Working out w/new tattoo?

andi · Mon, February 23rd, 2004, 05:46 PM

Okay, this is kinda on topic but I don't know where in the world it would go.

On Saturday I got a new tattoo, a band around my bicep. It's still quite sore and I still have bruising half way to my elbow on the inside of my arm. Previously when I've gotten tats the question of whether or not to work out wasn't an issue, cause I didn't work out back then. Now that I do.... I'm not sure the protocol!! I attempted to ride my recumbent bike Sunday morning and just the little bit of jostling hurt my arm enough for me to quit after 5 minutes. An upper body workout is out of the question.

Anyone with experience know whether working a newly inked bodypart will "affect" the tat in any way? Wouldn't want all that pumping blood to screw anything up or to make the pain linger longer, or cause additional injury (cause if you think about it, tons of needles in your arm *is* injury....) How long should one wait?

Thoughts?

swschmidt · Mon, February 23rd, 2004, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by andi

Okay, this is kinda on topic but I don't know where in the world it would go.

On Saturday I got a new tattoo, a band around my bicep. It's still quite sore and I still have bruising half way to my elbow on the inside of my arm. Previously when I've gotten tats the question of whether or not to work out wasn't an issue, cause I didn't work out back then. Now that I do.... I'm not sure the protocol!! I attempted to ride my recumbent bike Sunday morning and just the little bit of jostling hurt my arm enough for me to quit after 5 minutes. An upper body workout is out of the question.

Anyone with experience know whether working a newly inked bodypart will "affect" the tat in any way? Wouldn't want all that pumping blood to screw anything up or to make the pain linger longer, or cause additional injury (cause if you think about it, tons of needles in your arm *is* injury....) How long should one wait?

Thoughts?

Hello Andi, congrats on the new ink...Your biggest concern is to keep it moisturized and keep it from scabbing over. If it scabs over you will want to minimize the amount movement around the tat because it can break up the ink. I got my most recent work done in December and went back to working out a few days after getting it. You'll have to post a pic...

brownguy · Mon, February 23rd, 2004, 11:29 PM

Wicked tat swshmidt. I wish colour looked as good on brown skin.

Hey andi, if you're up to it, how about a picture once it's healed?

andi · Tue, February 24th, 2004, 09:38 AM

Well, this morning the arm feels much better and the bruise is much uglier so it must be healing well!

I'm going to attempt a ride on the bike in a few mins.....

swschmidt, very nice piece of work! Brownguy, yep, when mine's in "show condition" I'll be sure to post it. Hell, maybe I'll post pics of all of them. Somehow I think this is going to become a "post your tats" kind of thread

neckowi · Wed, February 25th, 2004, 12:35 PM

Andi - I am going through the same thing, as I got my first tattoo in seven years last night. It's on my right arm and not all that big, so I'm gonna go do legs on schedule today. I'll have to skip yoga tomorrow because there is no way I will be able to hold myself up properly, but I hope to be ready to do back and biceps on Friday. As for cardio, I might have to switch to something other than elliptical for now.

swschmidt - The tattoo on your back is sweet! You must have taken good care of it, because it is still so bright.

We should definitely make this the "Show us your tats" thread. I should be able to get mine up tonight.

Stanzo · Wed, March 3rd, 2004, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neckowi

We should definitely make this the "Show us your tats" thread. I should be able to get mine up tonight.

Yeah ! I love tats as well.
I will get some photos done too.
Roll on the new thread !

citrixmeta · Wed, March 3rd, 2004, 09:48 AM

since were on the topic of tattoo's , i got a quick Question.

i will be getting a tattoo sometime this year but im just wondering if i should do it after my transformation. (trying to drop from 305 to 240)

because im worried the tattoo will deform and lose its shape.

what do you think? should i wait? is that even possible?

ps: the tatoo will start from my shoulder down to my elbow (covering the bicep)

houtexan26 · Wed, March 3rd, 2004, 10:36 AM

From my experience, losing weight will affect the tattoo. The question is how much will you lose in the area of your new ink? Personally, I would wait until I lost my goal weight and then get the ink as a reward for acheiving my goal. That's just my personal opinion though.

andi · Wed, March 3rd, 2004, 10:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citrixmeta

i will be getting a tattoo sometime this year but im just wondering if i should do it after my transformation. (trying to drop from 305 to 240) because im worried the tattoo will deform and lose its shape.

Different answers from different tattoo website FAQ:
12. If I gain or lose weight, will it affect my tattoo?
Not usually. The skin has a lot of elasticity (stretch) that naturally adjusts for changes in the body. During pregnancy, a woman’s abdomen will stretch considerably and tattoos along the waistline will be distorted, but once the body returns to normal, the tattoo will take its original shape. Building muscles won’t affect the shape of a tattoo, but may make it look smaller on the enlarged surface area.

4. If I gain or lose weight, will that affect my tattoo or piercing?
That's a yes and no answer. To start off, the only way to destroy or distort a tattoo in this way is to lose or gain weight very quickly. Any small changes are usually only seen by the person wearing it. Lets say that you are getting an arm band and you lose or gain weight. That type of design will have a tendency to either stretch or contract with the arm. Since the design changes with the arm, the tattoo will always look the same. Along the same line, if you put a circular design there, you would most likely wind up with an oval looking tattoo.

If I gain or lose weight, will it affect my tattoo?
Typically no. However, there have been some cases where a person has lost or gained a significant amount of weight and the tattoo was affected by this. Usually , during pregnancy, a tattoo in the pelvic area will stretch. After pregnancy, when the body takes its original shape, the tattoo will return to normal. Stretch marks can damage a tattoo, but repairs are usually possible. Building muscle (significant muscle) can cause a tattoo to look distorted in certain areas of the tattoo.

From about.com:
Will weight gain or loss affect my tattoo?
Any tattoo can be affected by changes in size of the body, but the good news is that it's usually not that noticeable. Tattoos can be very forgiving, and if the weight gain or loss occurs slowly enough,this gives your tattoo time to "adjust". Imagine a balloon with a logo on it - I'm sure you've seen them. The logo appears essentially the same when the balloon is full as it is when it's deflated, with maybe a slight difference in depth of color. Your skin will usually not undergo as much size change as a balloon, so the changes in your tattoo should be even less visible. Your skin is very elastic and stretches and contracts without much incidence, in most cases. Stomach tattoos and pregnancy are possibly one of the exceptions.

houtexan26 · Wed, March 3rd, 2004, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by citrixmeta

since were on the topic of tattoo's , i got a quick Question.

i will be getting a tattoo sometime this year but im just wondering if i should do it after my transformation. (trying to drop from 305 to 240)

because im worried the tattoo will deform and lose its shape.

what do you think? should i wait? is that even possible?

ps: the tatoo will start from my shoulder down to my elbow (covering the bicep)

You should ask Douglas. He posted in "What does everyone do for a living?" he is a tattoo aritist and has been for 12 years now.