When Can You Go Swimming After A Tattoo?
2 to 4 weeks 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 I swim with a new tattoo?
Keep it dry for the first 3 weeks – Whether in the sea or in the pool , you should avoid contact with water to begin with to allow your tattoo to heal without issues. Any extended contact with water should be avoided , as it risks displacing the ink of the tattoo or altering the colour.
Baths, rivers, jacuzzis, etc. , it’s better to avoid all forms of bathing if you want to preserve the design of your tattoo ! The water in a swimming pool, for example, can pose an infection risk to your wound.
The water in swimming pools is treated with products to disinfect the pool, which doesn’t mix well with a wound. Another important piece of advice: avoid gyms ! When you exercise, your muscles stretch your skin and you sweat. Stretching the skin and sweating excessively in the area of your tattoo can impede the healing process.
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 I swim 2 weeks after a tattoo?
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.
How do I protect my tattoo while swimming?
How do you tell if a tattoo is healed?
You will know that your tattoo is completely healed when there are no scabs, the texture of your skin where the tattoo was placed is the same as a similar surface of skin, and the colors on your tattoo are no longer faded.
How do you know when your tattoo is fully healed?
Stages of the tattoo healing process – One of the biggest decisions in getting a tattoo is settling on a design and the right artist to bring your vision to reality. But the time you spend in the tattoo parlor is just a small part of the entire process.
- Once you leave the shop with your new tattoo, it’s important to turn your focus to the tattoo healing phase;
- So, how long does it take a tattoo to heal? As you might expect, the answer is ‘it depends;
- ‘ Depending on how the inking process went and where your tattoo is located, it can take anywhere from four weeks to a couple of months for it to fully heal;
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of how you can speed up this healing process, let’s first take a look at the various stages of it: 1. Week 1: open wound Immediately after the tattooist is done with the art piece, your body begins the process of healing.
Though it might not look like it, your tattoo is actually an open wound on your skin. Your body begins to repair the damage right there and then. In this stage, your body mobilizes its first responders to injury, and you might notice a slight stinging or burning sensation resulting from inflammation at the site of the tattoo.
That sensation, which lasts a week, on average, is your body working hard to patch things up and prevent infection. It’s therefore recommended that you treat your fresh tattoo as an open wound. By doing this, you can avoid infections and other complications that can occur when you leave an open wound unattended.
- Your tattoo artist will go over the things you need to do to keep your new tattoo clean, and it can feel overwhelming at first;
- Add to this some stinging pain, and it’s not hard to see how your stress levels might increase a bit during this time;
A good tattooist can recommend some ways to alleviate this stress so that your skin can heal properly. Week 2: itching and peeling In the second week of the tattoo healing stages, the inflammation around your tattoo will subside a little. As you might have experienced with other healing wounds, an itching feeling — which replaces the burning and stinging sensation from stage one — is normal during this part of the healing process.
- A new top layer of skin has formed over the tattoo, which means the old skin will form scabs and flake off;
- The dryness is what causes you to feel the itchy sensation on and around the wound — the tattooed area;
The incessant itching might make you wonder, “How long do tattoos take to heal?” In such a situation, try to resist the urge to scratch the skin or peel off the flakes. Your tattooist can likely recommend some lotion to keep your skin moisturized, which can reduce the itchy feeling.
Weeks 3 and 4: drying out When the topical healing is done, you will stop feeling itchy at the site of the tattoo. At this point, the skin dries out. In many instances, there’s a layer of dry skin that covers the tattoo after the scabs fall off.
While this often causes the tattoo to appear slightly duller in color, it will naturally slough off to reveal the vibrant piece of art you went in to get. Weeks 5 and 6: completely healed This is the last part in the four stages of tattoo healing. You’ll know you’re in this phase — and that your tattoo is fully healed — because all the dry skin and scabs have sloughed off to reveal new, smooth skin with a vibrant tattoo and you no longer feel the burning and itchiness because the body has repaired itself. Take a quiz. Find out what you can do with our Health Assistant.
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.
Is it OK to swim with a week old tattoo?
How Long Before You Can Swim With a New Tattoo? – Most of the time, a tattoo needs to fully heal before you can safely swim. How long that takes varies from person to person, but many tattoo artists recommend anywhere from two to four weeks. When you get a tattoo, you’ll be sent home with a bandage over it.
- After a few hours, you can likely remove the bandage and wash off the excess blood and ink;
- Use your hands to gently wash it with light warm water and antibacterial soap, then let it air dry in a clean environment and apply the aftercare cream;
As the tattoo heals, flaky skin and scabs will form. As the scabs flake and fall off naturally, a new layer of skin will heal underneath. When there’s a new layer of skin, that’s when you know you can safely swim. Throughout the healing process, you’ll also want to avoid baths for many of the same reasons, but continue to gently clean the area, air dry, and use the aftercare cream.
Can you swim in chlorine with a new tattoo?
How Long Before You Can Swim With a New Tattoo? – The temptation is real when it comes to showing off fresh ink—but proceed with caution. “Any [new] tattoo is essentially a fresh wound, and needs time to heal without being exposed to the elements,” Forte tells us.
This includes protecting it from bacteria, sun, chemicals, pollution, and water—particularly when it comes to swimming. “Both saltwater and chlorine are harsh on new tattoos, especially if you had a lot of work done,” he explains.
Translation: You shouldn’t swim until your tattoo is fully healed, advises Fenton. “For most people, that is two weeks, but it can be longer depending on the size, location, and how quickly you heal. If after two weeks, the skin does not appear fully healed (any scabbing, crusting, or redness), then I would recommend waiting longer,” he says.
How many days does it take for a tattoo to heal?
How long does it take for a tattoo to heal? 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 swim in chlorine with a new tattoo?
How Long Before You Can Swim With a New Tattoo? – The temptation is real when it comes to showing off fresh ink—but proceed with caution. “Any [new] tattoo is essentially a fresh wound, and needs time to heal without being exposed to the elements,” Forte tells us.
- This includes protecting it from bacteria, sun, chemicals, pollution, and water—particularly when it comes to swimming;
- “Both saltwater and chlorine are harsh on new tattoos, especially if you had a lot of work done,” he explains;
Translation: You shouldn’t swim until your tattoo is fully healed, advises Fenton. “For most people, that is two weeks, but it can be longer depending on the size, location, and how quickly you heal. If after two weeks, the skin does not appear fully healed (any scabbing, crusting, or redness), then I would recommend waiting longer,” he says.
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.
