Best Food for Tattoo | Before, After, and Long Term (2024)

A lot of attention is given to the surface of your epidermis when it comes to skin prep and tattoo aftercare. Discussions revolve around moisturizers and other topical treatments. Rarely do you hear about nutrients. This is unfortunate given that what you put in your body is just as important (if not more) to tattoo health than what you rub on the outside. Let’s put an end to that today. Read below!

Best Foods to Consume Before, Immediately After, and Through Life to Protect the Health of Your Tattoos

What to Eat Before Your Tattoo Appointment

Consume seafood (krill, tuna, herring, mackerel, and salmon in particular) that is high in the omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs). They promote healthy overall skin and help maintain elasticity which is essential to creating a great canvas for your tattooist to work with. Also add nuts to your diet, namely brazil nuts and almonds, which are rich in Vitamin-E and selenium. The latter is a powerful antioxidant that works alongside Vitamin-E and C to protect skin health. High levels of Vitamin-E is also found in avocado so be sure to request extra guacamole when heading out for tacos. And as alluded to above, consume lots of Vitamin-C to support your immune system while promoting healthy skin through collagen production. Vitamin-C rich foods include dark green leafy veggies, sweet potatoes, red and green peppersand tomatoes.

What to Eat Immediately After Getting a Tattoo Appointment

You body sees a fresh tattoo as a wound. As such, you need to feed it food that it desires to promote wound healing. Once again we turn to Vitamin C. Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) is needed for the synthesis of collagen in the skin. It is also a very effective antioxidant which protects cells from damage by free radicals. As a result the vitamin typically speeds up the healing process of wounds, or in this case tattoos. We already named some Vitamin-C rich food for tattoo healing above, but feel free to add in strawberries to sweeten things up.

In addition, add foods that are high in zinc to your post-tattoo dietary regime. Zinc plays a significant role in regulating all phases of the tattoo healing process, including membrane repair, oxidative stress, coagulation, inflammation, immune defense, tissue re-epithelialization, and angiogenesis. Natural foods that are high in zinc involve fortified grains and proteins such as beef, chicken, seafood and beans.

What to Eat for the Long Life of Your Tattoo

We circle back to the very first shopping list (foods high in Omega-3, Vitamin C / E, and selenium) for healthy skin which is the same recipe for “best food for a tattoo”. That said, buffer your Omega-3 intake of herring, tuna, mackerel, and salmon with 0mega-6 and Omega-9 which work to create a Omega 3-6-9 combo that is excellent for longterm tattoo health. Cook with olive oil for an Omega-9 boost, then stuff your trail mix with walnuts, pecans, and almonds. If you have a nut allergy, opt for sunflower seeds instead.

Now that you know how to feed your tattoo/s, perhaps it’s time for another one? If located in the Greater Vancouver BC or Toronto ON area, schedule a consultation at an Adrenaline Studios near you.