Will Your Tattoo Change If You Lose Weight?

You may want to lose the extra pounds to get a confidence boast. But, losing weight can affect your body by producing excess skin. This excess skin can lead you to double-think about losing weight if you have a number of tattoos. Will your tattoo change if you lose weight? Will it stay the same or change over time?

The fact is, there won’t be much of a difference if you lose a normal amount of weight. But the appearance can be ruined if your weight loss is very significant. If you lose a huge amount of weight in a short period of time, the placement and colour of the tattoo can get ruined.

The size and design also get ruined due to the extra loose skin produced by the weight loss. The same problem persists when you gain a significant amount of weight.

In this article, we will discuss the relationship between weight fluctuation and tattoo distortion. We will discuss what happens to your tattoo when you gain or lose excess amounts of fat. Let’s get into it!

Weight Fluctuation and Tattoo Distortion – Basic Discussion

Weight fluctuation has a direct relationship with tattoo distortion. Your skin is the largest organ in your body. It has the ability to stretch to accommodate your weight. When you gain a lot of weight, your skin stretches to cover the excess fat. But your tattoo will also stretch with your skin.

The tattoo is done using a tattoo ink pen which pierces the skin multiple times in a short period of time. The ink gets pushed into your pores to make the tattoo happen.

But your tattoo artist uses ink depending on your body size. Depending on your size, the artist will create a design that best compliments your body. The tattoo has to be precise, or it won’t look good.

When your weight increases or decreases, your skin also stretches. Excess weight loss results in loose skin while excess weight gain results in stretch marks. Both of these are a big no-no for your tattoo’s basic appearance.

Stretchmarks ruin the basic appearance of your tattoo while loose skin distorts your tattoo. So, be sure to think about it before getting a tattoo.

How does Weight Loss Affect Your Tattoos?

While a slight weight loss won’t affect your ink, a significant amount of weight loss can cause some serious changes to your tattoos.

Let’s take a look at how weight loss affects your tattoos in terms of size, placement, design, and color.

Size Of Your Tattoo

The size of your tattoo is something that is set in stone, or rather, ink. So when you lose a lot of weight, your tattoo can start to appear loose and distorted as your skin changes. The folds and loose skin caused by significant weight loss can cause the size of your tattoo to change, sometimes to the point where you may need to have it removed entirely.

Placement of the Tattoo

The placement of your tattoo can be just as important as the design itself. Unfortunately, significant weight loss can negatively impact the placement of your tattoo. As your skin becomes loose and stretchy, your tattoo’s placement can become harder to decipher, making it difficult for others to appreciate your ink in the way you intended.

Design

The design of your tattoo is the centerpiece of your ink, and when you lose a lot of weight, it can significantly impact the way it looks. The loose skin can obscure parts of the design, which can distort its meaning and overall aesthetic. All the pain and hard work you put into getting your tattoo can be lost if you lose a lot of weight.

Color

The color of your tattoo can also be affected by weight loss. The vibrant colors of your tattoo come from the fat present in your skin. When you lose a significant amount of weight, your skin can become dull and lifeless, and the color of your tattoo may start to fade away.

Read More: Can you get a skin color tattoo?

So, before you embark on a weight loss journey, it’s important to consider how it might affect your tattoos. While a slight amount of weight loss won’t have any impact, significant weight loss can distort your tattoo’s size, placement, design, and color.

Will Your Tattoo Change If You Gain Weight?

Weight gain can also present its own set of challenges. Gaining a lot of weight in a short amount of time can cause a lot of problems for your tattoos. This includes changes to the design, size, and placement.

Let’s take a closer look at how weight gain can impact your tattoos.

Size

When you gain a significant amount of weight, your skin stretches, and your tattoo’s size can become distorted. Tattoo lines and details are created with exact measurements, and any change to your skin’s size or shape can alter the way your tattoo looks. The stretching of your skin can cause your tattoo to lose its integrity, resulting in a less appealing appearance.

Placement

Similar to how weight loss can impact tattoo placement, weight gain can also cause issues. As your skin stretches and becomes enlarged, the placement of your tattoo can become displaced. This can cause the tattoo to stretch over a larger area, which can ruin its art and overall appearance.

Design

Your tattoo’s design is an essential aspect of your ink, but gaining a significant amount of weight in a short period of time can ruin it. A tattoo design is created with precise measurements and careful attention to detail. When you gain weight, the stretching of your skin can cause the measurements of the design to become distorted. Additionally, stretch marks caused by excess weight gain can intersect with your tattoo design, creating an undesirable look.

So, it’s important to keep an eye on your weight, whether you’re trying to lose or gain weight. Changes to your body can impact your tattoos, so it’s essential to be aware of how your ink may be affected.

Can I lose Weight After Getting a Tattoo?

You can choose to lose weight after getting a tattoo as the tattoo will not affect your weight fluctuation. But it will somehow change your tattoo’s outer appearance.

Tattoos are done by piercing your skin with a needle multiple times in a short period of time. The ink sets in your skin and becomes a part of it. There is no risky health effect of getting a tattoo.

The highest effect a tattoo can have on your skin is that your skin might develop a rash or skin infection. But it doesn’t affect your metabolism.

Your weight solely depends on your metabolism. When your metabolism is high, your body burns more calories to produce heat and energy. Your body burns fat for producing calories and this stored-up fat is the main reason for your weight increment.

As tattoo ink and the tattooing procedure has no effect on your metabolism, you don’t have to worry about losing weight after getting a tattoo. That being said, your tattoo loses its shape and design when you lose a significant amount of fat.  If the weight loss is very dire, then it is possible that your tattoo gets ruined (sorry).

Do Tattoo Artists Have Any Problems If You are Overweight?

No. Tattoo artists have no problem if you are overweight. It is their duty to serve you, and they shouldn’t discriminate in providing service based on their personal prejudice. But, if you have a major surgery planned ahead or the tattooing procedure is not suitable for you, then they can refuse you.

A tattoo artist has to provide service to any customer who can pay the price. It is not up to the artist to refuse service based on their personal preferences or prejudices. It is not ethically, morally or legally right.

If someone accuses a tattoo artist of this crime, then the tattoo artist can face legal and public backlash. So, you don’t have to worry about the tattoo artist’s refusal.

However, if you have a major medical problem that can aggravate due to getting a tattoo, then your tattoo artist can refuse to tattoo you. Based upon these medical grounds, your tattoo artist can refuse to serve you:

• Gastric Bypass
• Liposuction
• Heart Surgery
• Chemotherapy
• Allergy to the tattoo ink

Wrapping Up

We think we have tackled the question ‘Will your tattoo change if you lose weight’.

If you lose a slight amount of weight, your tattoo won’t see much difference. But,  a huge amount of weight loss can ruin the appearance of your tattoo. A significant amount of weight loss can result in a tattoo losing its placement and colour.

Weight loss can also affect the size of your tattoo. It can also ruin your tattoo design. The same problems can be seen if you gain a huge amount of weight in a short amount of time.

We hope this article helped you with your quest for answers. Without further ado, get a tattoo appointment and revamp yourself!