A question you may need answers to is can you drink after getting a tattoo? I mean I don’t blame you, tattoos aren’t the most fun experience, depending on who you ask. I, as a tattoo artist, wholeheartedly feel that a drink after takes the edge off, but that’s not always the case. Especially because of how much trauma you’ve just put your body through.
The thing about drinking alcohol is, a lot of people like it, and of course, those that do it often find it fun (in moderation of course). If you’re both a partaker of alcohol and a lover of tattoos, you might wonder how safe it is to drink after getting a tattoo. Lucky for you, I, as someone who both partakes in the occasional beer and is a tattoo artist have the answers you may be looking for.
We’ll look at why drinking after a tattoo may not be the best idea. Without further ado, let me, the expert, give you the low down on drinking after a tattoo.
Can You Drink Before Getting A Tattoo?
Before we get into the nitty-gritty of it all, the first question that needs to be addressed is if you can consume alcohol before you get a tattoo. Some of you might already know the answer, but let me educate you a little further so you get a better understanding of the relationship between alcohol and tattoos.
Getting a tattoo can be a nerve-racking experience, especially if it’s your first time. This often begs the question, can you drink before getting a tattoo, you know, to take the edge off a bit? The simple answer is no, you can’t or shouldn’t drink before getting inked. You may be wondering why and the answer isn’t as complex as you might assume.
Alcohol thins your blood, and because it thins your blood it makes it a little more difficult to pack ink into the skin. This means that your artist will end up overworking the skin and causing damage to your skin. Unfortunately, not only will it take longer for your tattoo to heal but once it does heal, it’s probably going to be scarred and faded.
Another reason it’s not the best idea is the fact that alcohol also diminishes your body’s healing ability because it weakens your immune system. This means you’re at higher risk of infection already, even before getting the tattoo.
But that’s not what you were wondering, your concern is about whether or not you can drink after. It’s quite a common thing for people to go for a brewski or two after getting a new tattoo, hell, I’ve done it more than once, but is it actually okay to do so? Let’s find out.
Can You Drink After Getting A Tattoo?
From the answer given above, it’s clear that alcohol and tattoos have an unhealthy relationship. But that begs the question can you drink alcohol after getting a tattoo? Let’s take a look, but I can’t promise you’ll like the answer.
Unfortunately, the answer isn’t what you were hoping for, you shouldn’t drink after getting tattooed for the same reason you shouldn’t drink before getting one. Because alcohol thins your blood and also compromises your immune system you’re doing your new tattoo a disservice because you halt your body’s natural response to begin the healing process.
If you want your tattoo to heal, the best thing to do is not drink 24 hours before and 24 hours after getting tattooed. The recommended waiting time is 48 hours after, but sometimes you catch yourself needing a glass of wine to unwind, so 24 hours should be efficient.
When you do finally get to have a drink, keep it to a minimum. It’s best to avoid hard liquor or anything that’s going to get you tipsy or drunk quickly. If you can hold up on the partying for at least two weeks to allow your body to heal your new tattoo fully, that would be ideal.
Why Tattoos and Alcohol Don’t Go Hand-In-Hand
It’s pretty obvious from the above information that tattoos and alcohol don’t complement each other. So, let’s find out the other reasons you shouldn’t drink before or after getting a tattoo. Some of them are due to the same reason you shouldn’t drink and drive or operate heavy machinery.
Alcohol Inhibits Your Ability to Make Conscious Decisions
Let’s say you rock up at a tattoo studio, and you’ve had one too many, you want your new piece but do you really have the ability to make a decision on something that will be on your body forever? The answer is no, you won’t.
Because alcohol inhibits your ability to make decisions, you might end up with something you regret because it looked good at the time, but then you wake up the next day only to realize it’s not the design you wanted. Fortunately for you, this scenario shouldn’t play out, especially if you’ve gone to a reputable artist.
You Have Little to No Control Over Your Body
Imagine you’re on the tattoo bed, and your artist is about to pull a straight line, and you move, that’s a recipe for wonky linework. Since alcohol slows down the body’s nerve function due to delays in sending messages to various parts of your body, your muscles end up relaxing so much that you don’t have much control over them. So, not only does it inhibit your decision-making abilities but puts you at risk of possibly rocking a sketchy-looking tattoo.
Because many people don’t know the best way to prepare for getting a tattoo; our other expert can answer your question with her guide on how to properly prepare for a tattoo.
Summary
Even though the focus was on whether or not you can drink after a tattoo, it was important to discuss the risks of drinking before. Alcohol and tattoos don’t work well together, you’re either going to put your new tattoo at risk of infection or you’ll end up with something you’re going to regret for the rest of your life.
So, in other words, steer clear of drinking before and after getting something as permanent as a tattoo.
