A tattoo normally takes anywhere from 7 to 14 days to look fully healed, depending on the type, style, size and placement. The truth is that it can really take up to a month for a tattoo to be fully healed below the surface of the skin and for your body’s natural healing abilities to lock the ink in completely. Yes, all of these things can and will make a difference. There is no “idiot proof” method, but if you take the time to read the following, you will stand a much better chance of healing your tattoo without any problems to ensure that it looks as good as possible.
Two products during the healing process are plain, unscented Lubriderm lotion and/or Aquaphor. These two products have been time-tested and proven over years of experience and history itself. Aquaphor is a little bit of a thicker product and a little more expensive, but it’s more than worth it and will heal your tattoo much faster. The one thing that you need to make sure of, is that you rub it all the way in, like you were putting suntan lotion on.
The sun is probably the single worst enemy and destroyer of tattoos!! During the initial healing process, you absolutely need to keep your new tattoo out of the sun, as it will damage the skin further and can cause all sorts of problems from scaring your tattoo to lightening it up, uneven healing etc. This comes back to the early comments about clothing, if you are in a job that keeps you outside. Use loose fitting clothes to keep your tattoo out of the sun, and as a last resort use a sterile non-stick bandage. Ladies, this also applies to those tanning BEDS that you love so much. DON’T DO IT!!! Once your tattoo is fully healed and there is no shine to it whatsoever, then you can relax some, but you have just paid a lot of money for that new piece of art, and wouldn’t it be nice to keep it that way for many years to come. Keep them covered, but if you must expose them to the damaging UV rays, then get the strongest SPF sun block that you can find and keep it handy (minimum of 30 SPF). For the tanning beds, cover them or use the sunblock as well. We have all seen the old bikers whose arm tattoos look less than desirable from years of riding in the sun.