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Can I Drink After Getting A Tattoo?

In today’s world, consuming alcohol has become a rather normal thing that people do.

Whether it’s after a long, hard day’s work, while sitting on the patio with a few friends in the summer, or just when you need a little something to help take the edge off, a sip of alcohol can be the perfect solution for when we need it most.

But that doesn’t mean drinking is something we should be doing.

And especially not if you’ve just gotten yourself a cool new forearm tattoo.

In the following article, we’re answering the question as to whether or not you can drink alcohol after getting a tattoo, and everything else there is to know about tattoos and alcohol, and why they definitely DO NOT go together.

Is It OK To Drink Alcohol After Getting Tattooed?

Any good tattoo artist will tell you that, no, you should not drink alcohol after getting a tattoo for at least a couple of days.

If you drink alcohol, it can mess with your body’s ability to properly heal itself, and can cause sub-optimal conditions for your skin.

And if you want your tattoo to heal properly and look its best for all the year to come, taking a few days off from drinking should not be a problem whatsoever.

Why You Should Avoid Drinking Alcohol After Getting A Tattoo

I know you might want to reach for that bottle to soothe your nerves after a long tattoo session, but there are many reasons you should avoid alcohol.

Let’s take a better look!

Alcohol Thins Your Blood

Getting a tattoo means that your skin is going to be punctured a few thousand times by a needle.

Whether you like or not, you’re going to bleed.

And even just a single alcoholic drink can be a blood thinner.

Consuming alcohol before your tattoo session means that you’ll be at a higher risk of excessive bleeding.

And even if you do wait to drink alcohol after getting a tattoo, you’ll still be at a high risk of excessive bleeding because alcohol prevents proper blood clotting.

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Alcohol Dehydrates Your Body

Water is essential to all life. And that includes yours, especially when you’re healing after getting a tattoo.

And hydrated skin is resilient skin, meaning that it has a better chance of healing without drying out too much, flaking, or scabbing.

Hydrated skin is also better at absorbing tattoo ink pigments, which leads to a brighter, more vibrant tattoo once healed.

On the other hand, alcohol acts as a diuretic, which means it causes your body to produce urine and expel more fluids than it has to.

This can lead dehydration, increased itchiness, dry flaking skin, and scabbing. All things you do want to see on your new tattoo.

Slows The Tattoo Healing Process

Alcohol consumption also slows down the healing process.

It generally takes anywhere between two to four weeks for a tattoo to be fully healed.

But if you’re drinking during this time, the healing process can take even longer and the resulting healed tattoo may not look at great as you’d wish.

For smaller tattoos, there’s less of a concern here since the trauma should be a bit easier for your body to handle.

But if you’ve just gotten yourself a full arm tattoo, the tattooing process can truly be a serious shock on your immune system.

So just avoid alcohol, give your body time to heal, and you can get back to sippin’ margaritas once the healing process is complete.

Increased Risk Of Infection

Because alcohol can suppress your body’s immune system, drinking after getting a tattoo can lead to an increased risk of infection.

And trust us, nobody wants an infected tattoo.

Tattoo infections can lead to your line-work becoming blurred and colors becoming distorted or faded.

If the infection is bad enough, it can even lead to permanent scarring and other types of irreversible skin damage that you do no want on your brand new tattoo.

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How Long Should You Wait After Getting A Tattoo Before Drinking?

Most tattoo artists recommend waiting at least 24 to 48 hours after getting tattooed before consuming alcohol.

But because getting a tattoo can trigger a pretty serious immune system response, it’s best to wait for as long as possible.

No, having a few drinks isn’t going to immediately ruin your tattoo or cause you to bleed out and die…

But as we’ve seen above, it can mess with your body’s ability to heal itself.

And is a drink of alcohol really worth all that risk?

Especially if you’ve just gotten a larger tattoo, your body needs time and rest to heal.

Any alcohol consumption can put a serious damper on how fast you recover from the tattooing process and can even lessen the healed tattoo quality.

Can You Drink Before Getting A Tattoo?

No, you should not drink any alcohol before or during your next tattoo session for many of the same reasons that we’ve discussed above.

