Only in cases of extreme weight loss or weight gain will you see a noticeable difference in a tattoo design, says celebrity tattoo artist Dillon Forte: "Weight change has virtually no effect on the tattoo unless the weight gain or loss is like 100 pounds.
If you are only losing a small amount of weight, or you are losing weight over a long period in gradual intervals, the weight loss will not affect your tattoos that much. However, if you are trying to lose a lot of weight quickly, it is probably best to wait until afterward to get your tattoo.
Small to moderate weight gain likely won't distort or stretch your tattoo. Yet sudden or severe weight gain will most likely alter the appearance of your tat. You can also opt for a tactical placement to avoid the effects of skin stretching.
Your tattoos' look may alter with significant weight loss or gain, becoming drooping, off-kilter, or stretched and faded. Remember that your skin is the largest organ in your body.
You should expect your upper arm and abdomen to sag more as you age, which can affect how a tattoo in those areas would look. "Shoulders and ankles have tight skin, and the skin does not sag and become as loose over time, unlike the upper arm or abdomen," Edgar Fincher, a dermatologist, told Allure.
Choosing the Right Location for the Tattoo
The location of a tattoo can also play a role in whether or not it stretches over time. Areas of the body that are prone to stretching, such as the stomach, chest, arms, and legs, may require touch-ups or even complete redrawing over time to maintain their original appearance.
Simply stated, yes, it is safe to tattoo over stretch marks. It is important to know that your skin may be more sensitive in and around the area of your stretch marks.
As we age and our skin becomes more pliable, so the lines and edges of tattoos can blur, Zoeller says. "Tattoos fade because we are human and we age," she says. "Skin will wrinkle and sag, which affects the appearance of tattoos. All tattoos will soften and spread on the skin over time.
Here are the most and least painful spots to get inked. Tattoo pain will vary depending on your age, sex, and pain threshold. The most painful spots to get a tattoo are your ribs, spine, fingers, and shins. The least painful spots to get a tattoo are your forearms, stomach, and outer thighs.
Another factor of tattoo aging is dependent on the location of your tattoo. This has a big effect on tattoos because the artwork can be compromised as your skin wrinkles and sags. Outlines may get muddled, colours will fade, and the original ink might not be discernable.
The outer layers of your skin will heal in about two to four weeks, while the deeper layers where the ink sits will take about 4 months to heal.
Don't worry, this is completely natural. It happens because the old skin, damaged during the tattooing process, forms a thin layer over your tattoo and masks its true appearance. In time this old skin will naturally exfoliate itself, revealing your tattoo underneath in all its vibrant glory.
The tattooing process prompts your body to kill off and shed the damaged skin cells, while it regenerates brand new skin over the tattooed area. As this old, damaged layer of skin dies, it sits on the surface for a while, forming a translucent layer over your tattoo, giving it a faded, milky appearance.
Guess how tattoos stay there forever, even as your skin cells die and are replaced? French researchers say they have found the answer, and it's a little bit surprising. They found that immune system cells called macrophages eat the ink, and then pass it to their replacements when they die.
Crepey skin can be tattooed, with some caveats. Because crepey skin occurs where the skin has lost collagen and elastin, it's looser and saggy. Tattooing loose skin can be tricky because the image will stretch along with the skin, so that portrait of a mermaid may end up looking like an eel-lady.
Does acne damage the tattoo? In most cases, acne blemishes will not damage a tattoo. However, picking or popping a pimple will increase the risk of spreading harmful bacteria to nearby skin, which can lead to more pimples on an old tattoo or a skin infection in a new tattoo.
This is because the wound is still fresh, and if you have any scabbing or raised areas, you run the risk of damaging the art by running a razor across it. Both Rabach and Otsuji agree to wait at least two weeks (four on the safe side) to shave after getting a tattoo.
When tattoos are placed over a muscle, the tattoo may stretch if you subsequently increase the muscle mass in that area. Moderate muscle growth should not have any noticeable effect upon a tattoo. However, sudden or significant muscle growth may damage the design and ink of the tattoo.
Tattoos that age well tend to be done on bony areas, regions where wrinkles are less likely to form and you tend to store minimal body storing fat.
Those attracted to women saw a three-way tie between the upper back, shoulder and hips (with a 3.3 rating). The back: a top-rated tattoo location for women and men. The hip: a top-rated tattoo location for women. The upper arm: a top-rated tattoo location for men.
Keep in mind: Of the people we talked to (the majority being teenagers to twentysomethings), a whopping 78 percent regret at least one of their tattoos. And 19 percent of participants with two tattoos regret both. Planning ahead is the best way you can make sure you don't suffer from tattoo regret.
By day six or seven, scabs should start to cover and thicken on the freshly tattooed area. During this week of your healing journey, the skin will be flaky and may start feeling a bit itchy. This is completely normal as the dry skin is getting ready to exfoliate itself away as the top layer of the skin heals.