Can You Drink After Getting a Tattoo?
Deciding to get inked is exciting! However, your tattoo experience doesn’t end when you walk out of the tattoo parlor. Proper aftercare is crucial for healing your new body art properly. One common question asked is: can you drink alcohol after getting a tattoo? Let’s explore.
What Happens When You Drink Alcohol With a New Tattoo
Alcohol is a blood thinner. When you ingest alcohol, your blood vessels dilate, allowing more blood to flow to your skin’s surface. More blood near the skin’s surface is precisely what you don’t want when you have a new tattoo. The increased blood flow can lead to inflammation, bleeding, and interfere with natural healing. Alcohol also dehydrates your body, which can dry out and crack healing skin. Cracking leads to scabbing, lengthens the healing timeframe, and increases infection risks.
How Long Should You Wait Before Drinking Alcohol?
Most tattoo artists recommend avoiding alcohol for at least 24-48 hours after getting inked. Some even suggest waiting up to two weeks. If your tattoo is large, colored, or took more time and trauma on the skin, it’s wise to wait longer. Generally, you should avoid alcohol until any scabbing falls off and you see re-epithelialization. Learn more about preparing for a tattoo here.
What to Drink Instead of Alcohol
Staying properly hydrated is vital during the tattoo healing process. Opt for non-alcoholic beverages like water, fruit juices, smoothies, soda, tea, and coffee. Not only will the extra fluids help with overall health, but they will also help the body efficiently pass toxins released from the tattoo healing process.
Potential Consequences of Drinking Too Soon
Drinking too soon leads to impaired judgment, so you may be less diligent with aftercare instructions. You’ll also likely experience unnecessary pain, skin irritation, hot flashes, inflammation, swelling, excessive scabbing, infection, blowouts, fading, and poor color retention. The aftermath can mean touch-ups take longer to heal and have higher risks and pain levels. Overall, it lengthens the healing timeline and puts your investment in both time and money at risk. Learn more about recognizing infected tattoos here.
In Conclusion
Healing a new tattoo properly requires patience. While enjoying some cocktails with friends or a glass wine after a long day sounds nice, hold off until your tattoo finishes the healing process. Not only will you reduce health risks and excessive pain, but you’ll thank yourself later with a vibrant, healthy tattoo you can enjoy for years to come.
