TL;DR: Don’t put sunscreen on a brand new tattoo, because it’s an open wound. You need to wait 2-4 weeks until it’s healed, then use mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to protect your ink from fading.
Fresh ink looks great, and there’s nothing like showing it off to your friends and family when you get home, right? However, tattoo fans will know the work of keeping it looking amazing starts when you get home, as you’ve got to keep it hydrated and away from the sun. This raises the question – can you put sunscreen on a new tattoo?
This often-asked poser has a few answers, with the right one depending on things like how new your tattoo is. What you don’t want is to ruin your new ink, so let’s more closely examine what’s what.
So, Can You Put Sunscreen on a New Tattoo?
When you have some new ink, you have to think of it as a wound….because that’s what it is. Can you put sunscreen on a new tattoo? In short, you shouldn’t. The wound is created by the tattoo needle, which punches your skin thousands of times to inject ink into the dermis, leaving your skin raw.
If you were to put sunscreen directly onto broken skin like this, it can really sting. Not only that, but it will likely slow down healing or even cause infections.
Other things to bear in mind:
- Scabs will form and flake off naturally, but you must resist the urge to pick them
- Your skin will look shiny and tight before it’s fully healed
- Once it looks/feels like normal skin, it’s ready
- If you absolutely must be in the sun early, cover up
Most tattoo artists say wait 2 to 4 weeks before using any sunscreen, though healing time changes based on tattoo size and where it is. During this time, keep your tattoo covered with loose, breathable clothes when you’re outside.
Once It’s Healed, Mineral Sunscreen is Your Best Bet
After your tattoo heals completely, you can start using sunscreen on it. Mineral formulas are the best bet because they use zinc oxide or titanium dioxide to sit on top of your skin and physically block UV rays, rather than soaking them up like chemical sunscreens do. That makes them much gentler.
Chemical sunscreens can mess with tattoo ink and cause it to change color. Also, the heat created when chemical sunscreens convert UV rays can affect how long the ink lasts
See also: High-Efficiency LiFePO4 Lithium Batteries Built by MANLY Factory
Can You Put Sunscreen on a New Tattoo? No, You Need to Wait
When you have a tattoo, it costs you time and money. It can also hurt quite a bit. As such, it goes without saying that you want to protect this big personal investment. The way to do that is to NOT put sunscreen onto your new tattoo, rather you should keep it hydrated and covered until it’s healed.
Once it’s healed, you can start putting it on every morning to your exposed tattoos, even when it’s cloudy, and put more on throughout the day when you’re outside. Do that, and your ink will stay looking great for years to come.
