If you are planning to get a new tattoo, you must prepare yourself for the fact thatit's going to disrupt your training schedule to a large extent. Fresh tattoos and sports don't go well together. Therefore, for the first few weeks, you will need to avoid certain activities to avoidfrom damaging your new tattoo or causing health complications.
Why is this? And can I really not do any physical activity with my new tattoo? Find the answers to these questions and practical recommendations for people with fresh tattoos in today's article.
Tattoos need to heal
Let's start with the basics. The tattooing process is very hard on our skin, because during the tattooing process its integrity is violated by countless small puncture wounds.Therefore, tattooed skin needs enough time to heal. Otherwise, you risk two unpleasant things. The first is the risk of possible infection. If the unhealed tattoo wounds come into contact with bacteria, you are in for some unpleasant health problems. Although it may not seem like it at first glance, gyms and other sports facilities are full of bacteria. Sweating also increases the risk of transferring bacteria to the wound, which is another reason why it's not advisable to exercise with a fresh tattoo.
The other big risk you run if you choose to exercise with a fresh tattoo is damaging it. Until the tattoo is completely healed, it can be irreversibly destroyed due to friction and mechanical damage. And that's really not worth it. Also, don't forget that clothing rubs against the skin during sports. In the vast majority of cases we are not even aware of this, but for a fresh tattoo it can have very adverse effects.
How long do I have to wait?
The length of time you need to wait before you can get back into full training mode depends on many factors. The first is the size of the tattoo and its location. This is because there is a big difference between a small and simple tattoo on your forearm and an elaborate tattoo across your entire back. The healing time will be completely different in both cases. It also depends on the method by which the tattoo was done. Handpoke tattoos usually heal faster than traditional machine tattoos because they are less invasive. Of course, what sport you want to do also plays a big role. If you simply like to move and are content with long walks, you won't have to wait as long as a person who swims competitively, for example.
Last but not least, it also depends on how quickly your body can cope with the tattoo. This may depend, among other things, on whether this is your very first tattoo or if you have already had a few. So always go by what your tattoo artist has told you. Each tattoo is individual and an experienced tattoo artist can best estimate how long it will take to heal. However, expect that you will usually have to go about 2 weeks without any major sports.
What should definitely be avoided?
While some activities may not be that big of a deal (we'll get to those in a moment), others need to be avoided at all times. The first of these is the aforementioned swimming. In fact, with a fresh tattoo, you should avoid being in the water (showering is fine if you take the necessary precautions). This is because of the increased risk of infection. The same applies to saunas, by the way, where the risk is also high. A person with a fresh tattoo should also avoid any sports in the sun. Otherwise, you run the risk of the tattoo fading before it heals, and you certainly don't want that.
There is also a general rule that says you should avoid activities that involve the tattooed part of your body more. If you have a tattoo on your arm, you should only do exercises in the gym that don't involve your arms. The problem can arise if you have a tattoo on your back, for example. These are also exposed to friction and significant sweating during exercise of other parts, which is not desirable.
What should I do if I can't exercise?
Two weeks without exercise can seem almost like the end of the world to some. Fortunately, it is not such a long period of time that it has any negative effect on your form. Still, if you can't stand not exercising for that long, you have a few options. The first one is walking. Before you embark on any exercise, test how your tattoo reacts to a longer walk. After some time, you can also start with light core training. If you have a smaller tattoo and its location allows it, over time you can start training other areas. In this case, however, you should expect to sweat more, so don't rush it. Personally, I would recommend using this time to rest. If you've been in a training mode all year, two weeks without much effort can be quite a good time.and once the tattoo has healed, you'll be able to return to training with plenty of energy and also with more gusto.
What to take away from the article?
The tattoo healing process is by no means to be underestimated. So be careful not to rush it. Remember that our body perceives a tattoo as an injury that it has to deal with in some way. An unhealed tattoo also poses a risk of infection. Therefore, follow your tattooist's recommendations and avoid strenuous activities for at least two weeks. It is therefore important to plan your tattoo well in advance and adjust your training schedule accordingly.
If you have any questions about the article, please feel free to contact us in the comments.
Why can you trust us?
Sport has been my lifelong passion, I have been close to it since I was a child. For a long time I was primarily involved in athletics, which also eventually led me to the gym. Every good sprinter knows that to get one tenth of a start, he must therefore sacrifice hundreds of hours in training. And it was this toil behind the curtain, which no one sees, that was my greatest passion.
Every kilo in the gym helped me to move a little closer to my goal and I fell in love with the gym very quickly. Even though I don't race anymore, nothing has changed in my relationship with uncompromising training.