Tattoos are a permanent fixture in our life. Once it’s on your skin, it’s there for life. How it changes with the physical changes in your body is quite normal. Does it stretch when you gain weight? Will it suddenly lose its precise detailing once you lose weight? The possibilities are endless.
Physical changes in your body will eventually reflect on your tattoos or any body art you have. That means that if you lose a lot of weight suddenly, chances are that it will alter the way your tattoo looks.
Wondering how and why? We will discuss that in detail in this article for you to explore.
How Does Weight Loss Affect Tattoos?
Weight loss (especially sudden or drastic weight loss) leads to the shrinking of the skin. You might also lose the previous elasticity in the skin, leading to alterations in your tattoos’ appearance.
Irrespective of how or why you lose weight quickly, perhaps due to overeating or undereating, it will directly impact your tattoo’s appearance. Due to the loose skin and the lack of skin and muscle tone, the tattoo is bound to look very wrinkly.
Following are some of the ways your tattoos might differ in their appearance after weight loss:
1. Placement
Don’t be alarmed, but your tattoo’s initial placement on the skin might change a little as you lose weight. This is primarily because your skin becomes loose and more flexible.
But the good news is that if your weight loss is paired with muscle toning in the gym, your tattoos might not experience the wrath of the situation. Don’t worry, though, because the difference in the tattoo placement isn’t drastic. It might shift a little or appear to be “spread out.”
2. Distortion
Weight loss directly affects the precision and detailing of your tattoo. It is bound to make things look distorted instead of seeming clean around the edges.
Sometimes, you might notice the ink smudged around the edges. It is standard after a drastic weight loss transformation. If you have a colored tattoo, the color might change or fade depending on how much weight you have lost.
3. Wrinkling
Losing much weight suddenly (without toning your muscles simultaneously) leads to wrinkles and loose skin. This happens because, with weight loss, the body also loses fat deposits, making the skin more prone to losing its elasticity.
Reduced elasticity makes it difficult (and often impossible) for the skin to snap back after being stretched. This affects the way your tattoo looks. This is especially visible if you have a tattoo in the abdominal region.
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Tattoos Before and after Weight Loss
Intended weight loss is good for your health, especially if you want to avoid the risks of any chronic illness. However, if you have large pieces of tattoo scattered all over your body, the sudden change in your physical appearance will reflect in some ways on the tattoo.
Here are a few examples:
As you can see in the above image, weight loss has affected vibrancy, color, and precision. Instead of sharp lines and edges, the “after” tattoo looks distorted and amateur.
Unlike the first image, the tattoo remains unaltered even after weight loss. However, with the skin stretching and becoming a little loose, the ink has faded a little in the after section.
How weight loss affects the appearance of the tattoo will depend on how you lose weight. If you are only losing fat without working on restoring muscle tone, it will distort the appearance of the tattoos. So, we’d recommend finding a healthy way to lose weight.
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How to Minimize Tattoo Distortion After Weight Loss?
If you have a tattoo on the abdomen, upper arm, thighs, etc., those are more likely to be affected after weight loss. You will notice the skin in those areas looking the most wrinkled and “loose.”
Sometimes, the smaller tattoos remain untouched and appear the same, even after weight loss. However, it is the larger ones you have to be skeptical about.
If you want to lose weight but keep your tattoos looking the same, the best way is to lose weight gradually. You don’t want to lose too much weight quickly. This leads to saggy skin since it loses its elasticity.
Rapid weight loss also leads to the heightened appearance of cellulite on the skin, which you don’t want to indulge in at all.
Another tip that can work wonders for your tattoos is drinking a lot of water. This will keep your skin healthy and ensure that your tattoo looks vibrant instead of dull and stretched.
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Conclusion
Weight loss changes the way our skin looks. So, noticing a drastic impact on body art or tattoos after a sudden weight loss is quite common. We recommend you find healthy ways to lose weight instead of rushing through the process. The last thing you want is permanent sagging in the skin, leading to a distorted-looking tattoo.
