Tips For Healthy and Beautiful Hair

Posted on: 15 February 2016

A tattoo is meant to last a lifetime, which is why you take great care in designing the artwork to ensure it is meaningful and relevant to who you are inside. Yet, if you don't care for it properly, that tattoo that is beautiful now can become a real mess in 10, 20, or 30 years. The following tips will keep that tattoo looking like new; just make sure you read them before you sit down for the needle.

Tip #1: Placement Matters

No matter how well you take care of yourself, your body is going to change as you age. Certain areas are more prone to these changes. For example, both men and women may want to rethink stomach tattoos. It only takes a small amount of weight, either muscle or fat, gain to distort a tattoo, and it may not regain its former shape even if you drop back to your former weight. Pregnancy and stretch marks can also wreak havoc on a tattoo.

Avoid areas where stretching and sagging are common, such as the upper thigh, stomach, breasts, and the underside of the arm.

Tip #2: Go Big

This doesn't mean that you need a giant full back piece tattoo. What it does mean is that small details will like become blotchy in a few years. If you want a quote tattooed down your calf, make sure the letters are more than ¼ inch in size, otherwise natural pigment movement will blur them over time. When you need small details, stick to shading and decorative elements that will still look good after a bit of pigment shift. Details where the exact shape matters, such as letters, are better done in a larger font.

Tip #3: Use Protection

Sun protection, that is. It doesn't matter if your ink is two weeks old or 20 years old, sunlight is the single greatest cause of damage. The sun will fade the ink over time, not to mention the damage it also does to your skin. It's best to keep a tattoo under cover if you will be swimming or outdoors for an extended period, but at the very least put a strong sun block on and reapply it every couple of hours.

Tip #4: Care for Your Skin

The health of your skin also affects the look of your tattoo. Modern tattoos no longer turn green due to the modern inks that are now used. Dulling and discoloration is more likely going to be caused by the overlying skin. Exfoliating gently over the tattoo and then applying a quality moisturizer will help prevent this dulling. Rashes, insect bites, and minor cuts or scrapes may also give a discolored look to a tattoo. As long as you care for the site properly (no scratching!) it should heal without scarring and the tattoo will return to its former appearance. 

For more questions, consult with a tattoo artist in your area, like one from Jimi's Tattoo & Body Piercing.