How Long After a Tattoo Can You Go Swimming?
Generally within two to four weeks the skin will return back to its normal state. Though, a tattoo does not completely heal for a minimum of six weeks. Consider waiting a handful of weeks before attempting to swim with a new tattoo.
Tattoos are a beautiful piece of art.
They tell a story through stunning imagery that is a wonder in itself. As beautiful and appealing as tattoos might be, no one likes a ruined tattoo. Taking proper care of your tattoo after it has been done is one of the most important things that professional tattoo artists stress on.
The weeks after the tattoo has been finished are crucial in determining how your tattoo will look in the long run. It becomes essential to heed what the tattoo artists have to say and to follow that regime to the T without slacking up on anything or any part of the process.
A tattoo needs to heal well in order to look it’s very best and must be allowed to heal properly without anything obstructing or hindering the process.
One of the more frequently asked questions about tattoo care is how long can one go swimming after getting inked. The tattoo, when just done is like an open wound, which needs time to get better and look good.
Because of this, swimming is one of the things that one sadly cannot do, for at least a period of two to four weeks depending on how big the tattoo is, the area that it was done on, and the healing rate of the skin. During the healing process, the tattoo will start to flake up and form a kind of a scab.
Not interfering with this is essential to ensure that it recovers well and the skin reaches its normal state. However, swimming is one of the things that can interfere with this.
So why does water interfere with tattoos?
If you have got a tattoo in the past, you may have heard your tattoo artists telling you not to allow any water to get onto your skin.
This is because when the surface is wet, things are more likely to stick to it. Right from the very bandage covering the wound, to the clothes that you wear, anything can stick, causing the would get ruptured. Over and above that, if the scab has already formed on the skin, getting it wet can cause the scab to fall off prematurely, causing an unhealed wound to be left open. The scab could also get pressed down onto the skin, causing it to interfere with the ink below, leading to leakages or sometimes, even bleeding.
Swimming can be worse
Swimming pools always have a lot of chemicals in them, regardless of whether or not a lot of people use them. These substances are not suitable for the wound and can lead to some pretty bad consequences.
For starts, the tattoo can get ruined as a result of these chemicals in the water. The water entering the wound can also interfere with the healing process itself, and cause the wound to get infected. This would increase the time the tattoo needs to be healed, and can even damage the skin underneath, causing it to get ruined. Sometimes, swimming in pools with a lot of chemicals like chlorine can have a lot more severe consequences than one would imagine.
If a large quantity of chlorine enters the body through the wound, it could potentially end up entering the blood, leading to blood poisoning. Because of the water pressure and friction caused while swimming, the would also tear up more, or leave a scar, which may come over the tattoo, disfiguring it in the process.
What about swimming in freshwater?
For those who hear the adventurous life calling, and feel the urge to jump into a beautiful lake or sea for a quick dip, the beautiful waters can end up doing more harm than good.
Seawater for starters contains a lot of salt, not to mention other kinds of contaminants. The salt water, entering the world can start to sting a great amount, causing it to not heal properly and get damaged in the process. The risk of infection is also an extremely prevalent one in natural water bodies and sources, and one must refrain from entering them after having a fresh tattoo done for the same period as they would in a chlorine-based swimming pool.
But does that mean you don’t clean your wound with water at all?
Not entirely. Keeping the wound clean is an integral part of the healing process. One would need to dip a small cotton ball or sponge in a little bit of water and gently clean the area around the tattoo.
However, care has to be taken to ensure that very little water goes into the wound area, and not too much, lest it should elongate the healing process.
Listening to your tattoo artist is key
Your tattoo artists doing your beautiful piece of art is the expert here and knows how much time a tattoo would usually take to heal. Since different tattoos do have different periods that they take to heal, it is essential to ask your tattoo artist just to know exactly how long it would take. Things like the part of the body that it is tattooed on and the size of the work itself can contribute to how long the healing period would be.
Remember to listen to the cleaning process that your tattoo artist informs you about to ensure that you have a beautiful and well-done tattoo.
