How Long After A Tattoo Can You Swim (And Why)?

How Long After A Tattoo Can You Swim (And Why)?

Exact Answer: 4 Weeks To 1 Month

A tattoo is no less than an open wound on the skin. If someone has got a new tattoo embedded in his or her skin then that person must be extra cautious about the part of the skin where they have got the tattoo because after getting a tattoo, the skin becomes extremely sensitive and highly reactive as well. 

The part of the skin which has got a new tattoo becomes so sensitive for a couple of weeks since it can easily catch bacteria and germs present in the surroundings and react with them to cause various skin infections and even tearing of the skin cells. 

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How Long After A Tattoo Can You Swim?

Size Of The TattooTime
Small-sized tattoo2 weeks to 3 weeks
Medium-sized tattoo3 weeks to 1 month
Large-sized tattoo1 month to 2 months

Many factors determine how long a person should not swim after getting a new tattoo done. However, one major factor that plays a vital role in determining the time is the size of the tattoo. There are differently sized tattoos, that is, small-sized tattoos, medium-sized tattoos, and large-sized tattoos.

If you have got a small-sized tattoo, such as an alphabet, a symbol, a letter, a sign, an object, or any other such tattoo, then the time for how long the person should not swim after getting a tattoo is the least among all the three cases. In such cases, it takes about a minimum of 2 weeks to a maximum of 3 weeks for the skin to heal and the tattoo to settle down on the skin.

Secondly, if a person has got a medium-sized tattoo, such as, name of someone, birth date or any such date, a quote, a medium-sized object or an icon or a symbol, then it would take a bit longer time for the person to avoid swimming after getting a new tattoo as compared to a person who has got a small-sized tattoo. In this case, it takes about 3 weeks to 1 month for the skin to heal and not react with water.

Lastly, if a person has got a tattoo such as a huge symbol, object, the face of someone, or anything such then that is considered as a large-sized tattoo. In this case, it takes the longest time for the skin to heal and not react with anything such as water, bacteria, or germs as compared to medium-sized tattoos and small-sized tattoos. It will take about 1 month to 2 months for the person to swim after getting a new large-sized tattoo.

Why Does It Take That Long To Swim After A Tattoo?

Though tattoos might look quite fancy and they might add confidence to the personality of a person, however, a new tattoo can cause many severe effects to the skin. If the skin of the person is highly sensitive then getting a new tattoo might even cause skin infections. Moreover, a new tattoo makes skin more exposed to bacteria and germs present in the air and the surroundings.

Moreover, bringing the part of the skin where the person has got a new tattoo is exposed to water can cause even more skin problems. Thus for an initial couple of weeks, the person must prevent the skin from getting in contact with water. 

Accordingly, it also becomes quite obvious for the person not to swim with the part of the skin which has got the new tattoo exposed to the pool water to prevent any skin problems. To take good precautions to prevent skin infections caused due to exposure of swimming pool water, one must know exactly how long should the person not swim from the tattoo expert know.

Conclusion

If the part of the skin where the person has got a new tattoo is not allowed to heal and exposed to water, it can cause many skin problems like redness, dermatitis, and even fading of the ink of the tattoo. Thus, one should always cover the skin which has got a new tattoo before stepping into the pool if the skin is not healed.

References

  1. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/pdf/10.1086/RESv31n1ms20166964
  2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-2230.2003.01358.x
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