For the tattooed among us...

scarletspy

I've been wanting to get my next tattoo for what feels like forever but I'm a bit wary. My next tattoo is going to be a fairly big piece spanning the length of my side. I have a lot of weight to lose and excess skin is very likely. Given that it'll be on my side/stomach area I'm worried that if I get it done now it'll look warped when I lose. At the same time, I've been trying to lose weight for a decade now and I don't want to keep waiting. My other tattoos are on my forearms and the back of my neck - not places you would expect a lot of loose skin - so I wasn't too worried about them.

Anyone in here have experience in this area? If you've lost a huge amount of weight has it affected your tattoos?

Moxie42

That's a great question and I'm looking forward to seeing people's answers!

I've made my next tattoo a reward for when I hit my goal weight. I was worried about getting it done too early, but also am sick of waiting (been wanting it for 10 years and was supposed to get it after I got married almost 3 years ago but I never lost the weight). So now I'm hoping having that as a reward will help me stay motivated.

Christine_72

A friend of my daughters had an eagle tattooed on her stomach that spanned from hip to hip. She was overweight when she had it done. After she lost weight, the wings on the eagle were droopy..
It's hard to explain, but the eagle looked proud and high when she first got it done, but ended up sad and kinda melty looking after she'd lost the weight.

bbell1985

Honestly, I'd wait. If you really want something now, get something smaller and wait for the big piece. They're so expensive too.

sheepingly

i agree, i'd wait. Or you can get something else in a part that doesn't get all "droopy" with weight loss

AmyOutOfControl

I got a tattoo of a butterfly on my stomach when I was skinny and 18. Bad idea.

Years later -- I was in labor with my 10 pound daughter when I realized just HOW bad of an idea. The nurse came in to check on my contractions when she noticed the tattoo. Her response, "Oh look! Every time you have a contraction it starts flying!". Hardee-har-har

In summary, it no longer looks like a butterfly. Weight gain and pregnancy has ruined it. My advice, no stomach or side tattoos.

everher

I have one I got on my back when I was younger and about 10 lbs heavier or so than I am now.

Gained a lot of weight over the years and now I'm slimmer again and it looks nothing like it did. Like the dimensions look completely different.

ZoneFive

Have you chosen your artist yet? You might ask him/her, or any tattoo artist, really. Experienced artists may very well have seen this happen before and have some good advice.

crooked_left_hook

I have a large one on my lower back that I got when I was about the size I am now. I gained and lost 50 lbs and didn't notice any change. I do however have a ton of stretch marks on the side of my hips from before the tattoo. They can be hard to tattoo over and the lines in that area are not clean due to the blowout caused by uneven skin texture. (Blowout is when ink spreads under the skin causing fuzzy lines. It tends to happen in places when your skin texture changes suddenly and the tattoo artist goes too deep because they didn't have a chance to adjust their pressure). I also have a friend that had some swallows on her hip bones that got very distorted during her pregnancy. I would wait until you've lost the weight and are confident you will be able to maintain it, but also take into consideration your skin texture and stretch marks before making a final decision on location. Tattoos are way to expensive, and perminant, to rush into.

JaydedMiss

I got one on my hip that extends a bit onto my belly. Aswell as one all down my leg that extends onto my semi pathetic butt. Not worried they look great but only you can know for sure. Look long and hard at your body in the mirror, See if you can see it sagging, Decide if itd bother you. To me it didnt and was worth it

AgileK9

I have several tattoos but the one most affected by weight gain and loss is a small one on my hip. It's a little tiki looking guy and he's gotten so squished looking that I keep saying I need to get a boulder tattooed on his head because it looks like one fell on him.

I'd wait until you get to the weight you want or get it in a different spot.

sgt1372

OP: I think the responses that you've gotten already provide the answer you need.

I don't have any tattoos but I've thought about getting one for years. Love looking at them and love reading books/mags and watching shows on TV about them but I always balk at getting one. Why?

1) Never found a design that I wanted on my body for life.

2) Watching Ink Master and Tattoo Nightmares and Ink Master Redemption just makes me think that whoever I pick to do the work will F it up one way or another and I'll have to live w/that mistake forever (unless I can get it covered up which woukd be another problem).

