Hand Tattoo Advice

[KobraCai]

Hi Everyone,

 

First time poster here. Been getting tattooed for about 12 years now, all my work is done by the same chap, lovely guy and one of my closest friends. Over the years I've actually ended up with a full bodysuit.

We started my hand tattoos a few months ago and BOY let me tell you... These have been a massive pain.

The first session I had the worst fallout I've experienced to date. I'm used to tattoos not healing perfectly, especially in spots like the elbows and knees and upper inner thigh. But usually it's one or two small portions of lining that once touched up tend to hold a lot better.

Hands? Not the same experience.

 

All around the knuckles and edges of the hands had significant fallout.

 

We ended up doing the lining 3 times to get it to hold and have done the black shading on the edges and knuckles 3 times now also, I've attached a picture of how bad the fallout was from the first session as well as photos of how the tat is currently looking (I'm going to be blacking out the leaves and redoing the rest of the knuckle black again)

A bit of info:

My artist runs 2 rotary pen machines, 14rs for shading and colour packing.

1st lining sesh was with a 9rl bugpin and subsequent 2 were with an 11rl. 

Voltage: everything done between 8-9v.

Inks: colours are all eternal and black is dynamic.

Healing: I get home, wash the tattoo with scentless soap and warm water, pat dry and leave it alone for the first 3 days.

I even go so far as to not let it get wet, wearing a latex glove with an elastic band round the wrist in the shower 😂

From day 4 I tend to be in the gym every day, I wear protective hand pads and make sure to put a smidge of cocoa butter on the tat before lifting, just to give the skin some moisture and prevent cracking. Peeling tends to start this day or the next day.

From day 6 I start using my hand more like normal, no more shower glove!

 

However, it seems regardless of what I do the knuckles and edges ALWAYS have fallout or don't heal as dark as a regular tattoo. Experience has been the same with the other hand too.

 

Is there anything I can do better? Can anyone offer me any advice to help pack the ink in? Or am I just going to have to keep going back and blasting the knuckles until they finally hold the ink consistently?

I'm obviously super experienced with tattoos and the healing process and have never overly cared for them, just left them to it and they've all healed great. Such a bizarre experience.

Thanks everyone!

[Dan]

I have had to have my knuckle/finger tattoos touched up a couple times because of fallout, but I knew that going in, but the top of my hands have held the outlines and color pretty well.

 

[KobraCai]

9 hours ago, Dan said:

I have had to have my knuckle/finger tattoos touched up a couple times because of fallout, but I knew that going in, but the top of my hands have held the outlines and color pretty well.

 

Yeah yours have held great, though I think you and your artist made the smart call by cutting the design off before the knuckle area, as that's the main problem area I'm experiencing.

 

I know that it's a spot a huge quantity of artists avoid for this reason, just want to know if there is any reliable method of packing shading into it haha