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So I have had my tubes tied, feeling a little less overwhelmed about being a parent of two, and have come to accept that after babies, short of plastic surgery, I have a stomach I don’t love and that is okay. However, now I feel like I can do something fun…I have always wanted a tattoo, and having come to this point in my life I feel like I can choose one to go on said stomach. However, I cannot find any pictures or information on getting a tattoo on stretched, loose skin — not, like, little stretch mark, c-section scar belly. It’s like, hanging, stretched-flesh belly.
Is a tattoo over a stretched postpartum belly a thing you can do? And if it is, what kind of design would work? I am looking to a wider tattooed audience to supply me with visual greatness. -Vivi
Tattooed or tattooing Homies, what do you know about a tattoo over a stretched postpartum stomach?
I’ve spoken with tattoo artists about this. It is totally possible to do, but the colour might not take properly. Some of my tattoos cover light stretch marks, and the difference is only noticeable when I’m looking for it. I haven’t attempted tattooing over my dark baby-belly stretch marks yet.
I would advise being careful in your selection of an artist, and discussing it with them as well.
I am heavily tattooed and have tattoos on my body that happen to go over (largely faded) stretch marks in other spots though I have no tattoos on my belly at all, and I have friends who have tattoos that purposely cover scars of other sorts, though also not on their bellies. I know that tattooing scar tissue you can be a bit more painful but it’s by a negligible amount. I also know that until your stretch marks have some time to heal and fade, the skin in this area might be a bit thinner, which I guess could promote more tearing/bleeding when tattooing, but my guess is that it’s a non-issue. But I’m no expert! Rather than looking for info on the internet your best bet is to probably ask a tattoo artist (a very experienced tattoo artist at a reputable shop). They know all about what kind of scars/moles/freckles you should and should not tattoo, they are the serious experts. There are three that I go to for my work and they know their sh*t, and any good tattoo artist has seen every kind of body of all shapes and sizes, with all kinds of scars and bits and they will just be super professional and positive about any questions you have. They will also help you to make a totally kickass design that flows with the shape of which ever body part you are sticking it on and that compliments you and and represents your tastes. I’m a professional painter and have designed many of my own tattoos, but every single time my tattoo artists have improved the design because they know what works on the body better than I do. They will def have smashing advice to make your lovely belly even lovelier!
My suggestion would be to approach your belly tattoo the same way I’d suggest approaching any tattoo: Find an artist whose style you like and who works in a reputable shop. Once you find someone you like, go in for a consultation so they can look at your belly and figure out what will work and what won’t. Any good tattoo artist wants to create something that will look good, so listen to their advice and be prepared for them to say that tattooing on some areas might not work.
You also don’t need to go in with a specific design in mind, but having a broad idea of what you’d like (ex. a geometric pattern, flowers, a belly-spanning Mt. Rushmore re-imagined with cats) will help your artist plan better.
“a belly-spanning Mt. Rushmore re-imagined with cats”
File under “things I never knew I needed until now.”
Thickness and evenness of skin affects how the tattoo needle moves through your skin and how the ink sits in your skin. An artist should be able to look it over and let you know if it will not hold ink well, or if the ink is likely to bleed around in your skin. The artist will most likely stretch your skin out to tattoo it, and that can be somewhat uncomfortable.
Consider that the way the skin sits will affect the appearance–if there are folds and dimples, that’s obviously going to affect the appearance of the design. A good artist will try to account for this somewhat with the design, so try to be flexible with your vision for your piece.
If an artist seems unwilling to tattoo your skin, leave. If an artist seems like “no big deal, no problem”, ask to see pictures of skin like yours they’ve tattooed–if they don’t have examples, leave.
Here’s some inspo:
http://danktat.deviantart.com/art/Surgical-Scar-Coverup-Tattoo-269437705
http://s176.photobucket.com/user/bigian001/media/tattoos/529358_10151015259769161_1689885344_n.jpg.html
Those are amazing!
I imagine stretch marked skin will be different to scarred skin in terms of how it ‘takes’ the tattoo (stretch marks are tears in skin layers whereas scars are extra, new, less stretchy skin) but so awesome to see how the scars/marks are a feature of the design and not a bug 🙂
So I don’t have any tattoos but I have watched a lot of the tattoo shows. The tattoo artists never seemed very happy about tattooing this type of skin. This is for 2 reasons. 1. Your stretch marks are scars, many times the ink will not “take” well on skin that has scars. 2. You skin in that area will be thinner. I hate to use these words but it made sense when someone explained that it’s like trying to tattoo a deflated balloon. It will be more difficult for the artist. Again I am not an expert and I am hoping that maybe there may be artist that specialize in these types of tattoos I definitely would not go with anyone who doesn’t have the experience with this type of skin.
I have thought about it myself as I have had 3 children and have stretch marks eminating from my stomach and down my thighs. I try to think of my stretch marks as an awesome tattoo. They used to look like rays of coming from my belly button now they look more like something astral, like a galaxy. I also like how I have so many they feel so smooth, less like skin and more like satin ribbon.
I wish you luck. Henna, although not permanent could also be a fun choice to play with.
Could you work the marks into a tattoo, like a tiger or a flame pattern? It might help work around some of the issues with tattooing over different types of skin.
As many people have suggested, go to a tattoo artist and ask around. I’ve seen some tattoo artist work WONDERS with different skin types, scars, and covering tattoos. BUT I think you might have the best luck by checking out a tattoo convention. Arm yourself with a general idea for a tattoo (flowers, geometric shapes, puppies, etc) and go from booth to booth asking if the artist has dealt with stretch marks before. As many people said, if they don’t have photos of previous examples, move on. They SHOULD have photos if they have done tattoo like that before because it would mostly likely be something they are proud of and want to show off.
Hopefully you will find an artist that you like, and has the experience. You can sit down and try and come up with a design. The only downside is that many conventions are with tattoo artists who travel around. So you might not be able to book them that weekend, and have to wait another year to get the tattoo. But I have found conventions have half travelers, and half locals (or at least local enough that you can drive an hour or so to get to the place) so you might find someone that you can book later on and just make a day trip for the tattoo sessions.
If there is one small thing I can vouch for on this thread, it’s that the wait is worth it. I sit on my designs a long time to find the right person who can do what I want and save up for it
From what I know (from talking with my friend who is a tattoo artist), every scar tissue needs time to heal, so maybe if your stretch marks are still red and new it may not be a good time to tattoo them YET. Anyway I recommend the same as everyone else here: find a nice tattoo artist that can show you some works on stretch marks. And also, don’t rush to get someone do it. The wait will be totally worth it.
It is possible, but definitely plan on spending a little bit more money on the work and put some research and effort into finding a reputable artist who has plenty of experience working with scar tissue! Because it is going to be different than working on smooth skin. The artist should be able to guide you and help create a design that will work with your body. ♥️
Good advice from everyone, but I wish they answered the original question, which referred to loose skin….not stretch marks. There’s a difference….