new to the site, and in need of some input from others who may have seen or had a similar experience.
i have several tattoos, all done by the same artist. she has been slowly working on filling in a half-sleeve over the course of the last year or so. all of the work i’ve had done by her has healed properly, with the exception of some spots that were supposed to be a solid colour fill, but healed blotchy. this last spot that we did was worked on august 26th, so about 8 days ago. it is an apple, about 4 inches wide by 2.5 tall; the top portion was done in a golden yellow; the bottom, a deep red. there is a line separating the two coloured areas.
for about 20 hours after the work was done, all seemed to be progressing as per usual; perhaps slightly more swollen than normal but i figured it was probably due to the large (ish) area covered in one sitting (although it was only an hour’s worth of work, and i’ve had 3-4 hour sitting before without this much swelling). by the time 24 hours had passed, i was in such excruciating pain that i spent 4 hours tossing and turning in bed, attempting to find a comfortable position in which to sleep without putting pressure on my arm. and by this i don’t mean that i couldn’t sleep on that side of my body — i mean that i could not even rest my arm on top of my body to lay on my other side. by the time i woke up the next morning my upper arm around the fresh work was so swollen that the lower portion of my upper outer arm (just above the elbow dumple) extended outward a good inch more than usual. i suppose i should mention that the location of the area in question is my upper outer arm, about 4 inches above the elbow dimple area. anyway. so along with this intense swelling came increased pain and a distinctly red hot (in colour and temperature) area surrounding the tattoo. i dismissed this (stupid stupid stupid) and continued with the aftercare as i usually would, thinking that i was having a reaction to the red ink used in the lower portion of the apple (might i add that i have had red ink used in other tattoos and never experienced a red reaction, but i knew that the red ink used this time was a much deeper, darker pigment and that perhaps that could cause a reaction). i carried on as usual. i supposed by the next day i noticed that the red seemed to be healing well, but that in fact it was the YELLOW portion that appeared to be troubled. the scab forming on the surface of the yellow area was thick, much thicker than it should have been, and not consistently so; there were ripples of scab that were more raised than others, and it just looked incredibly rough overall. i began to worry but still continued with my usual aftercare, ensuring a clean surface etc etc but not wanting to dab at it too much/too hard with my dry clean cloth, for fear of dislodging pieces of this unpredictable-looking mutant scab. as the days went on, bits of scab pulled off due to getting stuck to shirtsleeves during the night (usually i am able to just wet the shirt or fabric in question and it comes loose from the scab, but with this one i would dampen it in a vain attempt to remove said fabric from said mangled tissue, and the scab would just goop around and pull itself OFF OF THE TATTOO rather than off of the shirt). the skin underneath the hard, thick scabs, when revealed, turned out to be quite moist and bubbly looking; uneven in pigment and texture– not dry, shiny and pale, like when a tattoo scab gets pulled off accidentally earlier than it should have. there were bits of scab that were rippling up and off of the skin surface, and when i stretched my arm out and these scabs were tugged at by the motion, yellow ink came oozing out from below the scabs. so here i am with a goddamn tattoo volcano, in a very visible area on my arm. i don’t know how else to describe the appearance/issues, and my camera is currently MIA, so i hope i am getting my point across. eight days after the session i am still left with a moist, uneven mess; some spots the scabs remain, solid and not budging in the slightest. i should also mention that i am still in extreme pain. the tattooed area itself is constantly very sore, and i am also the lucky recipient of occasional shooting pains through my elbow and sometimes into my lower arm/wrist.
i have gone to see the doctor, who of course didn’t really know what to say, but said it could be infected (based on the swelling — which went down about 3 days ago, i might add — and also due to the redness and feverish hot feeling in the area surrounding the tattoo) and prescribed me antibiotics. i have been dilligently taking my antibiotics, not really expecting much to come of it, as i am quite sure this is a case of severe hamburgering. i think that the area was overworked because i was bleeding quite a bit and the artist was unable to see which spots had already been coloured properly. the red, i might add, is coming along quite nicely. damnit.
soooo my question is : should i continue with the polysporin twice a day and rinsing with water and mild soap, even though the area is disturbingly moist without this treatment? or should i allow it to dry out for a day or so and scab up, and then apply ointment to the scabs to aid in their falling off?
basically WHAT THE HELL SHOULD I DO?! 😮
i’m fairly traumatized.
thanks guys.
