Best Sunscreen for Tattoos: What Should You Look For?

Getting a tattoo is not exactly cheap these days. Neither is quick or painless, so it makes sense to look after this not-so-inconsiderable investment. Most people are careful during those first few days (and they’re absolutely right to be) but when you’re talking longer-term care, you really need to be using the best sunscreen for tattoos if you want your new ink to stay looking great.

Fresh tattoos are not the only ones that need protecting either, as older ink can still be affected by everyday exposure, especially on places like forearms, shoulders, calves and hands. In this article, we look at what the best sunscreen for new and old ink has inside.

What Does the Best Sunscreen for Tattoos Look Like?

Tattooed skin is just like the rest of your un-inked skin. It burns, dries out and gets damaged by UV exposure the same way. This isn’t up for debate. It is just what it is. That means it still needs the best sunscreen for tattoos – but what does that mean? Well, as we’re about to see, it’s typically mineral-based, because of how kind zinc oxide is.

When you keep going out in the sun unprotected, it has a habit of making the coloring of tattoos fade, with the linework also becoming less defined. Whatever you end up choosing, though, there are a few things the product you use should be giving you. 

• It should give broad-spectrum SPF 50 protection. Tattooed skin needs protection from both UVA and UVB rays. UVB causes burning, UVA penetrates deeper and contributes to longer-term skin damage. 

Why SPF 50? Well, it arguably offers the best protection for areas that catch regular sun, whether that’s during a full day outside or just the usual kind of daily exposure you get on your forearms, shoulders and hands.

• It should not irritate reactive skin. Tattooed skin can be more sensitive, particularly if your ink is quite new or if your skin tends to react to fragrances and certain chemicals. 

Zinc oxide is one of the most widely tolerated sunscreen ingredients available, which makes a mineral formula a sensible choice if you’ve had a reaction to other types.

• It should sit on the skin rather than absorb into it. Chemical sunscreen filters work by absorbing into the skin to convert UV rays into heat. Mineral sunscreen with zinc oxide, however, sits on the surface instead, which means it is not introducing anything into the skin itself.

The best sunscreen for tattoos doesn’t have to be a specialist product as such. It solely needs to be a good sunscreen that’s kind to your skin. The fact that zinc oxide products reflect UV rays away from the surface makes them that much gentler.

Other Tips for Protecting New Tattoos

A new tattoo needs a bit more care than older ink, because your skin is still healing. That means you have to be more careful with sun exposure, rubbing, soaking, sweating and anything else that might irritate the area before it’s been able to recover from the tattooist’s needle.

What you have to keep in mind is that until it’s healed, your tattoo is essentially a wound, so you shouldn’t be putting any kind of sunscreen on it. Once it’s healed though, it needs the protection we’ve been talking about. Here are a few other things to remember.

• Follow your artist’s aftercare instructions – They know how the piece was done and how they want it looked after during the first few weeks.
• Avoid soaking the tattoo too early – Having baths, swimming in pools, and even sitting in hot tubs can all be a problem while the skin is still healing.
• Wear loose clothing over the area. – Tight fabric can rub against the tattoo and make already-sensitive skin feel worse.
• Keep it clean without overdoing it – Gentle cleaning really matters, but scrubbing or constantly fussing with your tattoo can slow things down.
• Do not pick peeling skin – As much as it can feel counterintuitive, you need to let any skin flakes that appear come away on their own – even when it is tempting to “tidy” the tattoo up.

New tattoos don’t require complicated care, but they do need patience. Keep them out of the sun while they heal, then make sure you’re wearing the right sunscreen. Simple, but very effective.

Protect Your Investment & Skin Health With the Best Sunscreen For Tattoos 

If you’ve gone through the time, money and pain of getting tattooed, it makes sense that you’d want to protect your investment. If you don’t bother with the sunscreen side of things, not only will your skin feel sore, dry and uncomfortable more often, but it won’t be long until that new ink looks anything but.

The sunscreen you use matters, too, with zinc oxide-based sunscreen being the most suitable way to give yourself the UV protection your skin and your tattoo need. It’s gentle, works immediately after application and will help you in your efforts to make sure your tattoos stay looking as good as the day they were put there.