Nutritional Support in Healing Tattoos

Written By peripeteiah tattoos
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Nutrition is an integral aspect to healing wounds, and tattoos are no different. Healing is always non-linear, and healing a tattoo through the inflammatory, proliferative and maturation phases of regeneration requires different kinds of energy and focus.

This in depth guide is for those seeking to best prepare and perform dietary aftercare as aspects of choice and healing in their bodies. It is also for artists who wish to advise on nutritional and supplemental support as aspects of tattoo after care.

WOUNDING

When receiving a tattoo, whether it be machine, handpoke, or traditional modalities of tattoo application, ink is injected into the skin by repetitive needle motion causing a beautiful wound. The needle travels through the epidermis and into the upper dermis, implicating multiple layers of skin in recovery. Essentially, as a tattoo heals, ink is filtered out of the top layers of skin by active immune cells and eventually stored in the dermis, surrounded by connective tissue. Supporting a body through this healing process is the aim.

Here is a timeline as a guide:

  • 24 hours after the procedure: the needle tracks are covered by a scab and surrounded with inflammation. Ink has been absorbed into both epidermal cells as well as inflammatory phagosomes, and some will be free floating in the cytoplasm. Immune cells play a large role in clearing ink and dead cells from the epidermis, and stimulate the regrowth of connective tissue during the first few days (Lea & Pawlowski, 1987).

  • 4 days post tattoo: Fibroblasts begin the work of rebuilding capillary beds, begin growing the collagen matrix and building the precursor to new skin; granulation tissue (Stechmiller, 2010).

  • 1 month post tattooing: the scab and inflammation should be gone. The basement membrane at the epidermal-dermal junction has begun to reform. Ink has been sequestered in basal cells and surrounded by collagen.

In studies of ink multiple years old, cells containing ink were continuously dermal cells. These cells were surrounded by collagen, elastic fibers and connective tissue, which also contained ink (Lea & Pawlowski, 1987).

COMPLICATIONS

An understanding of nutrition and wound healing can support healing a tattoo! Individual needs can vary drastically across age, metabolic rate, access to income and food access (Brown and Phillips, 2010), so what is best will vary according to the specific client.

In a client who is malnourished, the inflammatory stage of wound healing might be significantly prolonged (Stechmiller, 2010). Malnutrition can severely impact the healing of any wound, and can decrease immune function and wound strength, increasing the risk of infection in the healing tattoo.

Consider that elderly clients, clients with chronic ulceration and those who are low income or experiencing excessive stress may be more likely to be malnourished and nutrient deficient. For those clients, supplementation with Vitamin A, C and zinc during healing may drastically improve healing times (Brown and Phillips, 2010).

Diabetic clients show a delayed inflammatory and immune response, which prolong inflammation, delay wound closure and increase risk of infection. Their wounds can heal more slowly and with less collagen deposition in the dermis - advise clients to administer insulin soon after their tattoo and closely monitoring blood sugar stability throughout the first few days of healing ((Brown and Phillips, 2010).

NUTRITIONAL INTENTIONS

  • BEFORE: Eating a combination of carbohydrates and protein before a tattoo can make a big difference in post-procedure capacity for collagen synthesis and wound healing. Consider eating with a focus on energy intake a few days before a tattoo. (Brown and Phillips, 2010).

  • CONSIDER IMPACT: Most of the energy used in healing a tattoo re-builds collagen in the skin. For smaller tattoos, this might not be a noticeable impact. However, on large, cross-hemispheric or full colour pieces, ensuring adequate carbohydrate intake for at least two weeks after a tattoo is crucial to prevent breakdown of muscles and other tissues (Brown and Phillips, 2010). Note / for ketogenic clients, this is less of a concern as their bodies are already metabolized to be protein saving.

  • HEALING TIME: When a body is wounded, metabolism increases, the body loses water, and a catabolic response promotes gluconeogenesis to convert muscle proteins into energy for healing. A healthy person might want to increase their caloric intake to 35 - 40 kcal/kg/day during the first few weeks of healing a tattoo (Wild et al, 2010).

    During healing, consider eating foods high in alpha-linoleic acid (found in most sea foods) and linoleic acids (found in vegetable oils). Adequate proteins provide the body with resources for tissue growth and repair after injury. Consider eating bone broths with potatoes or other starches. Good combinations of protein and carbohydrates are essential to enable healing (Brown and Phillips, 2010). A focus on water intake and adequate meals could help your tattoo heal more quickly and with less systemic impact on your muscles, connective tissue and immune system.

SUPPLEMENTS TO CONSIDER

For clients taking corticosteroids, who are diabetic or chronically ulcerated, or who are at risk of malnutrition due to access and stress, supplementation might be an option to support their bodies in healing a fresh tattoo. Here are some supplements and why and when someone may want to take them:

  • ARGININE: Improves collagen synthesis and stimulates humoral immunity in normal wound healing. This is especially important for the diabetic client.

  • VITAMIN C: Vitamin C deficiency is associated with impaired wound healing and is most important for larger, fully saturated tattoos during the first month of healing.

  • VITAMIN A: Increasing the inflammatory response in wounds, Vitamin A stimulates phagocytes and collagen synthesis to more rapidly heal tattoos. It is more important to supplement if a client is taking corticosteroids, which deplete the body of this vitamin. This is best taken immediately after a tattoo for 2 - 3 days.

  • VITAMIN E: Stabilizing cell membranes through oxidation, Vitamin E is anti-inflammatory and can be supplemented topically 4 -5 days following a tattoo, once the wound is closed.

  • MAGNESIUM: Supporting wound repair, magnesium enables enzymes involved in collagen synthesis and important for the first 2 months of healing.

  • ZINC: A co-factor in DNA synthesis, zinc is crucial in cell division and wound healing. It can be depleted by stress and corticosteroids, and is important for clients with those experiences for the first 2 months of healing.

    (Brown and Phillips, 2010)

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I wrote this guide in April 2021 as a project I was completing for my Science of Nutrition course. I hope that it reaches you well and inspires clients and artists alike to consider nutritional aspects of wound and tattoo healing. Please be in touch with thoughts, comments, additions or concerns.

REFERENCES

Arnold, M. & Barbul, A. (2006). Nutrition and Wound Healing. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 117(7S), 42S-58S.

Brown, K. & Phillips, T. (2010) Nutrition and wound healing. Clinics in Dermatology, 28(4), 432-439.

Wild, T., Rahbarnia, A., Kellner, M., Sobotka, L., Eberlein, T., (2010) Basics in Nutrition and Wound Healing. Nutrition. 26(9), 862-866.

Stechmiller, J.K. (2010), Understanding the Role of Nutrition and Wound Healing. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 25: 61-68.

Lea, P. & Pawlowski, A. (1987) Human Tattoo, Electrol microscopic assessment of epidermis, epidermal-dermal junction and dermis. international journal of dermatology. 26(7). 453-458.

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