Don’t get upset with me just yet, but I have something to say that may be hard for you to hear: if you’re a young guy or gal and you have tattoos, they’re going to fade if you don’t take the right actions. I’m no expert, but I seem to know more about tats than some people who have lots of them.
I see people all the time who are in their 20s and 30s and already have faded tattoos. But body art doesn’t have to deteriorate so quickly. To maintain the quality of your ink work, you can take the following actions:
Go to a pro. Choose an artist who uses good ink and good practices so your image goes deep and stays clear and vibrant. Cheap ink and bad technique are responsible for a lot of fading.
Practice good aftercare. Use a tattoo aftercare kit or some kind of program to make sure it “sets” right.
Keep it out of the sun. Sun fades tattoos. Period. Stay out of the sunlight or at least use sunscreen. That’s a good practice for overall health anyway.
Stay healthy. Keeping healthy overall means you skin glows, and your work looks its best. Dry, flaky skin with scratches, scuffs and age spots doesn’t look good with or without tattoos.
Get touch-up work. If a tattoo starts to fade or needs other attention, get it. Let someone work on it to keep it looking its best. If you wouldn’t wear a torn shirt or dirty pants, don’t wear a deteriorating tattoo.
When you take the right actions and live with care, your ink can last a lifetime and age gracefully — along with the rest of you. Then when you’re old, you can be proud that your tats are no more grayed and wrinkled than the rest of you.
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