Exercise, sweating, and getting a tattoo

[Rainessa]

This may sound silly, but I am getting my first tattoo in the near future and the lady told me that when it was done I couldnt expose it to sunlight or get it wet for a little while. Would that mean not sweating on it too? I mean that would be moisture, also possible shifting around of the skin while exercising, and then needing to clean the sweat off afterwards. It will be on the back of my shoulder blade so I also wonder about the area rubbing if I were to do anything involved pressure across my upper back like presses.

If its better to not do anything workingout wise, is it ok to overwork the week before (like strength training every day if my muscles are up to it) knowing the following week I would be doing nothing?

I have an appointment to get it done Monday the 25th, earliest I could get in with the lady. She said if I took good care of it, it should be healed up for labor day weekend and dragoncon. Not sure exactly how big its going to be, I gave her the ideas and references today, she is going to have to draw it out to see how big it needs to be for details, and warned me it might be 3-4 hours to do.

[ashlleyp]

They don't want you to SUBMERGE it for 6 weeks usually. Like swimming or a tub/jacuzzi or soaking it for a long period of time in the shower. Sweating is fine.

[tiffy_sugar]

I freaked out about this when I got my first tat. Now I got two of them! lol. I didn't do any kind of strength training with the area the tattoo was done on (i have one on my ankel, the other on my shoulder), but I did do cardio. I only had to sacrifice a week of weights using that area. After the week was up, my skin had good strong scabs and it could withstand training again. I just made sure to clean it properly and kept LOTS of A&D on it. They will explain most of this to you when you get the tattoo.

[Milujute]

When I got mine a few months ago & I didn't miss weights or cardio...but I had to nix the Aquasizes needless to say! Mine is on my left shoulderblade so it barely touched any of the equipment. But, still after 4 hours in the chair I wasn't taking any chances! So I made sure the bench or machine was clean before I started using it and put a fresh towel over it or on the mat for mat work. I also showered after the workout and gently cleaned and re-moisturized to prevent any risk of infections. (it's the infections that'll kill your tat.)

Take care and don't scratch!!!!!

[Thuirwyne]

I never missed a training session because of tattoos; remember they are basically scars with ink embedded...so the static compression on the are where it may touch a bench may cause some mild discomfort, but that's it.

A very good trick is to use Neosporin + (the greasy kind)while it's healing.

[Rainessa]

Mine will be on my left shoulder. Figured that would be best for my first one since when I grab my purse or backpack, I always sling it over my right shoulder. I wish it was sooner. Been planning it for the past 4 years since I started grad school (to be my reward for finishing....yes took me 4 years to do a 2 year degree, had some lab challenges).

[drgnframe24]

i asked my artist and he said just make sure as soon as you get home from the gym to wash the tattoo and reapply the ointment or lotion, and i thought it was only 2 weeks without submerging it in water.

[dindysport]

just keep it covered...for water dont go swimmin or chill in a bath with it underneath...you can sweat just get it cleaned when your done working out and put the ointment on it afterwords so it does not dry up...good luck...where you gettin the tat...go for the ribs...that had to be my most painful...2 1/2 hrs on the ribs...

[Rainessa]

Going to be on the back of my left shoulder/shoulder blade. Not sure how big it is going to be yet, the artist has to put it together first to see how big it is going to need for any necessary details.

[Kymn]

When I got mine on my shoulder I overworked it putting my artshow together, walls and all that stuff and it was hot in the room setting up. Tatoo swelled up big time and was very painful. Had to sleep with an ice pack just to get rest. Stabbing pain for 2-3 days. I don't suggest you do any type of work out if it's very big at all. Take a few days off. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Wrong! LOL! Good luck! Post it when you get it!

Kymn~

[borntoblossom]

Sweating won't bother your new tattoo - in fact, I found it to be a little relief for me when mine got to the "skin peeling" stage. (fyi, your tattoo should never "scab" - the skin should peel. If it scabs, that means it has drawn some of the "ink" out of your skin and those areas of your tattoo will be faded and may require touchups.) Sweating helped relieve the itching from my healing tattoos and helped my skin to peel a little faster. It may be a bit sore (I describe the feeling to be similar like when you get "road rash" from falling off of a bicycle), but it's fine. Also, fyi, the first couple days, your tattoo may "leak" the ink a little - when you sleep at night, beware you might end up with stained sheets.

