The weather in Cyprus is changing, and if you are anything like us, we are sure you cannot wait any longer to get yourself to the beach. Fall and winter are the best seasons to get a new tattoo and flaunt it with pride. However, if you believe that tattoo aftercare will be insignificant in winter compared to summer, you could not be more wrong.
Tattoos need care in all seasons. It is undoubtedly way more challenging to maintain a tattoo during the summer months due to direct sun exposure and intensive sweating, making the tattoo heal much slower. In the winter season, you are all covered, and thus your tattoo will heal much faster.
With the right aftercare tips, tattoos, in all seasons, can adequately be maintained and cared for. Follow these steps below to give ongoing care and maintenance to your tattoos all year long.
Maintaining Tattoos In Winter
Stay Moisturized
One of the most significant ways to preserve your tattoo ink during winter is to keep it well moisturized. The cold weather and dry winds can easily make your skin crack and become flaky. A new tattoo can get extremely uncomfortable if your skin starts to peel. To avoid this, make sure to keep the skin around your ink well-moisturized and well-nourished.
Be warned that your favorite, every-day lotion is not a good option for moisturizing your tattoo. Use an unscented moisturizer that does not contain these harmful and irritating ingredients; Sodium Lauryl Sulfate, Petrolatum, Parabens, Phthalates, Lanolin, and Silicone.
Avoid Soaking Your Tattoo
It is common knowledge that taking long baths or soaking your new tattoo for a long time underwater, especially in the winter, can leave your tattoo feeling sensitive and irritated. So, even if you’re longing for a hot bath, saunas, or hot jacuzzis, it is better to avoid these cravings during the cold weather, particularly in the first week of getting your new tattoo.
You should also avoid swimming in chlorinated pools, as the chlorine can bleach out the ink in your new tattoo.
Wear Loose Clothing
Wearing multiple layers of clothing in cold weather is essential to cope with the changing climate. However, if you just got a new tattoo, the tight layers can rub against your healing skin and hurt it. Furthermore, your tattoo will leak ink for the first few days, which is normal but can leave your clothes stained.
Consider wearing loose clothing that allows your skin to breathe and does not rub against your tattooed skin and bandages. Also, don’t forget to practice any moisturizing and dressing routines your tattoo artist suggested.
Maintaining Tattoos In Summer
Avoid The Sun
Tattoos are twice as vulnerable to damage during the summer than they are in the winter. Summer is when you choose to wear off-shoulders, cotton tops, and fewer layers of garments to keep yourself cool and breezy, but with all that comes increased sunlight exposure.
Sun exposure and sweating are the biggest enemies of your tattoos. If you want to maintain your tattoo for a long time during the summer, consider applying sunscreen or wear light and full sleeved clothes to cover your healing tattoo.
Avoid Going Into Rain
Summers are often accompanied by rain, which is by far the worst foe of tattooed skin. Getting your tattoo soaked in the rain can result in infections that end up destroying your tattoo along with causing you extreme distress.
However, this does not mean you can not get your tattoo wet. A Little rain is okay if you’re accidentally caught in it but avoid getting it soaked completely.
