Worldwide, COVID-19 vaccine rollouts are in full swing, with millions of people already vaccinated and others in line to do so. Maybe it is your turn next! As people get their doses of vaccine, they worry about adjusting and adapting to new changes, which makes them raise a lot of questions. Among these questions is a common one asked countless time: "Is it safe to get a tattoo after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine or should we be spacing out our vaccines and tattoos?"

Learn all you need to know about tattoos and COVID-19 vaccines with this ultimate comprehensive guide.

 

Tattoos After COVID-19 Vaccine

Why should tattoos and COVID-19 vaccines be even discussed?

You may not find any relation between COVID-19 vaccines and tattoos but it is important to understand how they both work.

Both vaccines and tattoos are injected into the skin. Vaccine involves injecting the vaccine liquid and tattoos involve injecting ink. When you’re inked, your body sees the injected ink as a foreign body, and sometimes, because your body doesn’t like an invader hanging around, it initiates an immune response, which can lead to various post-tattoo effects like arm pain, soreness, and swelling. Similar to tattoos, vaccines discharge foreign materials into your bloodstream, and vaccine effects can look like tattoos effects. Vaccines and tattoos can also cause fatigue, light fevers, headaches, muscle pain, and other effects.

So, would experiencing tattoo effects at the same time as the one spurred by the vaccine be a good idea? Would getting a tattoo right after getting the COVID-19 vaccine alter the immune response prompted by the vaccine and diminish its effectiveness?

The simple answer to all these questions is that COVID-19 vaccines are still new, and the lack of scientific evidence will require further research to understand their response under different conditions and whether tattoos affect them in any way.

Medical experts say that there isn’t much to worry about as there are no contraindications to receiving a COVID-19 vaccine shortly after or even before getting a tattoo. Based on how the various vaccines work, there isn't any reason to think getting a tattoo would influence how well vaccines work.

 

However, there are a few risks to be aware of:

Risks

• COVID-19 Infection – Even if you've been vaccinated, you can still get infected with the virus and suffer from various symptoms. So, getting a tattoo could put you to additional at risk.
• Confusion – Avoid placing your new body art in the same area as you got the vaccine because there would be no way to tell which one of them caused the reaction. A tattoo side effect could require treatment that a vaccine side effect doesn’t. If you develop a local infection after getting a tattoo, you may need antibiotic treatment, and you should not disregard it or blame the vaccine.  
• Excessive Side Effects – Many people have experienced enough pain and suffered from the vaccine’s side effects. To get both on the same day, you definitely wouldn’t want twice as many side effects as a result, like excessive pain in your arm.

 

Precautions

• Always get tattooed from reputable, licensed places to avoid the risk of bloodborne infections, and be sure your tattoo artist is taking proper safety and social distancing measures, such as good ventilation and limiting the number of people in their shop.
• Remember to wear a mask for both your vaccine and tattoo appointments.
• Aftercare – Discuss proper aftercare with your tattoo artist and follow their instructions. Don't forget to apply ointments

 

How Long Do I Need to Wait?

At this point, there are no clear answers. Tattoo artists are frequently asked this question but they are unable to give their client answers and experts in the medical field are asked the same question but don’t know how to respond. Some claim that it is best to wait for 2 to 3 days while others say that waiting for a couple of weeks is necessary. Why not wait at least a couple of days for the symptoms of your vaccine to die down? Although there are no scientific reasons to spread out your vaccine and tattoo, you may nonetheless want to consider postponing your tattoo if it is near your injection site. In the aftermath of a COVID-19 vaccine, fresh tattoos may make monitoring side effects more challenging. And even if you don’t get tattooed near your injection site, you may find it challenging to juggle two different areas of the body that are painful at the same time.