But here are a few other reasons why you shouldn’t drink alcohol before getting a tattoo.

Liability Risks

Professional tattoo shops generally make you sign a waiver or consent form before you get your new ink.

This means that if anything happens to you during or after the tattoo session, the artist could be held personally liable for those damages.

So any reputable tattoo artist will not even start tattooing you if they know that you’ve been drinking.

Bad Decisions And Regret

Not only can alcohol thin your blood and suppress your immune system, it can also lead to poor decision-making.

And when you’re getting a permanent tattoo scratched into your skin, you definitely want to on top of your game.

Ever seen those internet memes about bad tattoos?

The ones where people think they’re getting a portrait of their kid tattooed on their back, but instead end up with something more akin to a monster portrait?

You can only imagine that there was at least some drugs or alcohol consumption involved in such tattoo horror stories.

Well, don’t let that be you!

Refusal Of Service

If your tattoo artist recognizes that you’ve been drinking, they will likely not want to deal with you at all.

If you’re lucky, they may let you reschedule your appointment for another time when you can come back in sober.

But you might also lose your deposit and the artist may refuse to tattoo you at any time in the future!

Tattooing people when they’re drunk is risky for them, their shop, and their license.

So they’re not going to take your being drunk very lightly.

Image courtesy of Yuri Shirota @ Unsplash.com

Why Do People Want To Drink Before Their Tattoo Session?

Truth be told, the tattooing process can be quite painful. Which is why some people might want to drink alcohol to help increase their pain tolerance.

However, if you ask any reputable tattoo artist, they’ll tell you that it’s much better to prepare your body by avoiding alcohol consumption, eating healthy, whole foods, and taking care of yourself, physically and mentally.

Plus, there are numbing creams and other products that can work just as good or better than alcohol for reducing the pain and discomfort of being tattooed.

Some people are also nervous about going to a tattoo shop and getting fresh ink.

So they might want to drink alcohol just to calm their nerves or make themselves feel more at-ease with the process.

Either way, alcohol intake is never a good idea if you’re looking to get a new cool tattoo!

It’s just not worth it!

Staying Sober Before, During And After Your Next Tattoo Appointment – Can I Drink After Getting A Tattoo?

Just remember that the tattoo process can pretty rough on your body.

So you want to prepare yourself and make sure that your body and immune system are in top-top shape for when you show up for your tattoo session.

Both you and your tattoo artist should be 100% sober and level-headed throughout the entire tattoo process.

Now, let’s review everything we’ve learned here today:

• Avoid alcohol after getting fresh ink – It’s best to avoid drinking alcohol after your next tattoo appointment. Avoiding alcohol ensures that your tattoo heals faster and better, resulting in brighter, more vibrant lines and colors.
• Alcohol is a blood thinner – Alcohol causes your blood to become thinner, and thinned blood can lead to excess bleeding. And increased bleeding is not something you want to experience when you’re trying to get your tattoo to heal properly.
• Delayed healing – Whether it’s your first tattoo or your hundredth, that fresh ink is an open wound that needs time to heal. Even for healthy individuals, the healing phase can take several weeks to a month. Alcohol can mess with skin repair, delay collagen production, dampen your body’s ability to naturally fight off infection, and lead to other health risks. Not worth it!
• Dehydration – Keeping yourself healthy and hydrated is one of the best things you can do for your new tattoo. On the other hand, alcohol interferes with your bodies ability to retain water, dehydrating you and your skin, which can be detrimental to tattoo aftercare.
• Infection risks – Alcohol affects the immune system in a negative way by suppressing white blood cells and other natural mechanisms that helps you fight off infection. So not only will you experience delayed wound healing if drinking, you’re also at a higher risk of developing an infection that can ruin your new ink.

Ultimately, drinking booze after getting a tattoo is just not a good idea.

It can lead to extended recovery times and can have a seriously negative impact on your overall health.

Remember that the tattoo procedure is hard on your body.

Your artist is going to be stabbing you a few thousand times to push ink into your skin to make sure that it’s settled properly.

Don’t underestimate the role your immune system plays in recovering from this type of trauma!

And avoiding alcohol is one of the best ways to help your body heal from the trauma you’ve just put it through!

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