Everything ages at some point, including your tattoo. Fading and blurring are normal, we call this aging. Tattoo anti-ageing deals with how you can prevent this.
Admittedly: Of course, you can't completely prevent your tattoo from ageing. Even with the best preparation and care, your tattoo will age with you. Your skin loses elasticity and becomes drier. This naturally affects the appearance of your tattoo. But we have a few tips for you on how your tattoo can retain its luminosity and clearly defined contours for many years to come.
Tattoo anti-ageing: rules of conduct and care tips
You may be familiar with anti-ageing: it generally refers to creams, serums, lotions and facial toners that are intended to slow down skin ageing, remove wrinkles and perhaps give the skin a little more elasticity. So what is tattoo anti-ageing? Your tattoo doesn't get wrinkles and doesn't need help with cell renewal using obscure chemical formulas. Because your tattoo has no cells that could age. After all, it only consists of pigments that lie deep in your skin.
And that's exactly the problem: your skin ages, and the tattoo ages with your skin. Tattoo aging is when the colors appear paler and the sharpness of the contours diminishes. And you can do something about it. One thing is to choose a tattoo studio or artist from the outset where you can expect high-quality tattoo inks and hygienic working conditions. The necessary experience is of course also a good thing. Because only a neatly engraved tattoo at exactly the right depth will sit and heal well. Scarring is undesirable because scars blur the contours. It must therefore be really hygienic so that your tattoo does not become infected.
Sunlight and UV rays dry out your skin. Rough, cracked skin will make your tattoo appear pale and blurry. You should always apply sun cream with a high sun protection factor (50+) if you don't keep your tattoo covered. Incidentally, UV rays also break down the pigments when they penetrate the skin. This means that your tattoo will actually "fade" with intensive sunbathing.
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It's best to think about anti-ageing right from the start!
During the wound healing phase, you should follow the care recommended by the studio. Only change the dressing if too much fluid collects underneath. Breathable plasters can otherwise remain on the tattoo for up to three days. Before you do anything with the tattoo, wash your hands thoroughly - with soap! From the fourth day onwards, a special healing ointment supports wound healing. The ointment ensures that the scab remains soft and moist. This prevents the new skin from tearing and scarring. For this very reason, you should leave the scab alone and never scrape it off. It protects your tattoo until it has healed. Make sure you use a fragrance-free cream containing panthenol to help your skin regenerate and relieve itching.
Incidentally, it is normal for color to flow out with the wound fluid for up to four days after the lancing. Your body cleans the wound and removes all foreign bodies that don't belong there - including pigments. This is normal, your tattoo artist knows this and incorporates this knowledge into their work.
But even then, your tattoo still needs care. Special creams ensure that your skin over the tattoo remains supple. Only well cared for skin with sufficient moisture remains elastic and healthy. There are special care products for tattooed skin that are designed to maintain sharp contours and color brilliance. But of course, any care is better than no care at all. Apply cream to your skin regularly and make sure it is sufficiently moisturized.
Tattoo is already older? Tattoo anti-aging still helps!
Of course, it is ideal if you take good care of your tattoo right from the start. But many tattoo studios do not point out that a tattoo needs care once it has healed. You can also prevent older tattoos from fading further. However, once the color brilliance has been lost, it is really gone - daily care will not bring it back. Pay particular attention to adequate sun protection. This is because light, and UV radiation in particular, causes your tattoo to fade particularly quickly, as the pigments break down through photochemical processes. UV rays also promote the formation of collagenases, i.e. collagen-decomposing enzymes, in the dermis. This is where the pigments of your tattoo are located. If the dermis, the technical term for this second layer of skin, loses its elasticity and resilience, your tattoo will lose its contours and color. Sun care with a high sun protection factor prevents UV radiation from penetrating so deeply into your skin.
Re-stitching: Unnecessary for anti-aging tattoos?
Even the best anti-ageing tattoo cannot completely prevent the skin and tattoo from ageing. You may still like your design if it looks a little washed out and less bright. Shabby chic and retro are exactly your thing. A tattoo like this simply tells you how long it has been with you. Not your cup of tea? Then you can have your tattoo redone. The tattoo artist simply redraws the existing tattoo when re-engraving it. This makes the contours clearer again and the colors more brilliant.
Re-stitching is only an option six weeks after the tattoo has been applied at the earliest. This is because the body is still trying to get rid of the colors under the skin. Even if the wound has already healed, the pigments are still "on the move", so to speak, and are partially removed via the lymphatic system. Only the large particles are stored in the skin cells in the long term and form the tattoo. That's why you won't see what your tattoo really looks like until a few weeks after getting it. Take good care of your tattoo during this period and help your skin to regenerate! This protects your tattoo so that the colors stay brilliant for longer. Incidentally, the same applies to tattoo anti-ageing after re-engraving as after getting a new tattoo: with the right care, you can delay signs of ageing as much as possible.