Losing weight with tattoos

carduccic

I am at the beginning of my weight loss journey still, almost two months in, but I was just wondering if anyone has lost a significant amount of weight who had tattoos before they started their journey, and if so, was your tattoo different after the weight was gone? I would also love pictures if you have examples. Obviously placement and size might make a big difference. I'm not sure how many people thought to take a before photo of their tattoo though, but if a lot of people had changes I probably will before I lose too much more weight. It's not too pressing, but I have been a bit curious for a while. Thanks!

deannaaaaaaaaa

i would also like to know this. One of my tattoos is (very large) on the back of my calf and ive been curious what might happen to it...

BusyRaeNOTBusty

I have a small rose on my hip. I've also had 3 babies which has caused that area to grow and shrink 3 times. The rose is now very blurry. It's also 16 years old and was a pretty cheap tattoo.

MelanieBallantino

Weight loss can cause tats too look different. I once had an artist tell me that women should never get them in certain areas like lower belly and thighs.

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

I have two small tattoos, one above my ankle and one on my upper arm just below my shoulder. I have lost 70kg/154lbs.

The one on my ankle was never in the right position when I was obese, but the tattoo artist at the time said that when I was a normal weight it would be placed correctly. 14 years later it turns out he was right. It hasn't shrunk or stretched at all, but it is centred much more correctly on my leg now.

The one on my shoulder is a bit different. I don't specifically have loose skin right there, but the tattoo has moved a little and kind of shrunk. Mainly I notice that it's not as clear as it was before - it's a Kanji character done in black ink and it's sort of smudgy between the lines now.

Sorry I don't have photos! I suspect that any larger tattoos would have changed quite significantly, I definitely have loose skin and my whole body size has shrunk quite a bit.

MamaRiss

I have a large one on my lower back that I got at 20 and a normal weight. Through two pregnancies and a 60 pound weight gain and loss, it doesn't seem to have changed much (other than 10 years of fading). Some of the finer details may have blurred, but I also can barely see the thing

anarchysbitch

If anything tattoos will tend to look brighter and fresher after weight loss as the pigment that lies under the skin gets closer together as the the weight drops and the skin tightens. Gaining weight will have a negative effect on tattoos however.

heartpie

Are you serious? Can a tattoo really help me lose weight? Or is it just another placebo treatment???

redpandora56

seandaniken wrote: »

Are you serious? Can a tattoo really help me lose weight? Or is it just another placebo treatment???

I think you've misunderstood the thread. People are commenting on how weight loss/gain has affected the appearance of their tattoos, not claiming that the tattoos had any impact on the actual weight loss/gain.

OP - mine haven't been impacted but I think that is more due to placement as my weight loss was primarily from non-tattooed areas. Friends of mine though who have lost weight have had some distortion but it's relatively minor - as some of the other posters have suggested, how much it changes will depend a lot on how old it is, colours, linework, placement etc. So it's a tricky one to answer!

Liftng4Lis

I'm pretty sure this cat is going to sit:

Ninkyou

seandaniken wrote: »

Are you serious? Can a tattoo really help me lose weight? Or is it just another placebo treatment???

Did you even read the OP? OP is talking about how tattoos change because of skin changes with weight loss.


OP, I don't have any tattoos, so I'm no help. However, I do want to say, don't let any possible change deter you from your goals. You can always have the tattoo removed and/or changed (if you can afford it).

PeachyCarol

I'm hoping mine's in a good enough spot not to be affected. We'll see. 24 pounds down and still holding up okay.

lishie_rebooted

deannaaaaaaaaa wrote: »

i would also like to know this. One of my tattoos is (very large) on the back of my calf and ive been curious what might happen to it...

The calf tattoo shouldn't be affected that much unless you're severely overweight, which according to your ticker, you aren't.
Your calves will shrink a little but it won't be the same affect as stomach/rib tats.

OP, I've got 4 tats but 3 are on pretty bony parts of me anyway (ribs, shoulder blade, ankle) . I haven't noticed a change in my rib tattoo at all. My 4th tat is on my hips. I haven't noticed too much different in it but I'm sure I will if I ever get pregnant

jchite84

I have a sleeve as well as tattoos on my calves, chest, back, and ribs. I've lost up to 50 lbs, and now seasonally fluctuate around 15 - 20 lbs (I run, so I tend to gain in the winter), I had some stretch marks on the inside of my arms when I was at my heaviest, but they faded when I lost, and didn't make any major impacts on any of my tattoos.

carduccic

seandaniken wrote: »

Are you serious? Can a tattoo really help me lose weight? Or is it just another placebo treatment???

Please reread my post, I'm not at all saying having/getting a tattoo will have any effect on weight loss.

Thanks for the feedback everyone else! I have a tattoo for a deceased family member on my calf (and one not as important elsewhere), so although it wouldn't keep be from losing weight
I'm glad to hear it shouldn't change much for the worse if it does change. Although my calf definitely has size to lose right now.