After Glow Tanning Salon offers the Daytona Beach and Port Orange areas a meticulously designed tanning salon with top-of-the-line tanning and spray tanning equipment, a highly knowledgeable staff, and is one of the area's best tanning salons. Being our tanning salon is situated in the sunny state of Florida, we want to answer an age-old question — can you tan with tattoos?
According to a Rasmussen Report, 21% of Americans have two or more tattoos. Tattoos are an art form that allows people to express their individuality; however, UV rays can be a tattoo's sworn enemy. While tattoo fading occurs over time, UVA and UVB rays are the number one cause of premature fading for tattoos.
Take a few precautions to make sure your tattoo and your tan stay vibrant by protecting it with a broad-spectrum SPF sunscreen, limiting your UV ray exposure, and keeping an eye out for any signs of concern, such as burns and blistering.
Here is what you need to know when tanning with tattoos:
New tattoos are considered open wounds and tanning with an open wound can leave you experiencing severe burns, scarring, and permanent distortions to your tattoo. It can take up to two months for a tattoo to fully heal, and you should not expose tattoos to UV rays during the healing process.
While waiting for your tattoo to heal, you can still spray tan – which lacks UV-rays – so there is no risk to your tattoo. However, you cannot put sunscreen on a new tattoo for at least two to three weeks and therefore should wait just as long before getting a spray tan. Getting a spray tan with a tattoo may cause some areas to appear darker, but it is not a permanent discoloration and will fade over time.
You can prevent temporary darkening after a spray tan by cleaning the skin where your tattoo is located immediately after your session.
Once you return to a tanning bed, you should protect your tattoo with sunscreen. Sunlight and UV Rays are attracted to and are absorbed by darker colors. Applying a layer of sunscreen (minimum of SPF 30) can act as a barrier between the UV rays and your tattoo. When applying sunscreen, use a cotton swab to completely cover the tattoo and avoid leaving a lighter ring around the edges of the tattoo.
After completing a tanning session, you are going to want to moisturize. Both UVA and UVB rays dehydrate the skin, and general skin and tattoo health recommend daily moisturizing. By keeping your skin nourished and hydrated, you are helping the elasticity of aging skin and combating sun damage. Should you experience a burn after a tanning session, immediately moisturize your skin with a nourishing, soothing product and keep yourself hydrated. If necessary, seek medical attention on how to heal the area while ensuring your ink is intact.
By following these precautions, you can lengthen the vibrancy of your tattoo while also keeping yourself safe.
Here at After Glow Tanning, we have a multitude of high-end indoor tanning lotions to help nourish and hydrate your skin before and after your tanning session. Ask one of our highly knowledgeable staff members which tanning lotion will work best for your needs at your next visit.
Schedule your appointment today and bask in the glow at After Glow Tanning!
Sources: How To Tan With Tattoos Safely - A Comprehensive Guide - Tattify; How To Protect Your Tattoos While Tanning — Desert Sun Tanning Salons;https://verandasuntanning.com/tanning-with-tattoos-dos-and-donts/