does gaining/losing ruin tattoos?

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sexforjaffacakes
sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a tattoo on my wrist, but I also want a tattoo on my back, and my hip when I lose weight. Trouble is, if I get the back tatoo now will it be spoiled when I lose weight? Also, if I get a hip tattoo and then get pregnant (hoping to start making babies around the age of 26-28 so that's in 7-9 years), will that ruin the tattoo completely? Or will it regain it's shape as my tummy regains shape after working off all the baby fat?
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  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
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    I would wait. With the back tattoo, as your skin shrinks with you, so will your tattoo, and it might not shrink evenly. With the hip tattoo, I would also wait if you plan on having children -- I've known several people who have gotten tattoos that stretched with pregnancy, and after they lost the pregnancy weight, the tattoo was never quite the same. Since skin is a living organ, it doesn't always stretch and shrink uniformly. And if you get stretch marks in your tattoo, those areas will never look the same.
  • erxkeel
    erxkeel Posts: 553 Member
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    good question! I'd like to see answers on this topic.
  • naomi_clarke1987
    naomi_clarke1987 Posts: 14
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    i've got one on my wrist, had no problem there! the one on my stomach does not look good post-pregnancy though, so i would assume that excessive loss/gain would cause problems with tattoos in certain places. *note to self - do not get tattoo on stomach and then have a baby..*
  • candj2009
    candj2009 Posts: 36 Member
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    The one on my back has been fine through 2 pregnancies, but the one on my hip, not so much. I got a stretch mark right through the middle of it. If it is a region that will spread and stretch during pregnancy, I'd hold off of getting a tattoo.
  • StanziMasaki
    StanziMasaki Posts: 27
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    Why not make the tattoo a celebratory present to yourself when you've lost the weight? I have a huge tattoo on my right leg that I got when I was diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis. It's been a huge motivator for me to work through the pain, and I'm so glad that I got the tattoo days after I was diagnosed and not before. It has so much more meaning that way.

    My tattoo has shrunken slightly very slightly since my legs are toning up, but the tatttoo has only become brighter and more vivid, the overall shape and proportions haven't changed.

    I'm not sure about pregnancy though, you might have a few stretch marks within the tattoo, but it will probably go back to normal once your body shrinks back to normal size.

    When in doubt, you can always get touched up! Most veteran tattoo artists are very used to working on all sorts of different kinds of skin, and seeing the same client for years and years even when they age. (My tattoo artist loved talking about some of the elderly people he's worked on.)

    It's incredible what they can already do with tattoo work that they weren't able to 20 years ago. I imagine that 7-9 years from now, after you have your first child, tattoo technology will have changed dramatically and any minor problems with your tattoo due to the pregnancy will be able to be fixed!
  • anna_lisa
    anna_lisa Posts: 486 Member
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    only ruined if you get a stretch mark through. Don't have on my hip but have several (two 3/4 sleeves, wrists, back, full chest piece, and ankles and calf and neck) through pregnancy and weigh loss and gain and they are fine. I would be nervous any area associated with possible pregnancy. I had planned for front of hip and never got. Thank goodness had to have emergency c-section with baby two and would have ruined.
  • blumuse
    blumuse Posts: 52 Member
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    I suppose it might depend on where you get it... but all my tattoos actually look better as I lose weight. I have a full length sleeve on my right arm and people notice it more and compliment me more on it now that my arms are getting more muscular. Infact, a lot of people mistakenly think I've had new ink work done .. "your tattoo is coming along really nicely!"... and I it's been finished for about two years now. Ha ha.

    I think your back would be similiar in that as you lose weight and get fit, it'll have more muscles and will actually look better on you. The only time I think tattoos might be a problem is if you have a tattoo on an area of your body where you'll have a lot of saggy excess skin.
  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
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    My sister got a tattoo on her lower back a few years ago, she gained quite a bit of weight, it stretched out, but still looks the same, just a bit wider than it was. Considering she hasn't lost the weight, I couldn't help you there D:

    But I had a friend that had a tattoo on her hip, she got pregnant and it did stretch out. But she was really lucky and didn't have a huge baby bump, so it wasn't that bad. When she had the baby, she pretty much went back to her original weight, but part of the skin the tattoo was on is a little flabby, but it looks fine, I think.
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
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    lol, I was thinking of getting the hip tattoo realllly fat round the side, I know this will still stretch but not as much as the front of your tummy when you have babies. It's just a tattoo I really want while I'm young, I don't think it'll make much sense to get it when I'm older =/
  • Kristinemillar
    Kristinemillar Posts: 44
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    Depends where you get the tattoo on your back.. I have one on my upper back between my shoulder blades and that has never stretched or shrunk with weight gain/loss...

