Hello!

I’ve been visiting this forum quite a while now. Sorry that my first post is asking for help. I am just a bit worried over my new tattoo and would really like to hear your advice and experiences on foot tattoos. I have been googling a lot about the matter and also used the search option here on this forum. I also contacted my tattoo artist on Sunday and he said everything sounds normal. But I am still a bit unsure of my healing process…

I’m in the middle of a big foot and leg tattoo project right now and just had the second session on Saturday. The artist completed my foot and most of the ankle area. The tattoo on the foot is really quite big – it covers almost the whole foot but not the toes. Anyway, this brings me to the question about the healing process and the swelling…

How long is it normal for the foot and ankle to be swollen? I know already that it may take a month for the foot to fully heal, but is it normal that the foot is still quite swollen? It did go down a bit yesterday but today I had to go to work and I’m back to square one, basically. Tomorrow I’m off again but on Friday I do have to work. I don’t have to be on my feet at work.

The tattoo shows no significant signs of infection – well, no other than the swelling, really. It’s not hot to touch, the ink looks normal, it does not smell. The foot part has not started peeling/scabbing but the ankle is already itching and scabbing quite nicely. But every time I get on my feet I get red areas on the tattoo and foot. When I lift the foot up they will disappear in a while. It’s also hard to sense anything with the foot, it feels like it’s sleeping. I’ve also had some mild fever but I’ve had fever before with new tattoos, perhaps my body just heals that way?

Am I just being paranoid?
Also, how long should I be watching out for an infection? I mean, can I still get it weeks after having the tattoo?

Thank you for reading this far. 🙂
– Katarina