Pounded Ink

So you’ve spent the time and money to get a bad ass piece of body art. Now you need to learn how to take care of your showcase tattoo.

One of the biggest challenges to keeping a tattoo pristine is keeping it out of the sun. Color tattoos are especially sensitive to the suns rays. With only one solid tan white tattoo ink can turn into antique yellow, never to return to its original luster.

If you insist on tanning your tattoos you should stick to black and grey pieces as they will be less likely to fade.

So you don’t believe me? Well here’s the proof. The two tattoo pics in this post illustrate the importance of proper tattoo care long after the healing process has finished. This is my left quarter-sleeve. The first picture shows the original color of the swirly design in the center. As you can see it is very white. Had I not tanned it, it would have remained the gleaming white you see in the picture. Well I tanned it almost to a crisp. My white swirly turned a dingy yellow and stayed that color long after my tan had faded. It looked pretty bad and after several months I had my tattooist go over it again and add the blue accents you see in the second photo. The yellows in the second picture are actually white ink that has been damaged by the sun. You can also see that the other colors in the tattoo have a dull appearance compared to the first picture.

So now to the issue of how to avoid the sun. Keeping a tattoo out of the sun is incredibly important and can be a pain at times but it is absolutely necessary. This doesn’t mean that you need to black out your windows and move into your basement, but you will need to stock up on some sunblock. Make sure you get sunblock and not tanning lotion! Make sure you use a lotion rated at least SPF30. I use children’s sunblock that is rated SPF60 which is a bit extreme but keeps me from applying it multiple times a day.

Be sure to cover your entire tattoo with sunblock because it only takes one tan to damage a tattoo forever. If you cant use sunblock you better wear sleeves or another appropriate garment to avoid sun damage. Proper care will result in a stunning tattoo that will look just as brilliant for years to come.