Even if your tattoo care skills are excellent, it’s easy to forget one or two steps. It’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of life and show your ink off at the beach or pool after it has fully healed.
Long-term aftercare for tattoos is often overlooked or ignored. Every inch of your skin deserves royal treatment. Every person’s skin is unique, so it is important to find good habits that work for your needs. These are the three basic tips to get you started.
Use Quality Cleansers to Exfoliate Your Tattoos
Studies show that 6% of tattoo recipients reported some kind of problem after they received their tattoos. As your skin is rebuilding as fast as possible, it is important to use the correct type of tattoo cleaner to clean the skin. The more natural, the better.
Moisturize Your Tattoo – But Not Too Much
While your tattoo is healing, standard body lotions might not be enough. The right lotion will moisturize your tattoo and protect it from sunburns.
You should moisturize old tattoos immediately after you have cleaned them. It doesn’t take very long for your skin to dry, depending on where you live. This can lead to cracks in the ink. You shouldn’t use too many moisturizers. You can only absorb so much moisturizer at one time. You only need a little.
Protect Your Tattoo From the Sun at All Times
No surprise that UV rays can cause permanent damage to tattoos, even after they have healed. Even though frequent tanning can eventually cause skin damage, even just a small amount of sun exposure can cause tattoos to fade. Even if you are just going to the grocery, it doesn’t hurt to have full coverage.
It’s important that you find sunscreen with SPF 30+ protection if you don’t have the ability to cover all your tattoos. You may also find ingredients that block ultraviolet rays in some moisturizers.
This post was written by J Michael Taylor. J Michael Taylor is an artist and owner of Black Amethyst Tattoo Gallery. Black Amethyst is the best tattoo artist in St Petersburg FL shops. They provide an art-first approach to custom tattooing in a gallery setting.
