There are some simple things anyone planning on getting a tattoo can and should do to make the experience the best it can possibly be. One of the most frequently overlooked is eating a good, carbohydrate-rich meal just before getting inked. There are several reasons for this, not the least of which is preventing low blood sugar as the result of sustained endorphin output while under the needles.
While you're being tattooed, your body is constantly kicking out endorphins to block the pain. The high associated with new ink is endorphins, your body's own natural happy drug. The endorphins reduce the pain, and create a state of euphoria that lasts for many hours after the tattoo is finished. You can compare the high from getting a tattoo to the highs of many of the most popular drugs on the planet. Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine all induce endorphins. In fact, the high from these drugs isn't a result of the drugs themselves, it's the body's reaction to having an overwhelming amount of endorphins trickling through our brains. One big important difference, however, is that getting a tattoo isn't illegal for most people, and it won't stop your body from creating endorphins for the normal reasons such as in response to pain and physical exertion. The drugs, on the other hand are addictive because after a few uses, your body will not put out endorphins unless and until you take more drugs. Having plenty of carbohydrates just before getting inked is the best way to assure a good, sustained endorphin output, and the least painful tattoo experience possible.
Other advantages to having plenty of carbs before getting inked are numerous. A full belly trips some biological responses that do things like lower our heart rates and allow us to be more relaxed while we're getting inked. For you, this means your lines will be more stable and less shaky, and your artist will appreciate your ability to hold still in the chair. Your ink will look better and last longer because your blood pressure will be lower as you are more relaxed so less of it gets pushed back out of your skin after being inserted. This means less time spent going back over skin that's already irritated, and less pain as a result. It can also mean that your tattoos get a little cheaper as your relationship with your artist gets better, the artist gets to know how much easier it is to tattoo you, and how much better their work looks when people see it around town. I myself have given deep discounts to people who sit better as the inking process takes less time and effort on my part, and in the end, that's what I am getting paid for; the time and effort of inking you.
On the other hand, if you don't eat well, and your blood sugar drops, your body puts out adrenaline to speed your digestion so it can correct the deficiency by extracting carbohydrates from whatever food may be in your digestive tract. The adrenaline raises your blood pressure, making your skin more likely to push ink back out and require several passes of the needles over the same skin to get the ink in properly. This can result in scarring from overworking the skin. It can result in a spotty tattoo with some spots that fade much more quickly or even spit out enough of the ink that they look like the artist missed them altogether. And it can result in an irritated artist that after a little while gives up on the idea of giving you a fabulous tattoo and is willing to settle for "decent". Compared to what you spend on a good tattoo, the cost of a good, carb-rich meal is negligible. Compared to what a lot of people spend on the aftercare of a tattoo during healing, the meal is again cheap. So do yourself and your favorite artist a favor. Eat well before getting inked. You won't regret it.