Have you consulted with your artist?!?! She should know exactly what the problem is. I t may be an allergic reaction to the ink, hamburgering, or infection. Questions to be raised. Was this done in a clean environment? Is a quality pigment used? Was this a professional setup, or a electric race car motor? Perhaps one of our professionals, can help. Matthew has done extensive research on tattooing. Probably knows exactly what you are describing.
i consulted with her but have not been able to make it out for a visit and examination. also she’s only been in the business just over a year — she did an apprenticeship but is now working out of the house (i know, i know, it’s my own damn fault for not hiring a shop artist. but i must say that of course i do accept full responsibility anyway. i’m not whining or complaining .. simply looking for advice and suggestions).
clean environment, yes, but i should admit that it was a living room setting. however — cleaner than a couple shops i’ve seen in this town. and yes it was a professional set-up — she has a friend who works for a tattoo supply company, and he builds her guns for her. quality pigment, can’t say for sure but i do have some of the same yellow in my other arm, and that healed up fine.. however it wasn’t a solid fill on that one, it was more of a fade on a banner. i know for a fact she doesn’t re-use ink cups, gloves, needles or tubes (all disposable of course because an autoclave is just not within budget for her).
i sure hope someone can shed some light on the subject, because i’ve been spending countless hours searching on forums and etc, trying to find someone with a similar issue; alas no one seems to have recorded such an experience on the world wide web .. and anything i’ve read about that comes close to this doesn’t really answer any questions because there are so many answer-ers who don’t really know what they’re talking about, but throw suggestions out there just for the hell of it, and all the information is so conflicting that i’m too suspicious to trust in *any* of it.
OH and i can’t believe i forgot to include this in the original post. i don’t know if it factors in, but i started getting sick the day before the tattoo session, and sick i remain. it’s just a cold– runny nose, brutal congested cough, etc– and it really shouldn’t have lasted 9 days. boyfriend & brother both had the same thing and it only lasted a day or two for them. so i’m not sure if perhaps the tattoo was overworked, became prone to infection after being an open, damp wound for so long, perhaps contracted an infection and is now not healing properly because i’m sick? who knows. i figured i’d throw it out there though in case it does factor in to the whole equation.
although its not ideal to get a tattoo while you are getting a tattoo i never heard of it effecting some ones tattoo healing like that , the 1st thing i thought of is that its a red tattoo ?
and many people get reactions to red inks ! and even if you have had red ink before you can still have a reaction from a change of brands red ink .
have you got a picture ?
we will be able to help you out a lot easier if we can see it . :rolleyes:
Hi Paisley
Yes I have seen a lot of similar instances and here is what you need to do;
(legal disclaimer: I am not medically qualified and do not accept any responsibility or litigation against myself based on harm unintentional or intentional that might arise this includes any act of G-d 😉 – so if it gets worse get your arse to a Dr).
First of all from what you are saying I think it is actually a mixture of issues that will require each to be dealt with.
The first is that I suspect that the area may have been overworked a bit (hard to be exact no pic) but a lot of new artists are guilty of this and it can cause the area to scab really heavily.
They are also more prone to infection as the wound is deeper and wider.
First of all you need to complete that course of antibiotics even if it heals before hand – finish the course or it will come back.
Secondly you need to take some days off work – I am being serious getting tattooed even when healthy puts a serious toll on the immune system – if you have a cold or feel unwell double the strain.
Take 2-3 days off work get your arse into bed and drink at least 2 litres of water a day. i also advise the use of green tea and garlic to flush your body with anti-oxidants.
As for the tattoo after care you have to treat this with some serious care – you sound to me like you have a layered problem of infection and possible ink rejection.
The 2 most notorious pigments for trouble is red and yellow.
Without being told the make of ink I am in the realms of guess work here but I would not be surprised if it is some cheap shite far eastern ebay special.
The problem is that many cheaper inks have dodgy ingredients which include sulphides to make the yellow look brighter.
The problem with this is that the body reacts to the toxicity and starts to try and pump the stuff out of the skin at massive rate (this happens at a lower rate with safer inks).
The resulting mess is a a lot of gooey, pus filled scabs that are leaking yellow ooze. It is not yummy.
You really need to watch for any bruising, red streaks or white/red blisters – any of these get back to the Dr pronto.
Many start up scratchers or artists use these cheap shite pigments to save money 😡
The pigment should settle but my advice is:
Wash your hands before touching the tattoo – high risk of cross infection
Was the area with warm water and fragrance free soap 2-3 times a day.
Pat dry.
Apply a thin layer of antiseptic cream just enough to cover the scab.
Do this for the next 2-3 days with the anti-septic.
When it stops oozing apply a non-scented petroleum free (or at least less than 45%) cream 2-3 times a day.
Meanwhile apply a bag of ice to the area for around 15 mins or longer if you can stand it – it will slow the blood flow a bit and help control the weeping.
Take Care
Matthew
yep, that sounds about right. :/ gooey, wet, kind of bubbly looking. disguuuuusting.
on a better note, parts of the scab are coming off in the most normal fashion possible (what with everything that’s gone on in the area) and revealing a fairly solid yellow underneath. not perfect obviously but not pitted or incredibly discoloured or scarred, from what i can see. so far, so good. hopefully the center of the whole mess heals in the same way … or even close to … anything other than what i am picturing as a finished product. 🙁
thank you so much for the advice matthew, i really hope it helps in the healing process. i just don’t want it to turn into a septic mess. at this point i care much less about the tattoo than i do my arm itself; obviously i’m more concerned about the general health of the area. if touch-ups are required (which i’m positive they will be), i’m going to wait a good long time and ensure all is well.
also don’t worry, i’m very careful about thorough handwashing.
and one more question — which antiseptic cream do you recommend? and is there any lotion you prefer for this purpose? will unscented lubriderm do the trick?
thanks again — i’ll keep you updated.
