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Your new tattoo is perfect. The colors pop, the lines are crisp, and you feel like your skin belongs in an art gallery. But now that you’ve left the studio, you have a new responsibility. Your artist worked hard to deliver exactly what you wanted, and you have to work hard to maintain your tattoo's perfection.
It's totally normal for tattoos to fade and soften with time, but a commitment to lifelong aftercare can significantly minimize the effects of aging on your tattoo. Here's how to keep your tattoo nourished, bright, and vibrant.
1. Follow Your Aftercare Instructions
Aftercare is a make-or-break moment for a new tattoo. If you don't follow the aftercare process down to the letter, your tattoo won't heal correctly—period.
The way you nourish and protect your tattoo while it is healing will shape how it looks for the rest of your life. Good news—the constant maintenance only lasts a few weeks, and if you do it correctly, the lifelong aftercare process will be a breeze.
Keep It Clean
For the first few days, gently wash your tattoo with lukewarm water and mild, fragrance-free soap. Don't scrub your new tattoo! Scrubbing can damage your sensitive, healing tattoo. Replace your wrap as directed by your tattoo artist.
Dial in the Moisture
While it’s important to keep your tattoo moisturized, slathering on too much lotion can suffocate the skin and delay healing. A thin layer of a gentle, unscented moisturizer should do the trick.
Avoid Picking and Scratching
As your tattoo heals, it will scab and itch. Don’t give in to the temptation to scratch or pick at it—this can damage the ink and cause fading before it’s even fully healed. HUSH numbing spray can take the edge off the itchy sensation while promoting the health of your tattoo.
If it gets really intense, a cold compress can numb the itch right out of the area. If you follow instructions exactly the way you're supposed to, you're setting yourself up for an eternally gorgeous tattoo.
2. Protect Your Tattoo From the Sun
If there’s one thing everyone with a tattoo needs to know, it’s that the sun is the archenemy of your ink. UV rays break down the pigments in tattoo ink, which leads to fading over time. The more exposure your tattoo gets, the faster it will fade.
Cover Up
If you’re going to be outside, try to keep your tattoo covered with clothing. This is particularly important during the first few months after getting your tattoo, but it’s a good habit to get into for life.
If you have a hand tattoo, you don't want to wear gloves in the summer. That's where sunscreen is your tattoo's best companion. Get into the habit of wearing SPF every day because it's vital for the health of your skin. Sunscreen can reduce your risk of developing skin cancer, as well as the premature onset of visible signs of skin aging.
3. Moisturize Your Tattoo Regularly
Keeping your skin hydrated is essential for maintaining vibrant tattoos. Dry skin can cause your tattoo to look dull and flaky, and over time, it can contribute to fading.
Use a fragrance-free, hypoallergenic moisturizer to keep your tattoo looking its best. Products with heavy fragrances or dyes can irritate the skin and fade your ink over time. HUSH tattoo balm is formulated with active botanicals and deeply moisturizing ingredients. You can use it to support your tattoo throughout the healing process and keep using it to keep the colors vibrant.
4. Stay Hydrated
Speaking of moisture, it’s not just about what you put on your skin—it’s also about what’s happening inside your body. Keeping yourself hydrated from the inside out is crucial for the longevity of your tattoo.
When you drink plenty of water, your skin stays plump, healthy, and elastic. Well-hydrated skin holds onto ink better, which means less fading over time. Aim to drink around 12 to 15 cups of water a day (more if you’re active or in a hot climate) to keep your skin in top shape and your tattoo looking sharp.
Bonus tip: Drinking water also helps with the healing process after getting a tattoo. Here's your excuse to buy a cool new reusable water bottle to decorate with your tattoo artist's stickers.
5. Avoid Overexposure to Water
Water and tattoos have a complicated relationship, especially in the first few weeks after getting inked. Your tattoo is essentially an open wound, and soaking it in water (think baths, swimming pools, or hot tubs) can cause damage to the skin and slow down the healing process.
No Swimming
Avoid swimming in pools, oceans, lakes, or even soaking in a bathtub until your tattoo is fully healed. This usually takes about two to four weeks, depending on the size and location of your tattoo. Avoid any activities where you may get wet and stay wet for a prolonged period of time—including walking outside while it’s raining or snowing.
Shower Quickly
While it’s okay to gently wash your tattoo, avoid letting your new tattoo sit underwater for long periods. Long showers can strip your skin of natural oils, which can lead to dryness and potential fading.
Once your tattoo is healed, you're free to swim, shower, and take as many luxurious bubble baths as you want. You should remain mindful of chlorinated pools. Chlorine is absolutely awful for your skin, and anything harmful to your skin is also harmful to your tattoo.
6. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle
You might not think your diet, exercise, or overall lifestyle would affect your tattoo, but it totally does. The healthier your skin, the better your tattoo will look, so take care of your body as a whole. It’s a good idea to treat yourself like you’re valuable because you are valuable. Brighter, more vivid tattoos are a small positive side effect of making better choices.
Healthy Skin Makes a Healthy Tattoo
A balanced diet rich in vitamins, antioxidants, and healthy fats can do wonders for your skin. Foods like leafy greens, berries, nuts, and fish are packed with skin-loving nutrients that keep your skin elastic, smooth, and hydrated.
High-sodium foods, alcohol, foods with low water content, and processed foods lacking nutrients can take a negative toll on your body as a whole. This doesn’t mean you should give up pizza and beer forever; honestly, little pleasures make life worth living. Just keep less healthy choices to a minimum and stick to wise choices about 80% of the time. It’s all about balance.
Exercise a Little More
Regular exercise boosts circulation, which helps deliver oxygen and nutrients to your skin. This keeps your skin looking fresh and helps your tattoo hold its vibrancy. Just be sure to avoid heavy sweating and friction on your fresh tattoo while it’s healing.
7. Avoid Friction on Your Tattoo
One of the sneaky factors that contributes to tattoo fading is constant friction. If your tattoo is located in a spot that rubs against clothing, shoes, or other body parts (like ankle and inner thigh tattoos), it might fade faster over time.
Choose Your Clothing Wisely
Opt for loose, breathable fabrics that don’t constantly rub against your tattoo, especially during the healing phase. Tight clothing can cause irritation and disrupt the ink before it has time to fully settle.
After your tattoo is about six months old, it won’t matter much what you wear. If you frequently wear highly restrictive garments like corsets and have a tattoo on your lower back or rib cage, check in every once in a while to see if the friction seems to be impacting your ink.
Accessorize Wisely
If you have a tattoo in a high-friction area (like the foot or wrist), be mindful of things like shoes, watches, or fitness gear that could rub against it. Switching to softer materials or adjusting how you wear certain items can make a big difference.
Metal rings can take a toll on finger tattoos. If you must accessorize your hands, try rings with silicone bands. Watches with softer bands can keep wrist tattoos safe, and roomy clogs can prevent foot tattoo friction.
8. Touch-Ups Are Your Friend
Even with the best care, some tattoo fading is inevitable. But the great thing about tattoos is that they can be refreshed! A quick touch-up by your artist can bring your tattoo back to life, sharpening up the lines and reinvigorating faded colors.
Timing Matters
Don’t rush back to the studio too soon. Wait at least six months to a year after getting your tattoo before considering a touch-up. This gives your skin plenty of time to fully heal and the ink enough time to settle. You can reduce your risk of needing a touch-up within the first year of getting your tattoo by carefully following the aftercare instructions
Communicate With Your Artist
Let your artist know if you notice any areas that have faded or need a little extra attention. They can work with you to figure out the best way to make your tattoo look fresh again.
If you messed up a little bit during the aftercare process or were injured in a way that impacted your tattoo, let your artist know. Scar tissue can impact the way a touch-up will work. Your artist would rather you be forthcoming about the situation.
Touch-Up Frequency
Most tattoos won't need multiple touch-up sessions, but there may be an exception for a well-aged tattoo. You may notice around the 10-year mark that your tattoo has naturally lost some luster.
Ink naturally migrates and diffuses a little bit with time—it's part of your body's natural process of replenishing its stores of white blood cells that trap your tattoo ink. This happens to everyone; it's simply the way a tattoo works.
If your original artist is still working, see them about adding enhancements or refreshing some color. A revitalization can give you another decade of a nearly-new-looking tattoo.
To Sum It Up: Tattoo Care Is Skin Care
Everything you do to promote the health of your skin (and your body) will promote the health of your tattoo. The first few weeks require a lot of extra care, but it can take your body up to six months to fully heal a tattoo.
Setting the stage for a beautiful tattoo by following your artist’s aftercare instructions (including texting or DMing them with important questions as they arise) will set your tattoo up for a great future. After that, the rest is all skincare.
Taking good care of yourself (at least most of the time), protecting your skin from the sun, and staying hydrated will keep your tattoo looking as pristine as possible for years (or decades) to come. A little touch-up down the road may not be a bad idea to mitigate the natural effects of tattoo aging, but if you take good care of your skin, you may not feel like you need it.
HUSH has everything you need to get through every stage of tattoo maintenance. The HUSH tattoo aftercare kit is built to support your skin through the first weeks when it needs a lot of extra love and care. After your tattoo is fully healed, you can continue to use the HUSH tattoo balm to keep your ink moisturized and vibrant for decades.
Sources:
Tattoo Aftercare Tips From a Dermatologist | Cleveland Clinic
Sun Protection | The Skin Cancer Foundation
