TATTOOED? Help me!

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vyvrhovat
vyvrhovat Posts: 80 Member
in Motivation and Support
I need some reassurance. Every single person I talk to tells me that my tattoos will grow and shrink with me, but.. well, I've seen tattoos on people that haven't! I know it is entirely based on how quickly the weight is gained or lost, but I was hoping that anybody out there on MFP happened to have any pictures of their tattoos changing with them? I've got a few big ones, but I start my sleeve in like 8 days. Even though my artist reassures me that even though I still have like 60 pounds left to lose that it will not distort at all, I am still apprehensive.

So, can anyone show me evidence that their larger tattoos maintained their artistic integrity during subtantial weight loss? Pretty please? Ease my mind!

PS, sorry for the cross-posting. I'm not sure where to post this, so it's going a couple of places!

Replies

  • lilRicki
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
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    mine are fine, and I have them everywhere...except around my belly button lol I have the entire left side of my back done, and it hasn't changed...
  • ssernst
    ssernst Posts: 69 Member
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    I have my back covered and a 1/4 sleeve (so far :) I've lost weight in the past and haven't had any issues.
  • KariQuiteContrary
    KariQuiteContrary Posts: 274 Member
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    I would guess it depends on where they are and how elastic that skin still is. I have 4 med/large ones on my back and all are just fine after about 30 lbs down :) Ones on the stomach, chest, and abs may not fair so well. My former sister in law had a belly button tattoo that stretched during pregnancy and doesn't look right now.
  • judijl
    judijl Posts: 13
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    274 lbs is a lot of extra weight to carry around simply to preserve the appearance of some tattoos. I have yo-yod for years with no damage to my tattoos. You look young and should still have plenty of elasticity in your skin for it to be fine.
  • TrainingWithTonya
    TrainingWithTonya Posts: 1,741 Member
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    I only have small ones and they have grown and shrunk with me just fine. My sister, on the other hand has a tiger with extra stripes on her belly. Just a hint, don't get stomach tattoos before having babies. Her Tiger got stretch marks with her. That's the only tattoo I've ever seen that didn't look pretty much the same before and after weight loss or gain and being a personal trainer with an uncle who is a tattoo artist who taught me to do them, I've seen more then my fair share of them.
  • Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet
    Mrs_TrimWaistFatWallet Posts: 486
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    your back and arms would be fine. Stomach/thighs are obv more prone to being effected.
  • graphicward
    graphicward Posts: 4 Member
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    I am a tattoo artist. I have seen many tattoos go through many stages on many different people. I have almost never seen a tattoo change in quality with losing weight, even at a fast past. Its the fast gain that can ruin them, even then usually only if stretch marks are a result of the gain. The one thing that can happen with weight loss, is that the positioning of the tattoo can change slightly, or wrap around more than it once did. For example if you have a tattoo on the back of your calf, if you lose a significant amount of weight it can wrap around onto the side of your leg a little bit, because you don't have that weight there anymore. In addition doing a sleeve would be one of the safest things... 1. because the amount of inches lost in an area like that are typically nowhere near the amount that would be lost around a midsection or even an upper leg area. and 2. because if you are getting a sleeve, and you do shrink in that area, it will probably shrink pretty consistently

    Everyone's skin is certainly different, but by and large, there are very few troubles with existing tattoos and weight loss; but on the other hand there is a chance your tattoos from here on out will take longer to complete because your skin will likely be much more stretchy than it once was.

    Hope that helps.
  • vyvrhovat
    vyvrhovat Posts: 80 Member
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    274 lbs is a lot of extra weight to carry around simply to preserve the appearance of some tattoos. I have yo-yod for years with no damage to my tattoos. You look young and should still have plenty of elasticity in your skin for it to be fine.

    Well, clearly not all 274 of it is "extra", and I don't know anyone in their right mind who would stay fat just to keep their tattoos looking good. That's pretty dumb. (: But thanks.
  • vyvrhovat
    vyvrhovat Posts: 80 Member
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    Everyone's skin is certainly different, but by and large, there are very few troubles with existing tattoos and weight loss; but on the other hand there is a chance your tattoos from here on out will take longer to complete because your skin will likely be much more stretchy than it once was.
    Man, I never even thought of that. If by stretchy do you mean "hangy"? I'm keeping a pretty steady strength and aerobic exercise regime, and hoping that my skin will tone evenly as I keep losing. Would that help that possible problem later on, with the "stretchy" factor?
  • graphicward
    graphicward Posts: 4 Member
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    Everyone's skin is certainly different, but by and large, there are very few troubles with existing tattoos and weight loss; but on the other hand there is a chance your tattoos from here on out will take longer to complete because your skin will likely be much more stretchy than it once was.
    Man, I never even thought of that. If by stretchy do you mean "hangy"? I'm keeping a pretty steady strength and aerobic exercise regime, and hoping that my skin will tone evenly as I keep losing. Would that help that possible problem later on, with the "stretchy" factor?

    No, no, there shouldn't be a visible difference in your skin, but from a tattoo artist standpoint you need to stretch the skin to get a clean line. So sometimes to make a one inch line, the tattoo artist has to draw a one and a half inch line on stretched skin, when the skin is released it appears one inch again. Typically the more weight you have lost the further the skin will stretch.

    But no one will ever be able to tell besides your artist.
  • ohohraptor
    ohohraptor Posts: 205 Member
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    I went through a pregnancy and gained 60 pounds and all all my tattoos grew and shrunk just fine. I got my half sleeve when I was 30-40 pounds heavier and it still looks great. One tattoo has stretch marks on it and looks kinda funky now, but that's it.

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