Can You Smoke After Getting a Tattoo?

Can you smoke after getting a tattoo? This can be the very first question after a tattoo session if you’re a chain-smoker.

Well, you can, but it’s best to avoid smoking after getting a tattoo. The three components of cigarettes- nicotine, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide can slow the healing process after getting a tattoo. Also, smoking reduces collagen synthesis, allowing pigmentation to flow out of the tattoo and cause the tattoo to fade.

You may want to know more about why you should or should not smoke after a tattoo. So stay tuned to this article to know more.

Can You Smoke After Getting a Tattoo?

Yes, you can. But frequent smoking after tattooing will not be good for the tattooed skin. Smoking heavily will slower the healing process of your body because of some other chemicals, including deoxygenation of tissues and cardiovascular effects of the tar. But if you’re young, in good health, and don’t smoke more than three packs every day, you can usually get away with it.

Can You Smoke After Getting a Tattoo?

Besides, your body’s immune system is already working to remove the pollutants from smoking. So when more pollutants appear in the body, it affects the overall circulation system. Affecting the circulation system makes a negative impact on the surface of your skin.

One may also ask- can you vape after getting a tattoo?

Vaping is not as harmful as smoking because it does not burn tobacco and does not produce carbon monoxide. Where these two are particularly the most damaging components of cigarettes. Vaping does not create problems for your tattoo’s healing procedure, which is why vaping is not discouraged.

Does Smoking Affect Tattoo Healing?

Does Smoking Affect Tattoo Healing - Tattoo Strategies
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Yes, smoking hinders the healing process after tattooing. The bacteria of cigarettes have a negative impact on the healing process. A study found that toxins, including nicotine, carbon monoxide, and hydrogen cyanide, slow the healing process. 

Carbon monoxide limits the quantity of oxygen red blood cells deliver to the skin, nicotine constricts veins, resulting in decreased blood flow, hydrogen cyanide inhibits the enzymes required for oxygen transport, and increases your body’s metabolic profile. According to a study of over 352 tattoo removal patients at a laser surgery center in Milan, Italy, people who smoke were 70% more likely to undergo extended tattoo removal.

Ten to twelve treatments are typically required in the tattoo removal industry to completely remove a tattoo.

What Happens If You Smoke After Getting a Tattoo?

What Happens If You Smoke After Getting a Tattoo - Tattoo Strategies
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While cigarettes have several toxins that directly impact the tattoo removal process, smoking cannabis also affects the ability of your body to heal quickly. Given the same wound healing principles, smoking can cause tattoo removal to take longer.

So, we will recommend you drink a lot of water, maintain a healthy diet, and do regular exercise so that the healing process speeds up. A healthy lifestyle will help your body to balance all the systems of your body properly and helps to ensure blood flow.

Why Is Tattoo Removal Less Successful for the Smokers?

Why Is Tattoo Removal Less Successful for the Smokers - Tattoo Strategies
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A study found that those who smoke regularly, tattoo removal for them is more problematic than others. Dermatologist and study co-author Luigi Naldi (MD.) discovered that using a Q-switched laser, which costs $100–500 each session, 50% of the tattoos could be erased in 10–12 sessions. But for regular smokers, the percentage lowered to 70%.

Interestingly, tattoos on the feet and legs lasted longer than on other body parts. When laser removal sessions were separated by at least eight weeks, the results were superior.

After ten laser treatments, the study’s results—published in the Archives of Dermatology—found that nearly 50% of participants had their tattoos successfully removed. After 15 treatments, the percentage jumped to 75%

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I smoke weed after my tattoo?

Smoking marijuana does not appear to affect the way a tattoo heals, and some users say that it provides pain relief when the adrenaline wears off. If you decide to smoke marijuana after getting a tattoo, be warned that it may affect your consciousness or impair your decision-making, putting your delicate tattoo at risk.

Can I smoke the night before a tattoo?

Some tattoo artists won’t permit it, while others would even advise against it. If you’re concerned, you can always continue utilizing cannabis-infused items to speed up the healing process after getting the tattoo.

Conclusion 

Did this article help you to find the answer?

We tried to answer any questions you may have in mind and also come up with solutions you might face. Not just whether you should smoke after getting a tattoo but also what complications you might face after smoking. Hope this article helped you to find the answers you wanted.

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