When getting a tattoo some of the first thoughts and questions are usually along the line of how will this look when I’m older? What if I gain weight or get pregnant? Black or Color?

Tattoos and Aging

Face it, we are all going to be old one day. A lot of people are scared of getting tattoos because of aging, but that doesn’t have to be a huge factor in your decision to get any artwork. The placement and care you take of your tattoo has a large effect on how well it will evolve as you age.

It is a large misconception that once your tattoo finishes healing that it’s the end of taking care of it. Regular, if not daily application of lotion will significantly help in keeping your tattoo from fading and becoming irregular over the years. Although tanning is very popular these days, it can have a negative effect on your tattoo, causing it to fade faster over time, especially if it is a new tattoo out in the sun. There are some areas of the body that are more prone to be affected by aging than others such as chest, upper arms, and legs since those alter the most as we age.

Tattoos and Pregnancy

So you want a tattoo but also want kids someday? Well that’s okay! Getting pregnant is not going to destroy your tattoo, as long as you take the right measures to keep up your skin’s health. Keeping your body heavily hydrated and extremely moisturized is the #1 most important thing you can do to insure that after your pregnancy your tattoo will return to it’s original state. That will make sure that your tattoo (especially if near your stomach) will be able to retain its shape once your body has grown/shrunk dramatically and will significantly help in reducing the possible number of stretch marks.

Tattoos and Weight Loss/Gain

Nobody stays the same size forever, we all gain and lose weight, but how much will it really alter your tattoo? Surprisingly not at much as one would think. Weight gain or weight loss over an extended period of time is perfectly normal, and as the skin grows or shrinks and shouldn’t vastly affect the look of the tattoo unless it is extremely detailed over an area that saw a lot of stretching/shrinking which could cause the lines in very a detailed piece to maybe blur together (for example a detailed large stomach tattoo). In terms of extreme weight change (such as getting a lap band) you need to take more precaution and treat the tattoo as if pregnant to that the skin reforms in the proper manner.

Black and White or Color

A lot of people’s main dilema when deciding on a tattoo is color or no color, that is the question. It’s a large misconception that color tattoos fade significantly more than a black and white one, while color does show more change, any tattoo can fade drastically if not properly taken care of or touched up on regardless of the color choices.