Can You Exercise After a Tattoo? Here’s What You Need to Know

Did you get your first-ever tattoo? If so, you must take care of it and give it enough time to heal to make it long-lasting. Tattoo aftercare also includes putting your exercises and workouts on hold because working out after getting a tattoo can have various side effects. But How Long After a Tattoo Can You Work Out?

Remember that you can work out after 4-6 weeks of getting inked, depending on the tattoo’s size and the body part involved. You will wait less if you use a good-quality numbing cream before your tattoo session, making the tattooing session pain-free and enhancing healing.

To guide you further,  we have created a detailed guide here that explains the types of workouts you can do and the best numbing creams. So, let’s dig in to learn it all!

Why Wait After Getting a Tattoo

You cannot work out immediately after getting a tattoo and must wait. Now, what’s the reason behind it? It is because of the open wound, friction, stretching, sweating, and other factors that might change the appearance of the tattoo and have a risk of infection.

      ·  Open Wound:

The tattooing breaks the skin, leaving multiple puncture wounds, most of which are open wounds. Many microorganisms can easily enter your body through these wounds through workout equipment. That’s why you have to wait before starting your workout sessions.

      ·  Stretching and Sweating:

Workouts stretch muscles and cause excessive sweating. It can hinder the tattoo’s healing process and might change its appearance. So, it is recommended not to work out right after getting a tattoo.

      ·  Friction:

Friction is another reason people don’t work out after a tattoo. Rubbing gym equipment or clothing against your skin can irritate and rub off the scabs. It can also interfere with the healing process.

How Long After a Tattoo Can You Work Out

Tattoo artists usually suggest waiting 48 hours before exercising and going to the gym. However, a tattoo takes 4-6 weeks to heal properly, so it is better to wait a bit longer. It also depends upon the size and nature of your tattoo. Small tattoos take less time to heal, while big, complicated ones take longer.

The part of your body where you got a tattoo also matters. Tattoos on your elbows, stomach and knees are more susceptible to stretching while working out, so you must consider all these factors before resuming your workout sessions.

What Type of Workouts You Can Do with a New Tattoo

Before returning to your workout routine, take a relaxed walk. Check if certain exercises pull on your new tattoo. If they do, exclude them and let the tattoo heal first. If your tattoo is on a small part of your body, you can do some exercises and workouts.

For example, if it’s only on the lower body, you can do arm work. You can do lunges or squats if the tattoo is on the upper body. If you have a big tattoo, finding exercises you can do with new tattoos is difficult. If you have a full back piece, you should wait until the tattoo heals before starting your exercises.

What Exercises Are Not Recommended?

The following exercises are not recommended if your tattoo is still new. In this case, you should wait 4-6 weeks before returning to the grind.

• Outdoor workouts: The skin around new tattoos is usually sensitive, and sunlight can change the appearance of the tattoo. Therefore, it is recommended that outdoor workouts be avoided.
• Swimming: You should not swim with new tattoos for at least two weeks. Swimming can fade your tattoo ink and cause bacterial infections.

Best Tattoo Numbing Creams

We have good news if you don’t want to wait weeks before returning to your normal workout routine. We have a range of safe and reliable TKTX numbing creams you must use before getting a tattoo. These numb gels make the tattooing procedure painless and stimulate the healing process. The earlier the tattoo heals, the sooner you can do your workouts.

Here we have enlisted the top numbing creams for you:

1.  TKTX White 39% Tattoo Numbing Cream

TKTX White 39% numbing cream contains all the safe and effective active ingredients, including lidocaine (5%), prilocaine (5%), and epinephrine (1%). Therefore, it is fast in action and gives you a numbing effect for 3-4 hours.

Here are the key features of this tattoo-numbing cream:

1. Least intense: TKTX White numbing cream is the least intense in the range perfect for small tattoos.
2. Water-based formula: Its water-based formula deeply penetrates your skin, leaving no oil residue.
3. Wide usage: It can be widely used for tattooing, permanent makeup, micro-blading and other aesthetic procedures.

2. TKTX Yellow 98% Numbing Cream

TKTX Yellow 98% Numbing Cream provides long-lasting numbness for 3-4 hours. It is easy to apply, and its super-fast numbing action prepares your skin for tattooing within 25 minutes of application. The key features of this numbing cream are:

1. Safe ingredients: TKTX Yellow 98% contains lidocaine (5%), prilocaine (5%), and epinephrine (1%).
2. Strongest formulation: It has the strongest formulation, giving you maximum pain tolerance during the tattoo session.
3. Intensive Procedures: It is designed for intensive procedures requiring deep numbness.

3.  TKTX Gold 40% Tattoo Numbing Cream

TKTX Gold 40% Tattoo Numbing Cream is a gold-standard numb gel containing lidocaine (5%), prilocaine (5%), and epinephrine (1%). It is great to use this cream for tattooing, micro-needling, laser hair removal, and permanent makeup. The key features of this numbing cream are as follows:

1. Premium numbness: It provides premium numbness for high-end cosmetic procedures.
2. Super-fast action: TKTX Gold has a super-fast action, giving a numbing effect within 25 minutes only.
3. Easy Application: TKTX Gold is simple to apply and does not require any expertise.

4.  TKTX Green 75% Numbing Cream

TKTX Green 75% Tattoo Numbing Cream provides extended numbness for up to 4 hours. It contains effective and safe components, including lidocaine (5%), prilocaine (5%), and epinephrine (1%). Here are its key features:

1. For green ink: TKTX Green numbing cream is exclusively for green ink tattoos.
2. Fast numbing action: It numbs your skin in a short time of 25 minutes.
3. For sensitive skin type: It perfectly complements the sensitive skin types, giving you a comfortable feeling throughout the tattoo session.

5.  TKTX Black 56% Numbing Cream

TKTX Black 56% contains lidocaine (5%), prilocaine (5%), and epinephrine (1%), which provides a smooth tattooing experience. It is fast in action, numbing the skin within 25 minutes and remaining effective for 3-4 hours. The key features of this cream are:

1. Balanced formula: It has a balanced formula that gives you an enhanced numbing effect.
2. For extensive sessions: TKTX Black is specially designed for extensive procedures.
3. Multiple uses: It can be used for tattooing, piercings, permanent makeup and much more.

Conclusion

If you are a gym rat who recently got a new tattoo and are wondering when you can resume your workouts, we are here to help. Because it depends on what kind of tattoo you have and what type of exercise you want.

You must not do swimming and outdoor workouts for 4-6 weeks to prevent infection and faded tattoos. TKTX numbing creams are a great solution to heal the tattoo faster and start your workouts again.