Hi
Well polysporin is a good antiseptic on deep cuts etc but is also extremely strong and is known to lift ink if used heavily.
I personally use stuff like savlon (I am in uk) it is a med strength antiseptic cream.
As for creams I have tried:
Tattoo Goo (not recommended on this one as you have serious scabbing issues)
Aquaphor – which was great
Preparation H – This was also very good for heavy scabs use lightly
Bepanthen – It is good but personally a little greasy for my tastes.
Currently testing after inked which is not bad but it is on early outline and absorbs easy so will need more testing.
I have heard several ppl use lubriderm and have had no complaints prob best sticking with that.
Take Care
Matthew
I have been searching for days to find someone with the same experience. I had my tat done last Sunday. All seemed great at first. I washed it multiple times with anti bacterial soap, because of the location(around my ankle) dirt kicked up when I walked to i washed it alot but not drowning it. After washing i applied a thin layer of aquaphor. Now one spot is still so moist and gooey I dont know what to do. I wont go back to the shop where I got it but I did go show a real artist(that I should have gone to first) and he said to put neosporin on the overworked area. That was a few days ago and now it is slightly red where it wasnt before and it is still wet. Should I let it dry out or keep it moist? And with what? I also used bag balm on the other parts and are healing nicely, starting to flake and heal. There a few small spots that are also overworked and wet but they are very small . Its also blue ink and I’m pretty sure not a reaction because the same color was used and healed fine. I can take a pic but dont see where to post it. Im so upset because it is a tat of my kids and I really wanted it to be special,my fault, I know but in my defense I have been to this shop for peircings W/O a problem and I know people who had great tats done there before. what I didnt know was that the owner sold and it was a different person. I hope you can give me great advice, I’m just not sure if I should let it dry out.
Thanks~Pam
Firstly my question is
If she has done an apprenticeship, why is she working from home? Was she that bad that no one would keep her on? Just a quick thought i would say its been over worked and as for the bleeding and she couldnt see if she had filled parts or not….. and kept going… THATS BAD in itself.
yeah, i still have the same question. what i’ve been doing (since i realized that i’m actually experiencing a variety of major problems, and not just a minor reaction to the pigment) is washing the area with mild soap and lukewarm water, patting dry (completely dry) and applying polysporin after letting the area air-dry for a few minutes after the pat down. i do this 2-3 times per day, and then before bed i do the same washing routine but without the polysporin. i found that when i applied polysporin before bed, it made the tattooed area more goopy and moist and disgusting than when i did the same application during the hours in which i was vertical. (i have no idea why). i don’t know if this is the right thing to do, but it seems logical, because if i leave the wound overnight with even the thinnest layer of ointment on it, i wake up stuck to my clothing or bedsheets and this causes even more gooping/healing problems. as of today, actually, i think that the tattoo has healed well enough that it could stand to go overnight with polysporin; it is no longer bubbly and oozy. i followed the advice of mister sherav here and it seems to be doing the trick (with, perhaps, the help of the antibiotics i’ve been prescribed).
however — i do have a small area (and i do mean small, like 2 mm X 2.5 mm) near the top of the problematic area, which i noticed after my shower today started to bleed. not dripping blood or anything, but a very small congealed area of blood. i don’t figure it’s anything to worry about — i think maybe the soap i’ve been using on the tattoo has just dried it out to the point that the previously moist and oozing areas have suddenly become dry scabs.
good luck with yours, bennpam6; it’s been quite a long haul for me. 10 days i think now and it’s still not doing very well at all. better, but still miles away from ideal.
noo no, she was there for awhile and decided to leave the shop for a variety of reasons, the main issue being that the owner of the shop, who was meant to be her mentor, was so preoccupied with a love affair he was having with another employee that he did not attempt to mentor her (my artist) in the slightest. he wasn’t interested in evaluating her work, giving criticism (constructive or otherwise) or instruction.
What kind of a soap are you using? Not sure I understand what you mean by mild soap. During the healing process, I always use an Anti-bacterial Liquid soap for the cleaning. Just another step to help fight possible infection. I don’t know if that is what you are using, but if not, I would recommend that. If you let it dry out completely, you may risk scarring. If it is healing, even slowly, then my thought would be that you are winning the battle, and it at this time probably isn’t a major health issue. If it scars, it will have a slightly harder time taking ink. But as you commented, and everyone else here will agree, health is the most important. Keep it clean.
I seem to be doing exactly the same thing as you Paisley. Wash then air dry and I use neosporin. I didnt go to the DR, I did call and he wasnt in today but I did get some antibiotic from my sister in law.ssshhhh. same thing I woulda got from Dr. Its just when I wake up its dry and it does look better dry but I dont want a scar which I will probably get anyway but the second artist I went to said at least it would be minimized with neosporin. It actually does look slightly smaller today. My brother said this happened to him and he lost all his ink in that spot. I hope that doesnt happen but the way this is going it probably will. Im sorry you are going through this but grateful to know someone actually knows what im going through!~Pam
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