Before any tattoo appointment or body modification, it’s important to take preparations. While pre-care is often overlooked even though it is one of the most important parts of the process. With tattoos, pre-care information is usually pretty broad: drink plenty of water, sleep well, eat a good meal, moisturize etc. But does pre-care and after-care information differ depending on the time of year? What’s the ‘best’ time of year to get tattooed?

Spring or Summer?

Depending on where you live, spring and summer can feel relatively the same. Warm, sunny weather is great for outdoor activities – but not the best for fresh tattoos. The sun poses a risk to all tattoos, new or old. The sun’s rays will break down the ink particles over time and can lead to fading or blurring depending on the amount of exposure. For fresh tattoos, you’d also have to steer clear of any swimming – otherwise there’s a high chance for bacteria to cause infection.

Summer weather is also likely to make you sweat more than the rest of the year. While sweat is a normal process of the body, too much sweating can compromise your new tattoo. Bacteria and germs can cling to excessive sweat, increasing the risk of infection or complications. So, unless you plan on taking it easy while your tattoo heals, Spring or Summer may not be the best time for you to get tattooed.

How Can I Prepare or Care for a Tattoo in Spring or Summer?

If you can’t avoid a Spring or Summer season appointment due to your own schedule or artist schedule, it’s still very important to pay special attention to before and after care. Stay hydrated as much as possible. Hot weather and unrelenting sun are prone to make your body perspire more and dehydrate faster. Water helps to keep your cells in good shape so that they have a better chance at healing a fresh tattoo. Sunblock will be your new best friend – it’s important to protect against damaging sun rays, before AND after getting a tattoo.

Prolong sun exposure can speed up natural aging processes and cause your new tattoo to not heal as well. Or, as mentioned above, sun exposure can speed up the fading process of healed tattoos. If you can, covering up with clothing is a better alternative when possible. Among all of the other precautions, these are usually the most important.

Fall or Winter?

With hours of daylight winding down, summer quickly turns to fall and then onto winter. Less sunlight means colder temperatures and possibly snow depending on where you live. That means that you’ll more than likely be bundled up in layers of clothing, protecting you and your tattoos from the elements. This will give them a better chance at healing well and holding up better long term. Additionally, many people tend to take it easy during the colder months and don’t do many strenuous activities (aside from winter sports or snow removal).

The less active you are, the less chance there is for your new tattoo to get harmed during healing. That’s not to say that fall or winter are without risks, there are still season-specific circumstances that should be addressed in your pre-care and after care. However, comparable to summer – fall and winter would be the best times of the year to get tattooed.

How Can I Prepare or Care for a Tattoo in Fall or Winter?

Similar to summer, it’s incredibly important to drink plenty of water to prepare and care for your tattoos. There’s far less moisture in the air outdoors and your body is less likely to absorb it if it’s bundled in several layers of clothes. There’s also less moisture in the air indoors, as cold weather often necessitates artificial heat. These conditions make for dry, rough or even cracked skin. So in addition to drinking more water, you’ll also have to keep up a good lotion routine to ensure that your skin is in good condition to be tattooed and to ensure proper healing of tattoos. Beyond normal pre-care and aftercare, it’s typically much easier to heal tattoos in fall and winter than in summer.