    If it was on the lower back I'd wait. As for having one on your hip.. WAIT until after having kids as the tattoo will most certainly lose shape during and after the baby bump.
  • ItsJustK
    ItsJustK Posts: 159 Member
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    When I was 19, I got a tattoo of a flower on my hip. It wasn't done very well to begin with to be completely honest, but even after my first pregnancy - where I only gained 10lbs and got NO stretch marks - - the tattoo was completely distorted. It now looks like a big fat blueberry. I would avoid the hip area until after babies for sure. A good spot - in my opinion - for a tattoo would be the FOOT! I love my foot tattoo :)
  • bluiz13
    bluiz13 Posts: 3,550 Member
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    my hubby has said my "tramp stamp" lol has gotten smaller ;)
  • swordsmith
    swordsmith Posts: 599 Member
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    My brother is a tat artist (he works at Staircase Tattoo in Santa Cruz) and he says the wrist/ankles should be no problem.

    However other areas could be- if you are REALLY overweight to include arms, thighs etc he suggests waiting until you lose the weight. One area that typically is not to bad is the shoulder blade= he says that area does not change all that much either.

    Also the size of the tat and complexity also have a lot to do with it- he said a small tattoo that is relatively simple will tend to keep its look much better then a very large and complex tat that covers the back, arm and so on.

    His best piece of advice- everyone's body and tats are different- he said go see a professional and get their opinion on this topic.
  • SarahofTwins
    SarahofTwins Posts: 1,169 Member
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    Personally I gained around 80 pounds with my tattoo on my back and have lost most of the weight and its stayed the same. I would only be concerned if I got it around the stomach or any areas that might stretch out. I know after having kids you either can get stretch marks or be the lucky ones that don't. :drinker:
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    I would wait. With the back tattoo, as your skin shrinks with you, so will your tattoo, and it might not shrink evenly. With the hip tattoo, I would also wait if you plan on having children -- I've known several people who have gotten tattoos that stretched with pregnancy, and after they lost the pregnancy weight, the tattoo was never quite the same. Since skin is a living organ, it doesn't always stretch and shrink uniformly. And if you get stretch marks in your tattoo, those areas will never look the same.

    I don't have a tat, but I had 4 babies to term. And I know plenty others that have. The lower abd will never get quite back to where it was. The skin does not stretch out like a watermellon over less than 9 months (the 2nd and 3rd trimester is the big rapid stretch), and then snap back to it's original shape. The lose skin might be slight, but there will be some. Some people do stretch marks in a big way, too. Hips, boobs, and belly. I never did except boobs where they are hidden. They fade over time, but not quite the same ever again. It's worth it for the babies, and no real sorrow for the trade off, but better to avoid those areas if you are wanting to decorate it first!
  • jiggs31
    jiggs31 Posts: 117
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    I asked my tattoo artist mate the same question as I want my next one on my ribs.

    He said a little amount of weight is one thing but a huge amount will distort it .

    I'm waiting til my weight goes down and then have my roses when I'll be proud to show them off
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    I got my belly tattoo at my high weight, and have lost about 30 pounds since then. It's only looked better. :smile:

    When I first got it...
    IMG_9620.jpg

    Peeping above my waist band when I got my navel pierced...
    fergus.jpg

    Last weekend...
    IMG_1129.jpg
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    lol, I was thinking of getting the hip tattoo realllly fat round the side, I know this will still stretch but not as much as the front of your tummy when you have babies. It's just a tattoo I really want while I'm young, I don't think it'll make much sense to get it when I'm older =/

    If it's a young person tat, then you will still be stuck with it when you are old.
  • sexforjaffacakes
    sexforjaffacakes Posts: 1,001 Member
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    lol its a pokemon tattoo, I'll still be happy having it when I'm older but I won't be able to make the most of it, like if I get it young I can show it off in clubs and stuff but when I'm a mum I probably won't be wearing showy clothes all the time :L plus I don't think the other middle aged mums would find it as cool as my early 20s friends!
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
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    lol its a pokemon tattoo, I'll still be happy having it when I'm older but I won't be able to make the most of it, like if I get it young I can show it off in clubs and stuff but when I'm a mum I probably won't be wearing showy clothes all the time :L plus I don't think the other middle aged mums would find it as cool as my early 20s friends!

    So maybe you don't care if it's ruined and want to go ahead and get it where you can show it off in clubs now. That might be the answer! If you want it preserved, be a little more picky.

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