red dragon tattoo is just about on me, and now it's sunburned

June 18, 2006 2:31 PM

Sunburn on a week-old tattoo...eek

Got my tattoo last Monday, went out today and didn't put enough sunscreen on in the right places, so I have a shading of pink over part of it. I feel like an idiot, and am worried about how this will affect it (I've heard it can scab over, make the colors fade, etc.) Has anyone had any experience with this? Anything I can do to slow down/stop any damage I may have incurred?

(Here's a picture....)

posted by Lucinda to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

The sunburn doesn't look all that bad from the photo, so you probably shouldn't worry too much about it, but in general, you should keep it out of the sun, since it appears to be black ink, which (I've heard) is most susceptible to fading when exposed to sun too much. So, it may be a bummer, given the location, but just try to keep it covered in the future and you should be OK.
posted by ITheCosmos at 3:08 PM on June 18, 2006

One time only good deal, I think you'll be okay. I got my first tattoo back when dinosaurs ruled the earth and they didn't tell me anything about fading in the sun and of course, now it's super faded.

I would highly recommend that you keep the new tattoo moisturized heavily, using a good high quality lotion and/or the ointment the tattoo parlor recommended to promote healing after the work was done.

Consider it a lesson learned.
posted by willmize at 3:09 PM on June 18, 2006

Hard to tell from the photo, but has the scab already fallen off? If so, you should be okay. If there is any substantial fading (especially in the color) you can always have it touched up, no big deal. Just keep it covered for the next couple of weeks to be sure.

I was told with my tattoo to not put any lotion on it until it finished scabbing, including sunscreen - just antibiotic gel. The skin over and around my tattoo burns really easily, so I reapply sunscreen every 30 minutes minimum when I'm out in the sun now. Cool tat!
posted by meerkatty at 3:23 PM on June 18, 2006

MOISTURIZE!!!

then consult bmezine and it's QOD for similar Q&As.

Worst case scenario is you'll have to get it touched up after it's fully healed.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 3:26 PM on June 18, 2006

I agree, moisturize. And props for the Fountains of Wayne title reference. Now you look a little more like that guy from Korn
posted by Evan Gaffney at 4:09 PM on June 18, 2006

Eucarin and cocoa butter are two great moisturizers for tattoos.
posted by baphomet at 7:28 PM on June 18, 2006

Response by poster: I haven't been slacking on the moisturizer, so I will keep that up and cover it when I go out in the sun now. Thanks for the advice; I was panicking a little for a while there.

And yes, it is a Charles Rennie Mackintosh rose.
posted by Lucinda at 8:43 PM on June 18, 2006

Sweet mother of jebus. Moisturize the hell out of it. Don't pick at the scab. When you shower, don't let the stream hit it directly. The first week or two of a new tattoo is the most dangerous time (as my faded Canadian flag proves) for fading. Just be sure to take really really good care of it now, and you should be ok (and I agree, from the picture it doesn't look TOO burnt, I thought you had gone out and gotten seriously crazy burnt).
posted by antifuse at 12:46 AM on June 19, 2006