3) Tattoos fade and skin changes over time. The tattoo you get today almost certainly won't look the same in 10, 20 or 30 years.
Skin generally wrinkkes and/or sags as we age and that's not even taking into account changes in skin due to weight gain or loss.

So as much of a fan of tattoos as I am, I'm never going to get one but if that's your heart's desire, go for it. It's your life and your skin. Just be aware of the consequences.

tinkerbellang83

OP how much weight do you consider to be a huge amount?

Whilst I agree that waiting until you're comfortable, excess skin is not necessarily inevitable for everyone. It's down to genetics mostly and how fast you lose weight. I have a fair few tattoos - one sleeve, one half sleeve, 3 on my back, one on my wrist and also my feet. Apart from 2 of the older ones, that pre-date the newer formulations of ink, they look just as vibrant as they did when I got them - had some of them around 10-15 years now. I've lost and gained weight a number of times and my arms in particular have been slim/toned and fat and my tattoos still look the same.

Someone on my newsfeed recently asked the same question - this is a fairly well explained article which I shared at the time: http://www.livestrong.com/article/322734-what-happens-to-tattoos-when-you-lose-weight/

crackpotbaby

It depends on the design, placement, your body and skin type.

My obscure side piece has survived weight fluctuations of 25+ kg with each pregnancy, and also 15kg rapid weight gain and loss.

crackpotbaby

10 ish kg comparison.



That side tattoo was done in 1999, incidentally.

scarletspy

Thanks for all the replies. Ideally I'd like to lose at least 100lbs but I carry most of my weight on my hips and legs. Still, I've decided to wait a while longer. I've said I want it done by the end of next year so hopefully it'll help motivate me to kick the weight loss into high gear!

Thanks again for the advice

150poundsofme

A different question but what place on your body hurts the least for a tattoo?

JaydedMiss

150poundsofme wrote: »

A different question but what place on your body hurts the least for a tattoo?

Depends on the person @150poundsofme I have some on parts they said would be the worst and it didnt hurt, And parts that were supposed to be simple that literally made my entire body twitch and jerk it was weird xD If you want it, Get it where you want. Its worth it aslong as its what/where you want, The pains a minor factor

scarletspy

It depends. Getting tattoed over boney areas like the feet are supposed to be more painful - any areas with less padding really. Also, it depends on individual pain tolerance levels. The pain doesn't bother me - I think if feels like a cat digging their claws in - and eventually you get used to is and you go a bit numb. The biggest issue for me is I've found my blood sugar drops when getting tattooed. My last tattoo took 3 hours and I drank about a litre of sugary juice during that time to stave off dizziness.

Still the pain is sort of like a test. You're going to have your tattoos forever. If the possible pain is an obstacle for you then you probably shouldn't get one. Only do it if you're 100% sure

TnZMom

sgt1372 wrote: »

3) Tattoos fade and skin changes over time. The tattoo you get today almost certainly won't look the same in 10, 20 or 30 years.
Skin generally wrinkkes and/or sags as we age and that's not even taking into account changes in skin due to weight gain or loss.

You can't buy an old tattoo.

(Quote from a country singer whose name I forgot.)

And... all tattoos are temporary.

I have thick arms, and my tattoos there look fine after a 50 lb. pregnancy gain and loss.

Belly would probably be different, especially if you are going for details and fine lines and anything geometric.

BUT... don't go through too much of your life without a tattoo you'll love. Age matters, too. Ten or fifteen years changes your skin plenty.

I was going to reward myself with a rib/side tattoo after meeting goal. Plus I inwardly thought that only ladies with flat bellies... you know, how people think with bikinis or midriff tops.

But I got a tattoo on my ribs/side a year ago even though I have some weight to lose yet. Part of it goes over my belly. I LOVE it.

And google "blastover."

150poundsofme

JaydeMiss and Scarletspy, Thank you for your advice. I appreciate it.

bbell1985

I'm adding to the peony on my shoulder today!! I haven't seen the artist's design yet. Excited!

rjsharpe1

among us