What can not be eaten after a tattoo? - Nutrition tips to speed up tattoo healing

You are what you eat, a phrase that makes sense once you start paying attention to how food affects your mind and body. However, even with this awareness, people tend to be oblivious to how food affects their tattoo and its healing process. Some people don't even think about this connection, which could likely be why people experience long tattoo healing times, inflammation, and other side effects of poor diet.

However, if you're reading this, you've taken the first step: it's a sign that you want to be informed about proper nutrition during your tattoo aftercare. And you are also in the right place; in the following paragraphs we will talk about how food affects your tattoo and what foods and ingredients you should completely avoid until your tattoo heals. So, without further ado, let's dive into this topic!

How Food Affects Your Tattoo: Everything You Need to Know

Along with air and water, food is one of the most essential things we need to survive. However, some foods can help us provide proper nutrition and keep us healthy, while other food groups tend to do the opposite. Even when we're sick, some foods bring comfort and soothe the pain, while others prolong the agony and make us feel even worse. The same applies to the consequences of tattoos.

It's important to finally understand that new, fresh tattoos act like open wounds (not the kind of wounds we imagine, but still wounds), and that's how the body treats them. Thus, the body directs all energy to the “wounded site” to help it heal as quickly as possible. The longer the healing process, the higher the chance of infection, and your body knows this.

Therefore, by eating certain foods, you can either help your body do this job quickly and efficiently, or complicate it by not providing it with additional energy and nutrients. But this is a rather simplified explanation; let's see exactly how food affects your tattoo!

1. Proper nutrition helps tattoos heal quickly

A new tattoo has a certain amount of time during which it must stop oozing and bleeding, begin to dry out and close up, and eventually continue and complete the healing process. All this happens during the critical period of the first few weeks. Covering up the tattoo should happen within the first few days. Thus, time is of the essence; If the tattoo is left open for too long and the skin does not begin to heal, the likelihood of infection increases significantly.

However, if you follow proper tattoo care instructions and are not allergic to the ink, everything should go smoothly. But one of the important factors in all this is proper nutrition.

Foods rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, zinc and protein help speed up the healing process and prevent infections. These ingredients, as well as other vitamins, minerals and amino acids, will strengthen your immune system and give your body the strength and resources to repair damaged skin and promote normal healing.

2. Junk Food May Prolong Tattoo Healing

As we've already said, if you take proper tattoo care and eat the right, healthy foods, your tattoo will shrink and heal in no time. However, an unhealthy diet can have the opposite effect: fatty, processed and high-sugar foods can delay the healing process and even promote inflammation and infection.

Dairy and sugar in particular are known to prolong recovery time and promote inflammation, so they should be avoided while your tattoo is healing.

The reason why such products prolong the healing time of a tattoo is as follows;

Because junk food contains a lot of fat, it takes a lot of energy for the body to simply process and digest the fat. This energy is then directed from healing to digestion, so the tattoo or damaged skin does not receive full support during this process.

3. Junk foods can contribute to allergic reactions.

There are probably foods or ingredients that you are allergic to; if not, you can skip this point. For those who have allergies or simply cannot tolerate certain foods, it is important to avoid eating anything that may cause an allergic reaction.

If you are lactose intolerant and, for example, drink coffee with milk while your fresh tattoo is healing, you can expect a full-blown allergic reaction. We are talking about blisters, rashes, hives, tattoo lifting, swelling of the skin, etc. The area inflicted simply reacts to even the mildest food allergies and intolerances, so you need to be extra careful with this.

If an allergic reaction occurs, you can expect the tattoo to be ruined, both in terms of design and ink. Healing may take longer, which can also lead to infection. If this does happen, it is best to consult a doctor and get a specialist opinion.

So what foods should you avoid after getting a tattoo?

Here are the foods that you should completely avoid during the tattoo healing process. This is usually a period of 2 weeks to a month, sometimes even longer if your tattoo takes longer to heal.

