Think about your ink, especially in the heat

TOP TATTOO TIPS

SUMMER is a busy season for tattoo artists, with people preparing to go on holidays and to festivals and other events.

But people should not get a tattoo when their skin is damaged by the sun, a salon owner has warned.

Bex Fisher, owner of Bloom and Gloom Tattoo Studio, in Loughborough, said: “Getting a fresh tattoo when you have a sunburn in the area is a huge no-no for a few reasons.

“The first and probably most obvious is that it would be a lot more uncomfortable to sit for than it is to get a tattoo on unburned skin.

“Some people dislike the feeling of getting tattooed at the best of times, let alone when there is added discomfort.

“From the artist’s side, trying to tattoo a client who isn’t sitting well makes our job 10 times harder and leads to a frustrating or unpleasant experience for all involved.

“Healing a tattoo when it’s also peeling from sunburn can leave designs patchy, blotchy and even lead to a higher risk of infection.

“With more blood flow in the area, you’d be prone to bleeding more than usual, too.”

Bex, pictured, who opened Bloom and Gloom Tattoo Studio in 2019, said it is important to stay hydrated in the lead-up to, during, and the healing process of having a tattoo.

“People often forget that your skin is your largest organ and if you’re going to cause trauma to it, you should try to keep it in good shape to have the best results,” she said.

eat well before a tattoo, shower, and exfoliate the area beforehand to remove any sweat and dead skin cells.

“In the lead-up to your appointment, avoid sun exposure to the skin to prevent the risk of burning and opt for keeping covered up or staying in the shade instead.

“During healing, wear loose clothing to shade and protect the tattoo from harmful UV rays and, once fully healed, always, always wear sun cream.

“Other key things to avoid when healing a fresh tattoo are sun beds, swimming and hot tubs.

“In hot weather, we’re prone to sweating more which can lead to dead skin and bac“Always teria build-up. If you don’t keep a new tattoo clean and let it breathe, it’s more prone to getting infected, which can impact the look of the final tattoo as well as put you at risk of serious illness. “I often say that tattoos are a forgotten luxury item – after paying for them, sitting through the appointment and going through the healing process, so many people think their job is over and done with.

“This isn’t the case and is often why tattoos will start to look faded and blotchy after a few years. “The longer you look after your tattoos, the longer they will stay looking good down the line so they’re really an investment in your body.

“If you love your tattoos, they’ll love you back and stay looking good for years to come.”