Getting a new tattoo is connected to a couple of limitations in your daily routine. Apart from the things that you should do to heal your tattoo faster, there are certain things that you should avoid in order to speed up the process.

This article will guide you through the tattoo healing DONT’s, which will make the post-tattooing process a lot more pleasant and worry-free.

• Don’t scratch and peel

Some people claim that their tattoo was so itchy that it was driving them crazy. Well, if you take proper care of the skin area, you will not experience severe itchiness and discomfort.

However, the tattoo starts to slightly itch when the top skin layer starts to peel off. In this case, it is essentially important to continue moisturizing in regularly, and NOT scratching or peeling the skin. This way, you will shorten the healing time, and the peeling process will end in about 2 days. If you scratch and peel, the skin will continuously exfoliate itself and feel itchy, until you stop doing so.

• Don’t sunbathe

Until you tattoo heals, stay away from direct sun exposure and in any case, don’t sunbathe. The UV rays (both UVA and UVB) can cause damage to the skin cells on a deep level, which will slow down the recovery process. What is more, staying under the sun makes you sweat, and the sweat itself can cause inflammation to the tattoo.

From another point of view, the sun rays can fade the tattoo color in long-term direct exposure. However, when the tattoo is still new, the ink can fade even more quickly, as this way it may lose its uniqueness.

• Don’t swim in a pool or sea

Pools are full of bacteria and chemical substances (often chlorine) which try to kill those bacteria. On the other hand, many people bath in the sea without taking a shower beforehand, and the majority of hotels and villas connect their canalization to it. This is the reason why this is not the best place to be when you have a new tattoo, as a lot of bacteria and viruses grow there.

In any case, your fresh tattoo shouldn’t have contact with this mix of irritators. Pool and seawater can cause extreme dryness, painful cracking, swelling, inflammation, severe itchiness, and many other issues that will slow down the healing process.

If you love swimming, wait until your skin is completely recovered. The wait will be worth it, we promise you.

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