What are the dos and don s of tanning with tattoos?
Persons with fresh tattoos have had chemicals injected into their skin that can make that local area very sensitive to UV exposure while the tattoo is still healing. So absolutely don’t allow that area to tan. Either cover it up completely, if possible, or don’t tan at all until the skin has healed. After the skin has healed (approximately 3 weeks), do continue to use moderate protective measures (such as sunscreen or tattoo stick over the area). At this point, the chemicals have lost any ability to photosensitize. The tattoo, though, will begin to lose its brilliancy with exposure to UV, whether that UV comes from indoors or outdoors. So preserve those tattoos by using lip balm, a good sunscreen, or a tattoo stick.
