How to Care for Tattoos

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Lenny from Addicted 2 Tattoos in Tampa, Florida. I've been asked to talk to you today about how to take care of your tattoos. Obviously, once the tattoo has been healed, there's not going to be a lot that you need to do with it. But there are some general guidelines that can help you maintain your ink, and keep those colors looking bright for much longer. It's normal that a tattoo is going to fade over time. This is because the molecules of the ink are generally absorbed by the body after a while, and sometimes that ink will look less bright. Generally on a tattoo, the best way to take care of it is to use a lightweight hand lotion on it about once a day. If the tattoo is in an area that's exposed to the sun or elements like wind, then it's a good idea to perhaps cover it, or use sun block on it. I generally suggest to my customers that they use at least an SPF of fifty over any tattoos they have, particularly because we're here in Florida where there's a lot of sun, and we spend a lot of time outside doing things in the sun. So you'll notice that people that are in the sun a lot, their tattoos do tend to fade quicker. Tattoos also tend to spread a little bit with age. You'll notice that the tattoo that, perhaps, your father or your grandfather have, doesn't look quite as good as the one that you got just last year. The reason for that is most tattoos will spread about ten percent of their space for every year that you had the tattoo. So it's easy to understand why that tattoo may not look quite as crisp and bright as it used to. We normally suggest to our customers that they consider having their tattoos recolored and reoutlined about every five years. This way you can keep the tattoo looking bright and fresh and new for a long, long time, and you'll continue to get a lot of compliments on that tattoo, and you'll continue to enjoy it yourself. Tattoos don't take a lot of work to take care of them, other than a little bit of lotion everyday. But watch out when you're out in the sun, or when you're out in the wind and elements. Cover the tattoo, and you'll be able to make the tattoo last a lot longer. I'm Lenny from Addicted 2 Tattoos in Tampa, Florida."