Sunbeds and Tattoos: What You Need to Know
UV fades ink and a fresh tattoo must never see a sunbed. Here's how to protect your tattoos while you tan — the honest, straightforward version.
5 min readReviewed 25 July 2026
If you've got tattoos, it's worth knowing how they and UV get along before you tan — because the honest answer is 'not brilliantly', and a little care now saves your ink later. This isn't a reason not to tan; it's just a few sensible rules worth following.
Here's the straightforward picture: what UV does to tattoos, why a fresh one must never go near a sunbed, and how to protect your artwork so it stays sharp while you build your colour.
Never tan over a new tattoo
This is the firm one: a fresh tattoo is an open wound, and it must not be exposed to a sunbed while it heals. UV on healing skin risks damaging the wound, distorting the ink, causing painful irritation and increasing the chance of infection or scarring — none of which you want on a new piece you've paid for.
Give a new tattoo plenty of time to heal fully before it sees any UV — as a guide, at least a few weeks, and follow your tattoo artist's aftercare advice, which always takes priority. If in any doubt, keep it covered and wait. There's no rush worth ruining fresh ink for.
UV fades ink over time
Even once a tattoo is fully healed, UV is the single biggest cause of tattoos fading and blurring. Ultraviolet light gradually breaks down the pigment sitting in your skin, so tattoos that get regular sun — or regular sunbed exposure — lose their crispness and colour faster than those kept protected.
This is true of any UV, from a beach holiday or a sunbed alike. It doesn't mean you can't tan with tattoos; it means that if you care about keeping your ink sharp, protecting it during exposure is well worth the small effort.
How to protect your tattoos while tanning
The simplest approach is to cover healed tattoos during your session, or apply a high-factor sunblock specifically over them so the surrounding skin tans while the ink stays shielded. Small tattoos are easy to cover; for larger pieces, a dedicated tattoo-protecting balm or a high-SPF block over the artwork does the job.
Bear in mind that covering a tattoo means that patch of skin won't tan, so around a large piece you may notice a slight difference. Most people happily accept that trade for keeping their ink vivid. If you're not sure what suits your tattoos, just ask the team in Corby or Kettering.
- Never expose a new, healing tattoo to a sunbed
- Follow your tattoo artist's aftercare first, always
- Cover healed tattoos or use a high-factor block over them
- UV fades and blurs ink over time — protection keeps it sharp
- Covered skin won't tan, so expect a slight difference around large pieces
Tanning sensibly with tattoos
Once your tattoos are healed and protected, tanning with them is perfectly fine — the usual rules simply apply. Build your colour gradually, pace sessions to your skin type, leave recovery time between visits, and always wear the protective eyewear we provide. Protecting your ink slots neatly into a sensible routine.
As with everything we do, we'll be honest with you: sunbeds are 18+ by law, UV carries real risk, and looking after both your skin and your tattoos is part of tanning properly. Ask us anything at the desk — helping you protect your artwork while you tan is exactly the kind of advice we're here for.