?"
- "Is it normal for my tattoo to bleed a little in the first 24 hours?”
- "Is it normal to see traces of ink while I clean my tattoo?"
- "My tattoo and the area around is swollen… what is happening?"
- "I think I didn’t follow all recommendations, and now I have some redness and pus coming out of my tattoo. What can I do now?"
Talk to your tattoo artist, physician or your pharmacist before you take any action; they will give you the right advice.
This short guide will show you how to keep your tattoos looking beautiful and vibrant, and what you should not do.
Have you decided to get a tattoo? If you went to a trusted tattoo artist who used the best materials and met all hygiene standards, your tattoo will look perfect… But what happens next? The destiny of your tattoo is in your hands. It’s a bit like a work of art; it is up to the owner to preserve it as best as possible and to keep it from ageing badly with time.
First, you will need effective aftercare (for more information, see our tattoo aftercare guide).
After that, you will have to keep it beautiful over time with specific actions. If you don’t follow these tips you may have to touch up your tattoo, which will double the money you have to spend (and the pain you have to feel).
What to do:
This short guide will show you how to keep your tattoos looking beautiful and vibrant, and what you should not do.
Have you decided to get a tattoo? If you went to a trusted tattoo artist who used the best materials and met all hygiene standards, your tattoo will look perfect… But what happens next? The destiny of your tattoo is in your hands. It’s a bit like a work of art; it is up to the owner to preserve it as best as possible and to keep it from ageing badly with time.
First, you will need effective aftercare (for more information, see our tattoo aftercare guide).
After that, you will have to keep it beautiful over time with specific actions. If you don’t follow these tips you may have to touch up your tattoo, which will double the money you have to spend (and the pain you have to feel).
- Choose the body place where you want to get tattooed carefully. Your body will change with time - wrinkles, cellulite or stretch marks are visible signs of ageing. A tattoo on your wrists, feet, ankles, calves (and your biceps and back, to a lesser extent) is less likely to change over time. The same cannot be said for tattoos on the buttocks, thighs and stomach.
- Check your skin type carefully. On some skin types, such as very pale skins or skins with lots of moles, tattoos tend to lose their definition quickly because these skin types have a soft structure that tends to change in its layers.
- Choose a professional tattoo artist. If you want a long-lasting tattoo, you need to make sure that your tattoo artist uses high-quality ink that meets all safety standards. Quality ink is the only way to get a tattoo that will keep looking good over time; if you choose an improvised tattoo artist who uses poor quality ink, your tattoo will fade in just a few months.
- Pick dark colours. Beyond the type of ink used, keep in mind that the darker the colour, the longer it will stay dark. Black tattoos tend to stand the test of time better than colour tattoos. Tattoos made with lighter colours (which are used to create a greater contrast, for example) such as yellow, orange, white and pink, last half the time.
- Avoid chlorine. We are sorry to inform pool lovers that chlorinated water causes tattoos to fade. This is why you may want to stay out of chlorinated water as much as possible to keep your tattoo looking vibrant over time. In any case, you can still go to the pool sometimes if you feel like you really want to.
- Stay hydrated. A tattoo is an integral part of our body and changes its shape and appearance over time: it will stretch and shrink, until it looks faded. As years go by, our skin becomes drier, tattoos become duller and the edges undefined. Hydration is the answer to these problems: proper hydration of tattooed skin increases the size of the pigmented cells, increasing their visibility from the outside. To sum it up, the more your skin is hydrated, the more beautiful and vibrant your tattoo will look. Conversely, if your skin is dry, chapped, with thick layers of dead skin cells, your tattoo will look duller and the edges will become less defined. INK REVITALIZER is an excellent moisturiser.
- Sun and tanning beds are your tattoo’s worst enemies! Sun and UV rays tend to try the skin, damaging its more superficial layers and making tattoos look less defined. This is why it is advisable to always protect your tattoo with a specific high SPF sunscreen (see our “SUNNY SIDE” lotion) before exposing your skin to the sun. If you don’t take these precautions, you may end up having greyish, dull and blurred tattoos (as happens to many old lifeguards, sailors and outdoor workers, who work in the sun without wearing any sunscreen).