Swimming after getting a new tattoo?

Question

So i work as lifeguard over the summer and i give private lessons too... i want to get a tattoo on my hip, i can get a little over a week off work but thats really it...is that enough time to stay out of the water?? or do i need to wait till the end of the summer??

Answer 1

You need no less than 2 weeks to heal initially, but you should not submerge a fresh tattoo for at least a month (and that is if it heals well without complications.) Sometimes, there is an area of a tattoo that scabs and takes much longer to heal. And you should definitely not soak it in pool, lake, or ocean water.

So, it's iffy at this point of the year. If you get a tattoo now, and heal well (which means excellent aftercare focusing on avoiding scabbing by patting off seepage/ink transfer during the 1st week) and doing everything right, and all of the stars line up and you are lucky... you could possibly pull it off. But, I think that you should wait until after the season, and do it right.

In the mean time, work on getting that perfect image that is personal, and custom and individual to you. Find the best images, and references to take to your tattoo artist that you have researched, and who is experienced and reputable. Make this time a blessing by tweaking your idea and working it out so that it will be so much greater and dynamic by the time that you get it.

Here's some info. to help you understand what happens when you get a tattoo, and how you should care for it and why:

here's 'how stuff works' about tattoos:

http://health.howstuffworks.com/tattoo.htm

here's an excellent aftercare video:

http://www.luckyfish.com/pages/articles/tattoocare.htm

here's aftercare contradictions:

http://tattoo.about.com/cs/tatfaq/a/aftrcr_cntrdctn.htm

here's the history of tattoos around the world and throughout time:

http://www.vanishingtattoo.com/tattoos_history.htm

here's how to pick out a great tattoo that you will love your whole life:

http://galadarling.com/article/how-to-get-a-great-tattoo-and-never-regret-it

the idea is, do it right, or don't do it...

luck~

Answer 2

I would wait until the end of summer. Everyone heals differently, but normally 2 weeks to be fully healed. It would suck to get ink and then get an infection.