[1972girl]

Hello Borntoblossom. Maybe you can help me with this. A few weeks ago I got some new ink on my forarm, I thought about shaving my own arm before I went in but I ended up just letting the artists do it. Well I ended up with alot of ingrow hairs that itched alot and when I put any kind of lotion or ointment on it got worse. The ingrow hairs need to dry out but I did not want my tattoo to get to dry and scab. Its been two and a half weeks and every thing is fine now but how to I avoid this next time? Or do I just need to deal with it? I feel like if I had shaved it my self it would not have been so bad.

[1972girl]

And op, I would not worrie about sweating and I would try not to put to much pressure on it for a few days but thats just imo. When I go the gym after getting a new tattoo I try not to let it touch anything in the gym, I keep a shirt over it and put a towle on the bench, first thing I do when I get home is wash it. The last thing I would want is an infection in my new tattoo.

[borntoblossom]

Hello Borntoblossom. Maybe you can help me with this. A few weeks ago I got some new ink on my forarm, I thought about shaving my own arm before I went in but I ended up just letting the artists do it. Well I ended up with alot of ingrow hairs that itched alot and when I put any kind of lotion or ointment on it got worse. The ingrow hairs need to dry out but I did not want my tattoo to get to dry and scab. Its been two and a half weeks and every thing is fine now but how to I avoid this next time? Or do I just need to deal with it? I feel like if I had shaved it my self it would not have been so bad.

I totally recommend that you shave your arm yourself. The problem is, unfortunately, you're always going to end up irritating your skin when you put ointment and lotion on repeatedly. This will affect not only those potential ingrown hairs but also your skin's pores. (I've experienced this, too, and it's gross, I know!)

Needless to say, I recommend shaving your arm yourself a couple hours before you go to get your tattoo. I would also recommend that you use a mild astringent (like for your face, Neutrogena is good) on the area that you shaved directly afterwards. This should clean up the pores of your arm enough to at least give your arm a fighting chance to keep the bumps, etc off.

If you do get ingrown hairs/zits, though, don't stop using the ointment/lotion, no matter how much it sucks! It is more important to keep your tattoo moist and hydrated than worrying about the bumps. Those bumps won't remove ink, but they will scab if you pick at them - if you scab, you risk lifting/removal of the ink. All tattoo artists and enthusiasts have their favorite methods of healing a tattoo - I'll tell you, with the 55+ hours of work that I've got, the best method is vitamin A&D ointment for the first two days, then lotion thereafter until your skin is done peeling. To lessen the risk of those ingrown hairs/bumps while using lotion, too, I recommend getting an unscented, NON-COMODOGENIC lotion like Lubriderm. Fragrance can irritate your skin, and non-comodogenic lotions will not clog your pores.

I hope that's some help.

[borntoblossom]

And op, I would not worrie about sweating and I would try not to put to much pressure on it for a few days but thats just imo. When I go the gym after getting a new tattoo I try not to let it touch anything in the gym, I keep a shirt over it and put a towle on the bench, first thing I do when I get home is wash it. The last thing I would want is an infection in my new tattoo.

^^^ and that's sound advice. A new tattoo is a big open wound! Keep it clean! (preferrably with an unscented liquid soap that doesn't contain extra moisturizers)

[v4nity]

youre good to go.
from experience (i have 20+ tats)
the gym has not affected my tats to date.

when i got the gun tattooed on my back, my sports bra rubbed it a bit, but no colour loss or anything..

[jylphoenix]

Typically, I don't workout intensely for the first 48 hrs of getting my tattoo. My piece takes up a decent size portion on my back.

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/inde...ageID=44557728

what the artist doesn't want you to do is soak your tattoo in a swimming pool, jacuzzi or go sunbathing. After you workout definitely keep the tattoo area clean. A&D ointment is your friend, then when the peeling stage begins (for me its usually on the 3rd day), lotion is your friend

hope this helps