The Color of Your Tattoo The color of your tattoos might appear slightly different when you have a tan, especially if you have some color in. This is because the pigments in your skin will be darker, which can affect the way the colors of your tattoos appear.
Yes, tanning or prolonged sun exposure without sunblock can fade a healed, years-old tattoo. UV rays from the sun can break down the pigments used in tattoos, leading to a loss of vibrancy over time.
Fading: UV rays can cause the ink in your tattoo to fade. Tanning or sun exposure can lead to discoloration, making the tattoo look less vibrant over time.
All tattoos exposed to the sun are at risk of fading. This is particularly true during the healing period when your skin is more sensitive to UV rays.
Any tattoo exposed to the sun is at risk of fading. The risk is at its peak during the healing period, as the nature of the tattooing process leaves your skin sensitive to the UV rays. However, long term sun protection is key to keeping the lines of your tattoo smooth and defined.
Don't tan with a new tattoo
In fact, you shouldn't tan after your tattoo until it has fully healed past the scabbing phase. The recommendation of how long this time period is differs, depending on the tattoo studio's advice, with the most common recommendations being anywhere from 8 weeks to 3 months.
Black ink lasts the longest and is least likely to blur, making it the best choice of ink color for long-lasting tattoos. Black ink is so reliable it is usually used to help hold in color molecules.
New tattoos fade very quickly when exposed to sunlight. In addition, if your tattoo has not completely healed yet, exposing the area to sunlight could result in blistering. In general, you should keep a new tattoo completely protected from the sun for at least three to four weeks.
Dirt, salt, and sweat fade tattoos and muck up the finish. Skin infections like dermatitis and acne can damage your tattoo, and scaly skin and air pollution buildup make colors dark and muddy.
Skin infections.
A skin infection is possible after getting a tattoo. An infection might be due to contaminated ink or equipment that isn't sterilized correctly. Getting a tattoo at a studio that doesn't follow good safety steps also can raise your risk of a skin infection.
Tattoos typically take two to four weeks to heal on the surface, but it can take three to six months to fully heal. The tattoo healing process typically involves a week of redness and oozing, followed by two to three weeks of itchiness and peeling. After about a month, the skin still internally heals.
The only risk with spray tanning and tattoos is that the tan can darken light-colored or delicate tattoos. However, if you don't like how it looks, you can always wipe it off after your spray tanning session! The beauty of spray tans is that they're temporary, lasting between about 5 to 10 days.
It's recommended that tattoos remain out of direct sunlight for at least the first month, but that doesn't mean you're in the clear once that time is up. Sun exposure can still cause colors to fade, which is why it's always best to protect your tattoo from sun exposure whenever possible.
"If you're traveling mainly to go the the beach, I'd advise you to get the tattoo on the last days of vacation. That way you can still enjoy the beach before getting the tattoo (as long as you make sure they won't get a sunburn at all). If you're traveling for sightseeing and such, it's up to you.
New tattoos are essentially open wounds, so blasting them with UV light will not only fade the ink prematurely but could also cause scabbing, irritation, or even infections. It's best to wait at least 2-3 weeks (or as long as your tattoo artist advises) before going near a tanning bed.
Another area of concern relates to solid ink tattoos and vitamin D absorption. Mr Toni explains: 'Some doctors and scientists hypothesise that blackout tattoos could negatively affect vitamin D absorption, but evidence is needed to support this. '
When done properly, a tattoo should show only a slight amount of settling within the first 6 months, which is totally normal. Depending on the style, location and lifestyle, a tattoo could show some early signs of fading in as early as 2-5 years although most tattoos won't show significant fading for 10-20 years.
Yellows and Greens with Cadmium
Yellows and bright greens often contain cadmium, which can cause skin irritation and has been associated with other health risks. They also tend to fade or change color over time when exposed to sunlight.
Typically, colored tattoo ink fades more quicker than black and gray ink. Red ink tends to keep its color more than other ink colors, but as a whole, colored ink doesn't always hold its vibrancy. It's more common for ink allergies to appear in colored ink as well.
Black ink tends to outlast any other color because it is super pigmented. Other darker colors like dark blue, dark green, gray, and dark purple will have a similar lifespan to black ink. Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks.
Natural migration of pigment in the skin is manifested by: lines become visually wider; a small (about a millimeter) shadow may appear near the tattoo lines; there will be less empty space between the lines.
Aftercare & Aging
Fine line tattoos are applied with less ink. While the ink is still embedded in the second layer of skin, the single needle does not penetrate as deeply or deposit as much ink. As a result, it is common for fine line tattoos to fade with age.