Is It Safe To Get A Tattoo While Breastfeeding?
Is It Safe To Get A Tattoo While Breastfeeding?
It is not risky to have tattoos during the breastfeeding period. The molecular structure of the ink is too large to pass into the breast milk. However, give sufficient waiting time before you go for a tattoo after delivery. Wait for at least a year to give your body enough time to heal after delivery. By then, your baby too will consume lesser breast milk.
Removal of a tattoo necessitates laser treatment. The lasers emit energy leading to the fragmentation of the tattoo pigment. The fragments are then filtered out of the body through the immune system. The process is associated with minimal side effects and does not involve any blood spill. You just have to take care of laser tattoo removal while breastfeeding like you do when having a tattoo.
- Getting a tattoo done is not harmful, but the larger multi-colored ones are said to pose a threat compared to the black ones.
- Tattooing is done with hand-held machines having needles coated with ink.
- The ink is injected into your body in the dermal layer of your skin.
- The needle pierces you at a speed of a hundred times per minute and has a depth of a few millimeters.
What Are The Risks Associated With Tattooing While Nursing?
The risk factors are the same if breastfeeding or not. It is always better to be informed about the general risk factors associated with tattooing before going for it. Here are a few associated medical risks:
Allergy
A few people may show allergic reactions to the tattoo ink thereby disrupting breastfeeding.
Infections
Systemic infections and local infections are the main concerns. Systemic infections happen when precautions are not taken by the tattoo artist or the tattoo parlor. The infections can include hepatitis, tetanus, and HIV.
Scars /bumps
An unnecessary scar may result from the removal or application of a tattoo. Sometimes tattooing leads to granulomas, which are small bumps or knots formed around the foreign material perceived by the body i.e. tattoo pigment particles.
Tips for Tattooing While Breast Feeding
Cannot resist the urge of getting a tattoo during breastfeeding? Not a problem. Follow these tips:
- Make sure to screen the tattooist and the shop, before getting it done. Ask the artist to be extra careful.
- Avoid getting tattoos done on the chest or breasts as it may not be possible to take care of the tattoo in those areas while nursing.
- Use natural products as they are safer. The severity of artificial colors is unpredictable.
- Existing tattoos wouldn’t create a problem unless they were done in an unsanitary situations. To be sure, get yourself tested for infections.