How Many Days After Getting A Tattoo Can You Swim?
Frolicking on the beach or at your local pool may seem like the perfect opp to show of some fresh ink, but don’t bust out the swimwear just yet. You should wait for your tattoo to fully heal — which can take at least 2 to 4 weeks — before swimming in any kind of water.
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What happens if you swim with a new tattoo?
The Final Takeaway – Ultimately, if you can hold out from swimming for three full months post-tattoo, you’ll be doing yourself and your tatt a great service. Still, it might not always be 100-percent feasible so just do your best. “Most people spend a lot on tattoos, so it’s wise to take care of them and do your homework on self-care,” says Forte.
Can I swim 7 days after tattoo?
Despite how pervasive tattoos are these days, they’re still kind of a big deal. At the risk of sounding like your grandma, getting inked with that work of art is a procedure that can actually be quite risky, which is why it’s so important to follow tattoo guidelines to a T.
As a report published earlier this month details, ignoring them can be fatal. In a definite worst case scenario, an unidentified 31-year-old Hispanic man died after ignoring tattoo artists’ warnings not to go swimming with fresh ink, reports the Daily Mail.
Five days after getting a cross tattoo on his calf, the man reportedly went for a dip in the Gulf of Mexico, where he contracted a bacterial infection. A day after exposing his ink to the ocean, he developed a fever, chills and a nasty rash near his tattoo.
Despite treatment, the infection ultimately killed him. Warning: the images are graphic. According to tattoo guidelines, you’re supposed to wait two weeks before swimming in the pool or ocean to allow the ink to heal — up until that point, your tattoo is still an open wound and needs to be cared for like one.
Submerging your wound in water, which is often swimming with all different types of bacteria, can lead to some serious infections. The bacteria in this case, was a particularly nasty flesh-eating strain called Vibrio vulnificus, according to the official report published in BMJ Case Reports , which affects the immune system and can be contracted by exposing an open wound to seawater or by eating raw shellfish.
- Even with aggressive treatment from doctors, a pre-existing liver condition made the man more susceptible to developing sepsis from the infection and he ultimately died two months after entering the hospital;
Daily Mail.
When is a tattoo fully healed?
After getting a tattoo, the outer layer of skin (the part you can see) will typically heal within 2 to 3 weeks. While it may look and feel healed, and you may be tempted to slow down on the aftercare, it can take as long as 6 months for the skin below a tattoo to truly heal.
Can you put Vaseline on a new tattoo to go swimming?
DON’T apply alcohol, Neosporin, Vaseline, or petroleum jelly (they can trap dirt and germs and cause infection). DON’T apply a heavy coat of lotion (remember the skin must breathe in order to heal). DON’T expose your tattoo to direct sunlight, swim, sauna, steam or tub for 2 weeks.
How do you wrap a tattoo for swimming?
Can I swim 3 weeks after tattoo?
Proper tattoo aftercare should be performed for at least three weeks before bathing or swimming in any type of water so the skin can recover and close properly, in turn guarding the tattoo/wound against chemical irritation, risk of infection, and the chance of water saturation.
Can you swim in chlorine with a new tattoo?
‘You should avoid chlorine—the chemical can cause peeling or red itchy bumps on your tattoo,’ says Sherber, which can make it more susceptible to infection and cause issues with healing, altering the appearance.
Why is my tattoo fading after 3 days?
This is a bit of a trick question. The reason being, is that a tattoo “fades” to the naked eye within days of application. This occurs because as the skin heals, the top layer dies and new skin forms to take its place. During this period the epidermis typically has a faded appearance. However, this is a natural part of the tattoo healing process and as the peeling subsides and the dead skin falls away the design will once again look crisp and fresh.
Still, it won’t have that same deep dark tone as it did when your tattooist put his/her gun away. Anyone who has received a tattoo already knows this. But what you want to know now, is when can you expect a tattoo to fade in the longer term.
Let’s have a look.
How often do you moisturize a new tattoo?
