Sun Damage and Tattoos: Protect Your Ink!
Tattoos are an investment! Large pieces can cost thousands of dollars and take months to complete. Talented tattoo artists are often booked months in advance and charge hundreds per hour. You spent a long time choosing a tattoo why not preserve your artwork? The sun can do irreparable damage to your skin and your ink. Here are some of the ways sun exposure can dramatically affect your body art:
Your Ink Will Fade - prolonged exposure to the sun will take away the sharpness and detail of your tattoos. UV rays will break up the pigments in your skin and crisp straight line work will dissolve. Remember a cover up tattoo can only use the same color or darker colors so why not avoid it completely by protecting your tattoo outside?
Colors Will Change - over time the sun will alter the original colors you chose for your tattoo. Keeping your tattoo protected will help preserve the vibrancy of your ink. Some of the newer inks come in subtle shades that are particularly vulnerable to sun exposure.
Slows Healing - sunlight will slow the healing process if you have a new tattoo. Be sure to follow the aftercare instructions your tattoo artist gave you and keep that fresh tattoo out of the sun.
Can Cause Scaring - another factor to consider with a fresh tattoo is scaring. Sunlight will not only slow the healing process but it can also cause cracks and scaring with a brand new tattoo because you are exposing it to the elements when it needs protection.
Laser tattoo removal is essentially the same as prolonged sun exposure sped up. The laser is concentrating light on a specific point to break up and burn the pigments in your skin. An intricate piece of body art should be preserved so you can enjoy it for years to come. The sun is not your enemy but your tattoo sure would appreciate some protection from it. Tat2X highly recommends that you always wear sunscreen on a new tattoo with a minimum SPF of 30. Obviously, we also recommend our Ink Armor Sleeves for sun protection since they block 98% of the sun's harmful UV rays and wick away sweat. Tattoos... we've got you covered!