The effect of the sun on the skin
This article reviews how UV radiation affects the skin, tattoos and permanent pigments, as well as how to protect yourself from UV radiation.
There is still summer left and sunny warm weather. Everyone who has tattoos or permanent pigmentation surely wants to wear less clothing when going out and be able to show their decorated skin, but even that has it's risks, which is discussed in this article.
- UV radiation and how does it affect the skin?
Let's start with the structure of the skin. The skin has three different layers. Epidermis (outermost layer), dermis (middlemost layer) and subcutaneous tissue (lowest layer), which is mainly adipose tissue.
Microblading pigment is placed in the epidermis of the skin, which causes the pigment to disappear over time. The tattoo pigment is placed in the dermis, which makes the tattoo permanent.
Of the UV radiation, UVA and UVB are the ones that reach the earth's surface.
UVA radiation penetrates very deeply to the dermis layer of the skin, where the tattoo ink is located. Although this skin layer is mostly protected from the sun's burning rays, UVA radiation can still penetrate there, which contributes to skin aging.
UVB radiation penetrates the top layer of the skin, the epidermis, where the microblading pigment is located. This radiation causes the skin burn. Sunburnt skin is already a bad thing, even if there are no tattoos or permanent pigmentation.
If exposure to UV rays is continuous without any protection, the ink will start to break down. The white blood cells carry the pigment away, as if it were an inflammation or a foreign particle. The remaining pigment spreads and becomes uneven, fading the tattoo or permanent pigmentation.
If the skin burns in the sun and you have recently had a tattoo or permanent pigmentation, it can deform and prevent the operated area from healing properly. Fresh tattoos and permanent pigmentation are open wounds. Thus, they are exposed to external elements such as bacteria and the sun. If the sun burns the skin in the newly operated area, the worst case risk is inflammation and the tattoo or Permanent Pigmentation will not be able to heal properly.
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- How to protect yourself from the sun?
The best way to protect yourself from the sun is to avoid the sun completely. Stay in shady places, such as under a canopy or parasol. Even this does not protect completely, because even in the shade, the skin can receive up to half of the UV radiation it does in direct sunlight.
Another way is to wear loose covering clothes and a big hat, which prevent the sun's radiation from reaching the skin directly.
In addition to these, it is good to remember to use sunscreen, adding it a few times a day when you are in the sun.
- When can you use sunscreen over a fresh tattoo or permanent pigmentation?
You must not put anything other than the after care cream on a freshly tattooed or permanently pigmented area!
Tattoos and permanent pigmentation heal in approx. 2-4 weeks (healing time for a larger tattoo may be longer). Throughout this healing period, treat the operated area as if it were an open wound, because that's what it is (follow the treatment instructions given by the tattoo artist). After 2-4 weeks of healing, when the surface layer of the operated area has completely healed, it is safe to apply sunscreen and it is also recommended.
- What kind of sunscreen do I recommend?
Based on the mode of action, sunscreens are divided into chemical and physical protections. Chemical sunscreens are absorbed into the skin and change the form of UV rays so that they do not cause damage to the skin. Physical, i.e. mineral sunscreens reflect UV rays away from the surface of the skin.
With tattoos and permanent pigmentation, I recommend using mineral sunscreens with at least SPF 30, which protects against UVA and UVB rays.
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(The adjacent picture shows 'Nivea Sun Kids Mineral UV protection' mineral sunscreen as an example, which I found at the nearest Tokmann.)