Should I apply lotion to my tattoo? What kind of tattoo care products do you recommend? – Yes! Moisturizing your tattoo regularly is extremely important. You should moisturize your clean tattoo 3 – 6 times per day, for roughly two weeks (though proper skincare is always important, and most tattoo enthusiasts moisturize their tattoos daily for life!). A white cream lotion or moisturizer, preferably unscented, should be used! We recommend these fragrance-free, white cream lotions: Aveeno , Curel , and Eucerin . Be warned: your favorite fragranced lotion is not a good option for moisturizing your tattoo – this can cause an excruciating burning sensation when applied to the tattoo, which is essentially an open wound. The fewer chemicals in the product, the better! Pure cocoa butter or shea butter is also popular for darker skin tones and is a fine option. There are some manufacturers who design products specifically for tattoo aftercare that work well for long-term care (such as Tattoo Goo , H2Ocean , and Hustle Butter ). Do NOT use aloe vera gel to moisturize, and we don’t recommend A&D ointment either, as the oil in these products can extract some of the ink from your tattoo.
Do color tattoos hurt more?
So, Do Color Tattoos Hurt More? – Generally speaking, ink color doesn’t determine the amount of pain you’ll feel. The color simply doesn’t have to do anything with the pain of the tattoo. As we mentioned, tattoo placement, your pain tolerance, and your tattooist’s technique are the main factors determining how painful the process will be.
- Sure, there was a time when colored ink used to have a thicker consistency than black ink;
- This was an issue since it took the tattooist longer to pack the colored ink, which in itself hurts;
- The longer you’re getting tattooed, the higher the skin damage and the more painful the process becomes;
Nowadays, all inks are of similar consistency, so there isn’t an issue there. Now, if your tattoo artist takes a long time to complete the tattoo, you’ll experience more pain as the process goes on. Also, if the tattoo artist uses a dull needle, chances are the process will hurt more.
- Sharp, new needles tend to hurt less;
- Now, as the needle gets worn out, it remains sharp, but it dulls out a little bit;
- This small difference in needle sharpness can promote faster skin damage and of course, cause more pain;
If your tattooist uses white ink highlight , you can expect more pain. This is again not because of the needle or the ink color, but rather the pain is caused by the repetition of needle penetration in one place. In order for the white ink to fully show and become saturated, the tattooist needs to go over the same area several times.
That is what causes skin damage and pain. Now, after all of the information, we do have to point out that there are people who swear that the coloring/shading of the tattoo hurts more than the linework or tattoo outline.
Pain is a subjective thing, so it can be hard to be exact with the answer to whether color tattoos hurt more than regular ones.
How do you cover a tattoo when swimming?
Swimming With a New Tattoo – When it comes to swimming with a new tattoo, we have a few things to say. First and foremost, don’t even think about covering your tattoo with Vaseline or Aquaphor so you can go take a dip when the tattoo is not healed. Unless you really crave a bacterial infection, visit a doctor and a messed up tattoo design, stay away from the water (and the petroleum jelly products) until the tattoo is fully healed.
Now, if it’s been more than 4 weeks, and your tattoo is all closed and scab-free, you can try to go for a swim. Technically, there shouldn’t be any issues, and we still do advise you to wait for a few extra weeks.
But, if you really can’t wait to take a dip, we strongly recommend you use a waterproof bandage. This may prevent a tattoo infection caused by exposure to bacteria in the water. Now, you may think; hey, swimming pools are cleaned than open bodies of water; they’re less dirty, and there are fewer bacteria, I can go swimming there.
- Well, sure, there might be fewer bacteria, but swimming pools contain chlorine;
- And, this chemical can cause its own set of issues for your new tattoo;
- It can irritate your skin, cause a rashing of the tattoo area, and of course, the pools aren’t bacteria-free, so the tattoo could also get infected;
Just because you change the swimming area, doesn’t mean the tattoo will react differently to the water. 
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Can I swim 3 weeks after tattoo?
Proper tattoo aftercare should be performed for at least three weeks before bathing or swimming in any type of water so the skin can recover and close properly, in turn guarding the tattoo/wound against chemical irritation, risk of infection, and the chance of water saturation.
How do I protect my new tattoo at the beach?
Nexcare Waterproof Sterile Bandages – Bandages, $7. 44, jet. com Applying a bandage over your new tattoo prior to heading to the beach is a great way to prevent water, sand, and bacteria from infecting the site.
