Exercising before your tattoo is fine but you should avoid activities that drain your muscles and make you super sore. Anything that strains your muscles will make your tattoo process a lot more painful as your muscles will already be aching.
Drink a lot of water during the week; avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before getting tattooed. Please do not shave the area; we will do it for you at your appointment. Avoid aspirin or blood thinning medication at least 24 hours before your tattoo; ibuprofen, acetaminophen, & other NSAID pain relievers are OK.
Wait at least 48 hours before partaking in any strenuous activity that has you sweating profusely, especially high-octane cardio and weight lifting. The pulling of skin as muscles expand and contract together with excessive sweat entering the area of your fresh tattoo can prove challenging to the healing process.
Don't overwork or concentrate on the muscle area under your tattoo. Keep a shirt on and/or have the tattoo covered at all times to keep gym bacteria away. Friction is not your friend: Make sure your movements don't cause your tattoo to rub against your clothing or other areas of your body.
Despite the body working so effectively, excessive sweating with a new tattoo can disintegrate the ink before the skin has had time to trap it. The macrophages will then be unable to carry out their work successfully. This can also alter the appearance of the tattoo and create blurriness or fading.
We do not recommend going to the gym or heavy exercise for 24 hours before our tattoo session or soon after, as this can affect your skin both during the application of the tattoo and during the healing.
You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
Make sure to keep the tattoo covered (no need to re-wrap, your clothing should be fine), and wipe down any equipment you used during your workout. Sweat won't hurt your new tattoo, so don't worry about that. Just shower up when you are done with your workout.
Working Out After Getting a New Tattoo
As a general rule, it's recommended to wait 2-3 days before any high intensity training. Then, it's recommended to wait slowly with light exercise programs until the new tattoo is completely healed (2-3 weeks after getting the tattoo).
We advise that you don't drink coffee before getting a tattoo. Sure, drinking coffee, or any drink that contains caffeine, may calm your nerves, but this is a temporary effect and should be avoided. For one, caffeine is known to thin the blood, which can increase bleeding and reduce healing.
Timing Matters. For smaller tattoos, give yourself at least 2 full days (to go for a run) for your skin to recover after getting tattooed. For medium and larger designs, wait 72 hours. Also listen to your body.
You need to be aware of keeping your tattoo clean and dry while it is fresh, so a night out might not be the best option. It's generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours after your new tattoo before you start drinking alcohol again.
The main thing is to try to keep pressure off of the new tattoo, so if you are a side sleeper with a new arm tattoo, sleep on the opposite arm. If it's a back tattoo, try to sleep on your front. Taking the pressure off will relieve the pain you can feel with a new piece, and it will also help you to avoid damaging it.
You'll want to keep the tattoo wrapped for at least the first night because it will take a while for it to settle down and stop leaking. You don't want an open wound like that touching your bed sheets, getting blood everywhere, or dirt and dust getting into the wound itself.
Any part of the body that has a little more muscle and a little more flesh will make for a less painful tattoo, like your thighs, upper arms or forearms, and shoulders.
If you're wondering what to eat before you visit the tattoo studio, cook a meal that's protein-rich with plenty of eggs, fish or red meat. Protein helps with recovery, so it's a great way to prepare for the procedure ahead.
The least painful places for a woman to get a tattoo are areas with less nerve endings and thicker skin like the outside of your shoulders or the outside of your upper thighs.
Tattoo appearance will change after large weight loss or weight gain and they may look saggy or off-point, or stretched and faded. Remember, the skin is the largest organ of your body. It stretches and shrinks as needed, but a tattoo is not as flexible. Lines may not align as they did previously.
Half-Sleeve Tattoo Cost
The average cost for a half-sleeve tattoo is $500 to $1,500. It can span either the bicep or the forearm.