Stretching is Inevitable

When you become pregnant, your stomach grows at a rate that is faster than your body is used to, so your skin often produces stretch marks. Skin fibers soften during pregnancy due to your hormones, making you more prone to stretch marks. If they develop on your tattoo, they can warp it quite a bit. 

Your stomach area is not the only skin susceptible to stretch marks during pregnancy. If you have tattoos on your thighs or around your breasts, you may notice them looking different as well. 

Additionally, if you have to give birth via C-section, you could experience significant damage to any tattoos in that area. 

How to Minimize It

Some amount of skin stretching is unavoidable, but many women can avoid any significant distortion in their tattoos. Some women do not develop stretch marks at all. Like we mentioned before, every person is different. 

Here are some tips on minimizing the effects of stretch marks:

Use Products 

Many products can help to keep your skin tight and toned while you carry a baby. There are creams, lotions, and gels that claim they can eliminate stretch marks. Although many of them are not as miracle-working as the manufacturers claim, they are worth a try. 

Products like cocoa butter and BioOil can keep stretching at a minimum if you begin using them early in your pregnancy. 

Drink Water

Staying hydrated is probably the easiest thing you can do to help out your skin. Hydrated skin has more elasticity and can bounce back from pregnancy stretching easier. Drinking the recommended 8-10 glasses of water each day throughout your pregnancy (and after) will help your skin stay healthy.

Pamper Your Skin

Pampering yourself with things like massage and exfoliation can help minimize the development of stretch marks as well. Massaging your tattooed area increases blood flow to the skin cells and helps to keep the skin plump.

Consider Touch-ups

So many incredible tattoo artists out there can turn even the worst tattoo distortion into something beautiful. Getting a touch-up after you have your baby could be just what you need to look and feel amazing again. 

However, if you are planning to have more children, it might be smart to wait until you are done before paying for a touch-up. Touching up, then re-stretching the skin might make it worse than before. 

Take some photos of your tattoo before you begin to gain baby weight and show them to a tattoo artist when you go in for your touch up. This way, they can do their best to get your ink back to its original glory (or sometimes even better).

Consider Your Health

Speak to a professional about what you should be eating and how much weight you should gain during pregnancy. Overeating is very easy when you are carrying a child, so keeping track of what you eat and sticking to a diet can ensure that you get all of the proper nutrients you require without gaining more weight than you need to. 

Exercise is another factor that can help keep your tattoo intact. Although you shouldn’t try to lose weight while pregnant, exercising can help maintain proper weight gain and slow down the stretching process. It also helps tone and tightens your skin after you have given birth.

Consider Tattoo Removal

Although many women do not think it is worth it to have a tattoo removed just to give birth, it is an option. Tattoo removal can be pricey and painful, though it can be extremely effective at removing your tattoo. If you are concerned about the stretching of your stomach, removal is always an option. 

Conclusion

So there you have it, tattoos on your tummy are bound to stretch if you are pregnant, yet it does not have to be something to worry about too much. Many women are able to go back to looking like they did before they had children, and every single body is different. 

If you’re tattooed and pregnant, hydrate, moisturize, watch your diet, and relax. No tattoo is worth giving up the experience of bringing a child into the world!