Tattoo Removal - When Weight Changes Tattoos

Getting a tattoo is a big decision, intended to be a permanent change to your body.  Of course,  tattoo removal options are available but considering ways to remove the tattoo you have yet to get is the last thing that should be weighing on your mind when getting a tattoo.

But here is one thing to heavily consider before getting a tattoo, the possibility of your body weight changing as a result of a health problems, pregnancy, or discontinued exercise routine.  All of these affect body weight, and significant weight gain or loss can distort the appearance of tattoos and cause tattoo regret.

Significant weight loss or weight gain, whether it is a change in muscle mass or fat mass, is one of the most excessive changes your body can undergo.  If you have a tattoo on an area that is subject to a significant change due to modifications in your weight, you will need to think about how this bodily change can affect the coloration, shape, and appearance of your tattoo.  Changes in your weight could alter the way your tattoo looks so dramatically that you may want to consider tattoo removal because of it.

If you lose a small amount of weight, it will generally not affect the appearance of any tattoos on your body, therefore considering tattoo removal is not necessary, unless you are sick and tired of the tattoo itself.  Remember, when you lose weight, your body will shrink therefore your tattoo will shrink as well.  If your tattoo was especially detailed, then you may lose some of the detail, but this is rare.  Dramatic and sudden weight loss can result in sagging skin, which can affect a tattoo negatively should it be located in one of the sagging areas.

Weight gain is a little bit of a different story than weight loss.  When you have a dramatic weight gain, you run the risks of getting stretch marks, which can damage a tattoo beyond repair and the damage is irreversible.  Weight gain usually only causes minimal changes in each body area, therefore not necessarily altering any tattoos too dramatically, unless stretch marks are an issue. 

The weight gain from pregnancy which is usually in the midsection and torso, might also affect a tattoo in that body region negatively because the skin stretching and weight gain is not only severe but very quick.  In most cases, women are advised to wait until after they have had children to tattoo this area of their body.

Depending on the body area the tattoo is located, most subtle weight changes will not alter the tattoo design however unexpected dramatic weight gain or loss will likely impact the appearance of tattoos resulting in regret and the consideration of tattoo removal.  One thing certain in life, and worth considering, is that life is uncertain... think before you ink.