How to Heal a Tattoo in Hot Weather
Summer is our busiest time of year, and it's also the trickiest for healing. Everyone wants a new tattoo before the holiday season, but then they want to sit by a pool, sweat through a heatwave, and wear as little as possible — all things a fresh tattoo really isn't a fan of. It doesn't mean you can't get tattooed in summer; it just means the healing process needs a bit more care than it would in January.
Heat and sweat are the two biggest issues. Sweat sitting on a fresh tattoo for long periods can irritate it and slow healing, so if you know you're heading into a hot, sweaty day, plan around it where you can. After sweating, rinse the area with cool water and pat it dry rather than letting it sit damp under clothing.
Sun is the other big one, and it matters more than people think. New skin is essentially raw skin, and direct sun on it can cause real burns, not just a bit of pinkness, along with fading the ink before it's even had a chance to settle properly. Keep a fresh tattoo covered with loose clothing when you're outside, and out of direct sun entirely if you can manage it for the first couple of weeks. Once it's fully healed, sunscreen becomes the rule for life if you want the colours to stay sharp — but don't put sunscreen on unhealed skin, it can clog things up and irritate the area.
Swimming pools, the sea, hot tubs, all off limits until healed. Chlorine, salt water, and general pool water are full of bacteria and chemicals that a fresh tattoo does not need to be soaking in, and it raises infection risk. Same goes for baths — quick showers only, no long soaks.
Loose, breathable clothing does a lot of heavy lifting in summer. Tight fabric rubbing against a healing tattoo in the heat is a recipe for irritation, so if your tattoo is somewhere clothes usually sit close, go a size up or pick something looser while it heals.
Air conditioning and fans are actually your friend here — a cooler environment means less sweating and less irritation, so it's worth being a bit more deliberate about staying cool while your tattoo settles.
If you're planning a summer tattoo, think about placement and timing. Somewhere that's easy to keep covered or out of direct sun, and a booking that gives you a couple of weeks before any beach holidays or festivals, makes the whole thing much easier on you and on the tattoo.
Hot weather doesn't rule out getting tattooed, it just means paying a bit more attention for the first couple of weeks. Keep it clean, keep it covered, keep it cool, and it'll heal just as well as it would any other time of year.
If you're planning a summer tattoo and want advice specific to placement or timing, get in touch and we'll talk it through.
Good Times Tattoo 8 Lower Clapton Road, Hackney, London E5 0PD
We don't take online bookings — every tattoo starts with a proper consultation, so get in touch through the contact form and we'll take it from there.
Tattooing East London since 2009.
