I have a two week old tattoo (my first)....most of my back. It is just the outline right now but was given strict advise to not tan or sun exposure for 8 weeks. I NEED A TAN but don't want to ruin the art piece. Anyone else make this bad timing mistake??? And what did you do?? Spray tan or bend the rules at all?? We leave for TTR in 28 days
I have many and honestly I would heed your artists advise. Stay out of the sun and use lots of sunscreen at TTR. You will have your ink for the rest of your life. You don't want to risk that and end up unhappy with it....forever. --Ginger
Definitely listen to your artist. You can tan in short increments just make sure you apply a healthy layer of something like tattoo goo or A + D ointment to hydrate that area where your tattoo is immediately after you come back in. I wouldn't recommend tanning for more than 10-15 minutes maybe 2-3 times a day. Ultimately it's your ink/body so you make the call. Disclaimer- I have full sleeves and a back piece, most that I took very good care of and are years old but look brand new, and one I didn't take care of bc I was a dumb kid. So I like to consider myself very versed in tattoo care.
Courtney and I will help apply that sun block!!! If you can find one of the old lay-down tanning beds, maybe just lay on a towel to protect your back from the lamps.
I would definitely listen to your artist. As you know a tattoo is an open wound that needs to heal and even though it's stopped scabbing or peeling the layer of skin covering it will be quite thin and fragile. Better to air on the side of caution, you want that art to look good for years to come. Good luck
First, don't worry, your OK So you got the work done 2 weeks ago? I am assuming then that by this point you have already peeled, and the tattoo is possibly just a bit dry, maybe a little itchy. Outlines heal much faster then a packed color piece. Hopefully you didn't get any heavy scabs, and the tattoo is flat to the touch now, with maybe some dry skin in areas. If all that is true, you are essentially in the clear. Your body is still producing that top layer of new skin, and the tattoo should darker/deepen and get clearer in the next few weeks. You have 28 days until your trip, so that's plenty of time to get a tan. I would hold off another week or so, and then begin. Not sure how much you tan, but maybe just go once or twice a week at first for like 10 minutes, and then increase the frequency as you get closer. The other option, which is more expensive, is to just wait until the 12 days before your trip, and then do a high pressure tan (if they have these in your area), you basically can tan for like 20 minutes with zero risk of getting burnt. These beds use a different type of bulb, but cost like 25 bucks a tan. It usually take 3-4 visits to get completely tan. The next most important part is DEFIANTLY use sunblock. This goes for before you tan (put it on like 15 before so it sets in), and repeatably throughout the day when you are on vacation. I use: Banana Boat Sport Performance Sunscreen Lotion, SPF 50. I know the recommendation is to stay out of the sun for that long, but as long as the tattoo is out of the healing stage(3-4 weeks), and you use sunblock after that, then you will be fine. With just getting a black outline, you have even less to worry about. I don't want to disagree with thorington11, but using A&D or tattoo goo at this point, would be completely pointless. Those products are ointments that should be used for the first 3-4 days after you get a tattoo when the wound is fresh and open to prevent infection. After the wound closes, you should be using a moisturizer on a regular basis. And just so you know I do know what I am talking about, check several of my pieces on the few pages of this thread http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/free-all/33863-tattoos-such.html. I got the V for Vendetta tattoo 2.5 weeks ago, and it is completely healed, I already hit the tanning bed once, and the ink looks like it did when I walked out of the shop. (on a side note, before you get the rest of the piece finished, contact me and I will explain how a product called "tattoderm" works. It is the best way I have ever healed a tattoo in the shortest amount of time with zero daily maintenance.)
Thanks for all the info I posted a pic of the piece on our profile but cant figure out how to put it on this thread.
Sams says that you should not tan your back, but lay on your back and get a lot of sun on your titties. He knows nothing about tattos, but is quite the expert on titties.
While I would normally say "listen to your artist", as long as you've peeled and healed, and you're careful not to burn, then you're fine tanning. I have my full back done. I had a session just 2 weeks before my last trip to TTR, which was around Halloween. I was careful to apply sunscreen and not burn, but otherwise, I tanned as normal and everything was totally fine. See pic for reference! http://www.cancuncare.com/forum/mem...icture71907-sexy-ctt-friends-nov-2015-ttr.jpg I also had another tattoo session about 2.5 weeks after returning from Mexico.... I was definitely more sensitive from being tanned! Nice tatt btw!
