Getting a Tattoo

[philjl]

Hello Everyone,

I am a young adult male and have type 1 diabetes. I am looking at getting a tattoo (of medium size) and have never had one before.
Just wondering a few things;
1. Will it affect blood tests at the hospital afterwards?
2. Has anyone experienced their blood sugars dropping lots while being tattooed?
3. Any issues with healing?

And any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance,

Phil

 

[Jaylee]

Hi @philjl ,

Welcome to the forum.

Yep, i have a tattoo.

From my personal experience.
1. Will it affect blood tests at the hospital afterwards? i cant say it was noticeable.

2. Has anyone experienced their blood sugars dropping lots while being tattooed? I did keep a close eye on them, Oh, & keep hypo treatment handy.. But for me no.
Your tattooist shouldn't be too phased by the finger pricking..

3. Any issues with healing? Not in the least. But do follow the directions of aftercare with your tattooist.
I'm a reasonably quick healer anyway.

I'm not sure of your geographic location. Where i am. Tattooists are currently closed due to the new lockdown.

 

[Andydragon]

Hello Everyone,

I am a young adult male and have type 1 diabetes. I am looking at getting a tattoo (of medium size) and have never had one before.
Just wondering a few things;
1. Will it affect blood tests at the hospital afterwards?
2. Has anyone experienced their blood sugars dropping lots while being tattooed?
3. Any issues with healing?

And any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance,

Phil

What is your blood sugar control like? I’m type 2 with a number of tattoos and has one a couple months ago prior to the new lockdown and it healed perfectly. Kept it moisturised with cocoa butter.

but I did put it on pause when my bloods were too high. I did read that hba1c greater that 8% is a bad idea for tattoos as the healing is impaired. With good blood control it is much safer

location can also be an issue, extremities can be riskier

however many type 1s and 2s successfully have tattoos, but for type 1 at risk of hypos, the pain of the tattoo and the extended duration could have an impact

 

[Gaffer type 1]

Hi ive been T1 nearly 2 yrs and ive had 51 tattoos done ive never experienced any problems.
One thing i would say takes a little longer to heal if u r always running high..

 

[JoKalsbeek]

Hello Everyone,

I am a young adult male and have type 1 diabetes. I am looking at getting a tattoo (of medium size) and have never had one before.
Just wondering a few things;
1. Will it affect blood tests at the hospital afterwards?
2. Has anyone experienced their blood sugars dropping lots while being tattooed?
3. Any issues with healing?

And any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated, thanks in advance,

Phil

I finally found a tattooist that would take me on with my T2 and Hashimoto's. I had to jump through hoops though, to prove my glycemic control was excellent, because without control, the healing process would've been a mess. I did have some antibiotic salve handy from my doc's, just in case it did get infected. (Because if something like that happens, you can be sure it's on a weekend!). No effect on my blood glucose, up nor down, and it shouldn't affect blood tests at the hospital either.

Enjoy!
Jo

 

[bonus]

Is there a thread anywhere with pictures of people with specific "diabetes type 1" tattoos?

I like some but need a little inspiration with designs, I've looked at Alot on Google but none stand out. I'm not sure weather I want to be labeled but I've seen some of the red snake disease bracelets tattooed to the hand and wrist being a little discreet.

 

[Miranda Priestley]

I have T2 and 6 tattoos and I didn't have any problems. It took a long time to heal, but everything was fine.

 

[Andydragon]

I have T2 and 6 tattoos and I didn't have any problems. It took a long time to heal, but everything was fine.

Long time to heal isn’t a good thing and can be a sign that you had slightly higher blood levels when you had them done. Mine took about 2-3 weeks which is what you’d normally expect for a tattoo to heal. I made sure my hba1c was a reasonable level first though

but it depends what you class as long.

 

[Sarah69]

I’ve had tattoos since being diabetic and never had a problem with healing or anything else. I did not tell the tattooist I was diabetic either.

 

[Woner Woman]

I have two tattoos for diabetes. Sorry about the blurry last one, it's on my left arm and I'm left handed!
I always get mine done in the morning when I've had breakfast and I keep sweets in my pocket. Never ever had to eat the sweets and I use Tattoo Goo while they heal. I've had 20+ tattoos now and all have gone absolutely fine. My tattooist is brilliant and I would recommend you do your research.

 

[Woner Woman]

Try Pintrest!

 

[Ushthetaff]

I use to have 11 tattoos I now have 10 and a half , never had any probs with blood sugars or healing ! Used Berbanthen nappy rash cream t works a treat
( 10and a half tattoos as I had a full leg tatttoo , butt only have half a leg now lol)

 

[Hotpepper20000]

I’m type 2 and have a few tattoos.
My artist uses a product called second skin. It like cling film with the side on the skin sticky. It takes 5-7 days and you can pull it off. And the tattoo is healed

 

[AbigailYternite]

Now definitely gonna do a tattoo

 

[Woner Woman]

Now definitely gonna do a tattoo

It's your own personal tag and if ever you end up in an accident or hospital they can see straight away that you are diabetic.