• Red and processed meat (bacon, ham, pepperoni, sausage, salami, deli meats, jerky, hot dogs, etc.) - Red and processed meats are known to promote inflammation. This is because they are high in saturated fat, which is associated with other health problems such as cancer or heart disease.
• Sweet foods and drinks (cakes, milk chocolate, filled cookies, candy, cereal bars, ice cream, sweetened coffee, drinks like Coca-Cola and Pepsi, salad dressings, energy drinks, etc.) - foods and drinks high in sugar are probably , the most terrible enemies for the health of the body. Added sugar causes inflammation, promotes fat storage, and prevents the body from healing properly. This is what you should consume while your tattoo is healing, or not at all.
• Trans fatty foods (frozen pizza, baked goods, fried foods including french fries, donuts, fried chicken, margarine, dairy-free coffee creamer, hamburgers, fried noodles, etc.) - trans fatty foods are foods that are high in hydrogen and fat , which are added to improve texture, shelf life and taste. These foods cause inflammation in the body and can lead to increased levels of bad cholesterol.
• Oil and products based on it (sunflower oil, peanut oil, canola oil, mayonnaise, etc.) - oil and sunflower oil products contain omega-6 fatty acids, which are sometimes important for the body, but can cause persistent inflammation and provoke a pro-inflammatory response in the body when consumed. . Instead of omega-6, you should consume omega-3 (found in salmon, walnuts and flaxseed).
• Refined carbohydrates (bread, sugary cereals, pasta, white rice, French fries, crackers, cookies, etc.) - Refined carbohydrates are not nutritionally beneficial and usually contain added sugars. They contribute to the development of inflammatory reactions in the body and delay the healing process of any disease.
• Alcoholic - Alcohol should be avoided before and after getting a tattoo. It can thin the blood and promote excessive bleeding during and after tattooing. Excess blood will make it difficult for the tattoo to dry and set, which can cause an inflammatory reaction and infection.

What is this solution? — Foods that you can and should eat after getting a tattoo

When you consider all the foods we just mentioned that you can't eat, it might seem like there's nothing else to eat, right? The above-mentioned foods are the basis of an unhealthy diet. Even without a new tattoo, no one needs this diet: it leads to heart disease, strokes, obesity and other ailments that can ultimately result in death.

However, if you are trying to find a decent alternative to the above-mentioned products, here are some of our recommendations. These are the foods you should eat while your tattoo is healing and continue to eat for your long-term health;

• Leafy Green Vegetables (spinach, kale, arugula, etc.) - Leafy greens are loaded with vitamin C, folate, magnesium, and provitamin A. All of these components are essential for the immune system, and when it comes to a healing tattoo, your body definitely needs a boost to its immune function .
• Fish (salmon) - Instead of omega-6, we need to consume omega-3 to reduce inflammation in the body, as is the case with a healing tattoo. Salmon is a top choice because it is not only an excellent source of omega-3s, but also selenium, a mineral that fights inflammation and promotes the immune response to injury and damage to the body.
• Fruit (berries) - during the treatment period you need to eat a lot of different fruits. However, it should be noted how important it is to eat berries. They are rich in vitamin C, which promotes the body's anti-inflammatory, immune-supporting response, as well as wound and sweet healing.
• Potato - carbohydrates are not the enemy, we just need to find healthy, unrefined carbohydrates to replace the refined ones. Sweet potatoes are the perfect example of healthy carbohydrates. After all, it is rich in vitamin C, carotenoids and manganese, which promote wound healing and restoration of the body.
• Nuts and Seeds (almonds, walnuts, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, pecans, etc.) – filled with vitamin E, manganese and magnesium, nuts and seeds will help your tattoo heal in no time. They fuel the body and help it produce energy for wound healing, inflammation and overall recovery.
• White Meat (chicken, turkey) - Unlike red meat, poultry contains amino acids, glutamine and arginine, which help the body repair and heal, whether from stress, injury or illness.

Final takeaway

Therefore, for faster tattoo healing, it is necessary to consume foods rich in vitamins, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds (such as omega-3). Make sure you avoid the foods we mentioned earlier as they will only make the healing process more difficult for you and your body. Instead, focus on hydration and consuming foods high in nutrients and fiber.

It may seem unnecessary to pay so much attention to your nutrition during the entire healing process, but it is really important to make sure your body is fed properly. For more information about diet and nutrition, be sure to consult your doctor or nutritionist.