Details and vibrant color fade when overexposed to sun rays.
If you've just tacked a new tat and can't wait to show it off, then here's some news you can use. Fun in the sun without proper care will strip your tattoo of its vibrant colors and could require expensive touch-ups to revive. But don’t despair, all ye inked worshippers of the sun. Even in sunny Corpus Christi, the following tips can help you protect and heal your beautiful body art.
1. Apply high-factor sunscreen — Before showing your ink, grab the sunscreen — and make sure it's at least SPF 30! Reapply often, especially after swimming or sweating. Get in the habit of slicking on the sunscreen every day, no matter the weather. Even a cloudy sky lets in the sun's rays and can damage your skin.
2. Protect your newbie tat — The newer your tattoo, the more damage the sun will do. And since you shouldn’t apply sunblock to your tattoo during the first few weeks of getting inked, you are going to have to keep it covered. Only one hour in the sun can ruin unprotected skin art. The best advice is to wait until it's completely healed, which takes about three months. A tat is not fully healed until the old layer of skin has peeled off and a new one has grown back.
3. Go with the goo? — Older tats need protection, too. Goo sticks cover tattoos, allowing you to sun tan other parts of your body while protecting your color. Goo protects and enhances using aloe and vitamin E, according to the advertisements. Most are water-resistant, too.
Some tattoo experts say the goo is no good. You can do just as well, if not better, by cleaning with soap and protecting with A&D Ointment, best known for protecting baby bottoms. Any high SPF sun block will do just as well, they say, and it's certainly cheaper.
