I have the same problem alot. I have two and got them after A races so I could take the time off not to swim.

You can still run and bike, just not swim. Maybe open water, but I wouldn't risk it. Of course you can take showers, so maybe some short open water swims (clean water?)

I thought about reynolds wrapping myself, but that's too ridiculous to explain.

Plan it for after an A race when you are recovering. If it is a tattoo that you really want then you should be willing to wait. I waited nearly a full season to be in a place where I could get mine and easily take time off to heal.

I got mine at the end of the season. That gives you an excellent reason not to swim or anything else for that matter. The tatoo will last a while so I wouldn't let a couple of months get in the way of treating the tatoo right and still get the training in.

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Larry

Don't be afraid to ride too long or too hard. That's what cell phones are for. Rich Strauss

I've heard conflicting advice on this ... a few tattoo artists say don't swim, the chlorine will *maybe* damage it; a few say it doesn't matter, and once the tats done, it's done.

With my last tat, I swam a few days later with no problems. I religiously applied Lubriderm to the tat ... which was a pretty large heavy black piece on my arm.

I suppose you could wrap/cover it with plastic wrap and medical tape while swimming. you could also probably cover it with a heavy coating of vaseline, and check it during your swim to make sure it stays coated.

Good luck with it. I'm always considering my next ... 5 and counting.

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*****
"In case of flood climb to safety"

If your going to spend the money, be smart and take good care of your tatoo for the first few weeks.

I played hockey the day after getting mine, fell directly on it and ripped all the scabs off. The black outline wasn't really affected but all the colored ink was gone in less than a year.

Now I have this amorphous blotch of ink on my left upper arm. I'll get it touched up when I get the next one, but it's really ugly right now.

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"Nobody gets out of here alive."

Why do you want to put graffitti on your body? I don't get it. What if you don't like it later?

I do laser tatoo removal in a free clinic. It doesn't work that well and removal hurts worse than the tatooing.

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_________________
Dick

Take everything I say with a grain of salt. I know nothing.

Not really any way around it if you want the tat to heal correctly. The way I see it, the 2-4 weeks is worth it if you want it to look like it should. It sucks, and it killed me not getting to go swimming or surfing, but I'd rather wait then see the money I spent wasted. Definitely makes it easier if you get it done during the off season though.

And definitely start with A+D for the first week, and switch to Lubriderm after that. Don't even think about Tat-Care, it sucks. Between that and the artist's work, I had to get mine re-done after it healed the first time. If you're around the San Diego area, I know a great place though.

I was wondering the same thing about Lasik surgery- how long I would have to be out of the pool. Hmmm, major concern.

Well, maybe I can get a tattoo the same time I'm Lasik to kill two birds with one stone so to speak.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Dave--I'll send an updated pic of me so your Tattoo artist gets it right. Where are you going to put me?

I got a tattoo 14 years ago (Sunset Blvd. in L.A. right after my 18th birthday) and took great care of it for about 5 days, then went to a pool party, had a little to drink and had to join in on the fun off the diving board. It ruined all of the colors... If you don't want to stay out of the water, stick with a black tattoo (or stay away from the liquor at the pool!)