You should wait at least 2-4 weeks before swimming after getting a tattoo. This allows your skin to heal properly and reduces the risk of infection or damage to the tattoo. How to cover a tattoo for swimming? To protect your tattoo while swimming, you can use a waterproof
Swimming should be avoided until your tattoo is fully healed, which usually takes about two to four weeks. Submerging a fresh tattoo in water can increase the risk of infection and affect the ink's vibrancy.
You should never submerge a new tattoo in water for any length of time directly following a tattoo. If you're wondering just how long after getting your tattoo you can take a bath: the answer is only after your tattoo has healed completely which typically takes 3 to 4 weeks, and in some cases longer.
Jumping into a swimming pool before your tattoo has healed will affect the design as the chemicals can leach ink from the skin, leaving it less vibrant and harder to heal. As such, it is highly recommended that you stay away from chlorine to maintain the aesthetic value and quality of your tattoo.
Tattoo Care After 2 Weeks (Days 15 to 30):
If your tattoo looks dry and dull, continue to moisturize to rehydrate the skin. It may take another month or two for the lower layers of skin to completely heal, at which point the tattoo should look as bright and vivid as expected, and as the artist intended.
Sometime between two to four weeks after getting a new tattoo – when your tattoo scabs and/or peels - your new ink may appear more faded and duller than expected. Don't worry, this is completely natural.
Tattoos are essentially open wounds, and exposing them to water too soon can lead to bacterial infections, skin irritation, and even damage to the tattoo design. Therefore, tattoo artists recommend waiting at least 2-4 weeks before submerging your new ink in swimming pools, hot tubs, or open water.
Short-term exposure to chlorine may not have a drastic impact on a tattoo, but repeated or prolonged exposure can cause the ink to fade and even discolor.
The general recommendation is to wait at least two to four weeks before immersing your tattoo in water, particularly in a hot tub. This waiting period allows the outer layers of the skin to heal and provides a barrier against harmful bacteria, chemicals, and the water itself.
Apply a waterproof bandage to cover your ink while in water: "If it isn't possible to wait until the tattoo is fully healed before swimming, then use a waterproof dressing such as Saniderm and limit the amount of time in the water and with the dressing on as much as possible," Dr. King says.
Sometimes 3-4 weeks depending on how you heal. I also would be mindful of not soaking for too long until well after it's fully healed.
Until your tattoo is fully healed, you cannot apply any type of sunscreen, and it's really best to just avoid exposing the area to any direct sunlight whatsoever. If you plan to be outside in the sun with a new tattoo, then your best and safest protection is to keep the area covered with loose clothing.
While infection is potentially the greatest worry when it comes to swimming, exposing your new tattoo to salt water (or chlorine for that matter) also carries other risks. One of these is the risk of causing ink to leak from a fresh tattoo, making the colour less vibrant and causing your tattoo to fade prematurely.
It's recommended to wait at least 2–4 weeks before taking a bath, or until your tattoo is fully healed. By this time, the scabs should have fallen off naturally, and the skin should no longer appear raw or irritated. However, healing times can vary depending on the size, placement, and individual skin type.
Be Conscious of Water and Chemical Exposure
Although this is far from a fun fact, pools, hot tubs, and the ocean can cause fading — especially in the early days of a new tattoo.
Getting your new tattoo too wet can prevent it from healing properly, and it might end up looking patchy. It's super important to keep your new tattoo clean. So having a shower is the best choice so you can wash your tattoo but not fully submerge it in water.
My general rule of thumb is 2 weeks for being directly hit by water and 4 weeks absolute minimum for submerging. I don't start counting days until I've removed the second skin.
If you get your new tattoo wet, it's not the end of the world. So, there's no need to panic if you get caught in the rain. As long as you're not soaking your tattoo, you're going to be just fine. Allow the tattoo to dry, apply a thin layer of aftercare moisturizer like Sanibalm, and get on with your day.
On average, a tattoo takes two to four weeks to heal. However, it takes about three to six months for the skin underneath the tattoo to fully heal. 12 This time depends on specific skin reactions, tattoo size, and ink colors used.
Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks. Some white inks and pastel inks have trouble lasting longer than five years. Watercolor tattoos also tend to fade faster as the ink is lightly colored and very fine.
The tattooed area will scab up. Then, the scabs should naturally flake off. Once the scabs have disappeared and the dead skin has fallen off, the tattoo is completely healed. Most tattoos take about 2 weeks to heal fully.