Many people ask: “how can I get my tattoo to heal faster?”

In short, you can’t do it safely, but you can keep the healing process to the shortest acceptable time by making smart decisions.

The initial healing phase of a new tattoo can last anywhere from three to four weeks. Tattoos aren’t considered fully healed until around six months after being inked.

Individuals heal at different rates. There are a variety of aftercare approaches and healing process factors that can contribute to a comparably faster recovery rate after getting your new tattoo.

The following article will introduce 9 behavioral approaches designed to make healing more effective and faster but stick to the accepted timeline.

1. Prepare your skin prior to getting tattooed

The best methods to ensure skin health prior to getting inked include:

• Staying hydrated
• Being well rested
• Eating a healthy, low fat diet
• Keeping your skin from distress during the tattoo by using numbing products or taking regular breaks
• Limiting drug, cigarette and alcohol intake
• Avoiding extreme weather or being sunburned when you arrive for your tattoo appointment

Caring for your skin and ensuring it is as healthy as possible will ensure the tattoo has the best chance to heal at a suitable speed.

2. Follow your tattoo artist’s aftercare advice

Your tattoo artist wants to see you come back to get another new awesome tattoo design, not clean up after the first piece of body art was poorly cared for when it was healing.

Experienced tattoo professionals have seen all types of clients, with all different skin types, and can offer you extremely valuable aftercare advice that will help you immediately and for the lifetime of your tattoo.

Listen to the advice of your tattoo artist when it comes to different approaches to tattoo aftercare. These days it is part of their duty of care to give you a better understanding of freshly tattooed skin.