The care of tattoos in summer, a bad time to show them off

According to the Spanish Academy of Dermatology, 33% of Spanish women between 18 and 35 years old have at least one tattoo on their skin, which does not exclude people over 35 years of age, many of whom also have tattoos, although not in such a high proportion. In the last three decades, tattoos have ceased to be a port and suburb stigma to become a sign of modernity for many.

Alex grimy, a professional tattooist, thinks that little by little society has been losing prejudices regarding tattoos inkeezr products, especially in artistic professions but also in customer service: "I have even made people you would never imagine, as managers of big companies or even religious ".

Tattoos are not for summer

Grinyà explains that although the tattoo "to make sense it needs to be exhibited, because deep down it is a communicational act towards others", - "if you are going to do it just for yourself, you better save yourself the punctures", he adds, although he clarifies that "it is a personal opinion" - in summer it is better not to expose them to the sun.

The reason, according to the tattoo artist, is that "radiation degrades and ages the inks and makes the work lose contrast and quality; the tattoo fades and fades, losing detail."

Grimy recommends not exposing tattoos to the sun when we go to the beach or the pool: "better show them in the afternoon and at dusk, when the sun is already low, if we want to keep them in good condition for many years". If we do, before untaremos us with sunscreen factor 50, hopefully with physical filters, which leave no radiation to pass at all.

Beware of the black henna

On the other hand, Grimy warns against summer tattoos with hena . These are dyes with which drawings are made on the skin that last between two and three weeks, after which time they lose their appearance due to the action of water and the sun. "Hay is reddish brown, so to give it the appearance of an authentic tattoo they add a substance paraphenyldiamine that darkens it and also makes it set faster" is very irritating and even in interaction with the sun can burn the skin ".

The Spanish Pediatric Association already warned a few years ago against this type of tattoos in children and adolescents precisely because of the action of this substance. Its use for these purposes is illegal, but it is difficult to control the number of "artists" who move around the beaches of the whole country selling their services. "There is a lot of pirate on the loose", adds Grimy, "who also abuses paraphenyldiamine, causing real catastrophes". Refers to burns in some permanent cases.

Extreme care in recent tattoos

When the tattoo is recent, the recommendation not to display it or expose it to the sun or water is restrictive. "A tattoo is a small operation with wounds, so it cannot be wet or exposed to sand, soil, grass and much less the sun," explains dermatologist Rosa Marti . The doctor recommends covering the tattoo if it is very recent with a bandage, a patch or a long garment and not exposing it to the sun until a month after its invoice.

After the quarantine period, the exposure will have to be very partial and with a maximum factor protective filter, although the dermatologist recommends, in the Grinyà line, never to expose them to direct sun in summer. Regarding eventual bathing in the sea or pool , in the case of recent tattoos, the dermatologist advises caution: "it is best not to wet them until two weeks after we got the tattoo".

It may seem like a difficult precaution to carry out taking into account the summer heat and the desire to cool off, but Marti is blunt: "what happens is that people want to get tattoos in summer, but in reality it is the worst time of year, because it is the one with the greatest exposure ". Grimy partially agrees: "it is true that any other era is better for tattoo hygiene, but if you take good care of it there should be no problems".

Finally, Marti explains that "if the tattoo gets wet in sea water, we will dry it quickly. Although the worst thing is pool water, which is" less healing, more drying and aggressive due to chlorine. Additionally, if we observe irritation and stinging, we will apply moisturizer. If it does not resolve, we will go to the dermatologist without delay.