If so, in order to keep it in that condition you need to keep UV rays away from your ink. "The sun does fade your tattoos," says Alana Robbie, a tattoo artist of 13 years in an email to Bustle.

The sun emits two types of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, UVA and UVB. They do different things to your skin and can damage tattoos in different ways. Sunscreen can prevent UVA and UVB rays from ...

and UVB rays (which cause sunburn). For healed tattoos, apply sunscreen 15 minutes before sun exposure and reapply every two hours—more frequently when swimming or perspiring heavily.

Combating skin damage and protecting against skin cancer only scratches the surface of why it's important to apply sunscreen on your tattoos. According to Dr. Libby, UV rays from the sun "may fade ...