After getting a tattoo, you should avoid eating food with a high fat or sugar content, as these foods can cause skin inflammation and interfere with the healing process. Examples include fresh sausage, smoked sausage and ham.

These foods can cause inflammation and increase the risk for slow recovery and scarring. These foods should be avoided by anyone with skin issues and undergoing treatment or anyone who is experiencing acute skin inflammation (which is common after getting a tattoo).

In addition to maintaining a healthy diet, it is also important to ensure adequate tattoo aftercare, such as keeping your skin protected, avoiding scratching, and avoiding direct sun. Both of these combined will promote better healing and a more beautiful, long-lasting tattoo.

List of foods you should avoid

Examples of the main food to avoid include:

Soft drinks
Processed juices
Fried foods, such as French fries, pastries and other savory snacks
Fast food
Pork and processed meats, such as sausage, ham, sausage, bacon, mortadella and salami
Sweets, cream-filled biscuits, cakes, ready-made cake batters, cereal bars
Corn syrup
Chocolate
Instant noodles, beef broth cubes
Frozen meals
Ice cream
Alcohol
Artificial sweeteners

Excessive consumption of these foods can increases inflammation and impair the skin’s healing process. This type of diet can also lead to other health problems such as headaches, high cholesterol and diabetes. Ideally, these foods should not be eaten, and should not be consumed for at least one week after a surgery, piercing or tattoo.

What to eat to speed healing

To speed the healing process of the skin, you should consume foods rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, such as omega-3. Foods with the most antioxidant properties include tomatoes, red fruits, citrus fruits like orange, and herbs such as garlic, onion and saffron.

Anti-inflammatory foods are those rich in good fats, such as nuts, avocado, salmon, tuna, sardines, olive oil, peanuts, flaxseed, chia seeds, and sesame seeds. In addition, drinking 1 to 2 cups of anti-inflammatory teas can also help with the healing process, and you may use herbs like chamomile, ginger and rosemary. Read more about the anti-inflammatory diet that you can maintain while healing.

Tattoo aftercare

In addition to maintaining a healthy diet post-tattoo, there are also aftercare considerations you need to keep in mind to ensure your tattoo heals properly. These include washing the area with a gentle soap for at least 2 weeks and avoiding sun exposure and swimming. Learn more about tattoo aftercare and what you can do to promote healing.

Finally, you should have the tattoo done in a reliable place, one that is certified and in which the material used during the procedure is totally sterilized. This is essential to avoid the transmission of diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS.