More of us have tattoos than ever before. About 25% of Australians are inked. A tattoo can be a large investment in time, money and pain. So how do you take care of your tattooed skin? Here’s what you need to know about sunburn, sweating and fading.
Read more:
Tattoos have a long history going back to the ancient world – and also to colonialism
What’s a tattoo, dermatologically speaking?
Tattoo inks are deposited in the layer of skin called the dermis. This layer contains sweat and oil glands, a blood supply, immune cells, collagen to support the skin’s structures, and fibroblasts, which produce collagen.
Fibroblasts take up the ink particles, as do immune cells in the dermal tissue known as macrophages. The ink particles also stick inside bundles of collagen. Between these three mechanisms, the dermis holds tattoo inks so well they can be seen even on the 5,300-year-old ice mummy Ötzi.
Read more:
What Ötzi the prehistoric iceman can teach us about the use of tattoos in ceremonial healing or religious rites
Can I get a tattoo if I’m sunburnt?
- During sunburn, your skin calls in extra immune cells and fluid to kill off and break down cells that have too much UV damage.
- This inflammation can affect the tattoo ink deposits.
How soon after my new tattoo can I go into the sun?
There’s not much research on how soon you can expose your new tattoo to the sun. However, most tattooists advise you to avoid sun exposure while the tattoo heals, generally about three weeks. This seems sensible, as your fresh tattoo is a type of wound.
- There is an influx of immune cells to deal with the damage, much like a sunburn.
- So, in one way, you should treat your new tattoo like sunburn and avoid sun exposure while it heals.
- But you shouldn’t use sunscreen on the tattoo in that time.
What happens if my tattoo gets sunburnt?
- There’s usually swelling, itching or stinging on the tattoo site that can start immediately or develop over the course of a day.
- There is also a small amount of evidence that sunburn on a tattoo temporarily suppresses the skin’s immune system, allowing an infection to become established.
Do tattoos increase my risk of skin cancer?
- However, there’s no evidence skin cancers are more likely in tattooed skin.
- Tattoos make newly-developed skin cancers more difficult to detect.
- Red tattoos seem to be more prone to large but benign (non-cancerous) skin tumours called keratoacanthomas.
- However, they can be difficult to distinguish from squamous cell carcinomas (a type of skin cancer).
Can sunlight fade my tattoo?
- As tattoos age, they can fade a bit as some of the loose ink particles filter deeper into the dermis.
- Sun exposure can also degrade ink particles.
- After all, most people don’t want to fade their tattoos for science.
Does tattooed skin sweat differently to un-inked skin?
- If you’ve got a full sleeve or your whole back is your canvas, that’s a significant amount of skin.
- Since tattooing punctures the skin repeatedly, sweat glands in the dermis may be damaged.
- However, when other researchers looked at sweating induced by exercise there was no effect in the volume of sweat between tattooed and un-tattooed skin.
Longer-term risks
When performed under the clean conditions of a licenced tattoo parlour, tattooing is relatively safe. But long term, some people develop allergic reactions to certain colours due to the different compounds in each, most commonly red dyes. This can cause lumps, scales, scarring or other visible changes. So, what’s the most common long-term side effect of tattoos? Tattoo regret and wanting to have them removed.
Katie Lee receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council. Erin McMeniman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
