Hello 🙂 I’m new to this forum, but not to tattoos. I currently have two, and am looking to get my third soon.
I’ve decided what I want, but my post is more or less about where I want to put it.
Long story short, I want it on the back of my neck.
The problem I can see arising with this is that I have a skin condition called spongiotic dermatitis. [Or, depending on the mood my dermatologist is in, atopic or contact dermatitis]
Basically, I have some crazy allergies to some nasty chemicals that are conveniently in most products, and if I come in contact with it, my skin goes insane. I can’t use most commercially produced laundry soaps, shampoos, conditioners, body soaps, you name it. If it has formaldehyde in it, I can’t touch it. It’s pretty crazy.
And yet there are some things I SHOULD be allergic to to that I can use, like hair dye. It’s strange.
My last major flareup was earlier this year, and it was all across the back of my neck. Usually what happens is the skin there dries out, then starts flaking off a few layers at a time. When it gets really bad, it’s bright red and will sometimes end up oozing some clear liquid. [That was when I discovered I can’t get my work uniform drycleaned, as I’m allergic to it.]
My other two tattoos aren’t in areas where my skin breaks out that badly. They are both over areas that, when I first had this, were completely affected. In fact, the tattoo on my ankle is over a skin biopsy scar from when I was 16.
I plan to visit several shops in the area to get more information on doing this, including the shop that did my previous tattoos, but I figured it wouldn’t hurt to ask here. Google is useless as everything I’ve found is about developing a condition AFTER getting a tattoo.
Would anyone here be able to offer any sort of advice, or does anyone have experience with this or know where I could find an answer? I’d ask my dermatologist but he’s kinda insane.. insists I shouldn’t use hair dye or wear dark coloured clothing as well due to his claim I’m allergic to PPD [phenylenediamine] as well, and yet I wear dark clothes every day and have been colouring my hair regularly since I was about 14. He also thinks I’m allergic to tattoo ink which is even stranger as I had zero reaction to both my tattoos.
Please, help a girl out! 🙂
The condition you have is also linked to several factors that can trigger the condition;
Health and stress
Exposue to the chemical time period
How much it rubs or presses against the skin.
How much you sweat – which removes the oils that removes the protection from your skin making chemical contact easier.
Have a look at the blog what is tattoo ink and there is a list of common ingredients in many of the mainstream tattoo inks.
Check this against your no/no list – also if your tattoos are black it is usually an inert pigment such as carbon which shouldn’t cause a reaction.
However if you have a condition that has left the skin raw or sore do not get tattooed on it until you have at least 6-8 weeks clear.
Matthew
Health and stress
Exposue to the chemical time period
How much it rubs or presses against the skin.
How much you sweat – which removes the oils that removes the protection from your skin making chemical contact easier.
Have a look at the blog what is tattoo ink and there is a list of common ingredients in many of the mainstream tattoo inks.
Check this against your no/no list – also if your tattoos are black it is usually an inert pigment such as carbon which shouldn’t cause a reaction.
However if you have a condition that has left the skin raw or sore do not get tattooed on it until you have at least 6-8 weeks clear.
Matthew
Originally when I was younger it was attributed to stress, but now they’re saying it’s mutated into a reaction solely to chemicals. I’m not concerned about being allergic to the tattoo itself, it’s more or less if my skin flares up again, would it ruin the tattoo.
It’s been perfectly clear since late April, when I switched everything I use away from the chemicals I’m allergic to, and hasn’t come back since..
I actually did read the what is tattoo ink blog, and I’ve googled for the ingredients to tattoo ink, and so far it doesn’t seem like I’d be allergic to anything in them.
The few threads I’ve read here about tattooing over skin conditions were like severe back acne, or someone who had psoriasis. The backne person was told not to do it over the scars as it’d make the tattoo go funky.. but I don’t have scars. And the psoriasis person was told not to do it where their skin breaks out as it could ruin the tattoo.. but psoriasis is something that would have regular breakouts whereas mine is now chemically triggered, and I’ve had enough time to experiment with what I can and can’t use. [Even Gain and Tide laundry detergent aren’t allowed.. both have caused breakouts. It’s kinda insane.]
Basically, my primary concern is what would happen to the tattoo should I have another flareup. Would it help to maybe see a picture of my neck when it was at its worst this year? I took pictures to chart the progress once everything was diagnosed, and haven’t deleted them. I figure if you can see what the reaction looks like, you’d know if it would wreck a tattoo once it was there.
Hi
In answer to your question if the condition effects the dermis (lower skin levels) as well stripping away most of the epidermis (surface skin) then the result would be that the pigment runs a chance of being flushed from the system.
This could leave you with a patchy coloured or just outline of the tattoo.
It really depends on the severity of the condition.
My advice would be to avoid tattooing an area that is effected.
Take Care
Matthew
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