In this thread, we commiserate about healing our fresh tattoos.

[xcom]

xD, Im rewatching dragonball at the moment. Oh those were the days

oh hell yea dude. Never missed an episode! Which saga you on right now?

[rufio]

oh hell yea dude. Never missed an episode! Which saga you on right now?

Well when i was about 10 they started with Z on television. Watched it untill boo saga.

now im gone watch it all. Im at episode 11 of dragonball. Finally i see how dirty master roshi is :D.

[BrookR70]

I'm not sure if this belongs here or not, but I didn't want to start a new thread.

After getting tattooed, I have a terrible time sleeping through the night. I got a lot of back work done and after each session I would toss and turn all night trying to find a comfortable position. I just got a tattoo on my calf and I thought it would be much easier this time around. Nope. It still bothered me and I was a zombie the next day.

Does anyone else have the same problem? I didn't want to drink alcohol because 1) I'm worried about bleeding 2) I had to work the next day and wanted to be sharp.

Any remedies for this?

[pidjones]

Do you wory about messing up the tattoo? That would keep me awake. I tried to sleep on the other side when I got my left shoulder done, but ended up on it (the side I sleep on the most) by morning. I wore a tee shirt, and just wore it into the shower to soak the stuck cloth loose. No harm on foul. Slept very well. Or, are you in pain? Funny, but I've never had real pain during or after a tattoo. The last one was a bit like a sunburn - don't want to rub it, but laying on it was fine.

[BrookR70]

I'm not too concerned about messing up the tattoo...it's just the rawness and pain that keep me awake. The tattoo I recently got was not painful at all, but the rawness and swelling when anything touched it got to me. It could also just be winding down from the whole process. I'm very relaxed when I get tattooed, but I get pretty psyched (in a good way) the day before and afterwards.

[Graeme]

I'm not too concerned about messing up the tattoo...it's just the rawness and pain that keep me awake. The tattoo I recently got was not painful at all, but the rawness and swelling when anything touched it got to me. It could also just be winding down from the whole process. I'm very relaxed when I get tattooed, but I get pretty psyched (in a good way) the day before and afterwards.

Icing your tattoo over the bandage once you get home helps a lot with the swelling. I'll usually ice for about an hour. I actually didn't do this on my latest session (mostly ribs and back of thigh) and it turns out that I should have because legs swell and it's made healing especially uncomfortable. Taking Advil, Aleve, or Extra Strength Tylenol or some other mild pain reliever and/or anti-inflammatory before bed helps as well.

[Fala]

@BrookR70 - in addition to what @Graeme said... I take Advil PM before bed, get into as comfy a position as possible, then prop pillows around me to try to keep me in place for as long as possible.

[polliwog]

I find it a lot easier to sleep on tattoos covered with one of the adhesive -derms. I imagine re-wrapping with plastic wrap and medical tape that first night would help a lot, too. Obviously check with your tattooer about aftercare first. It still swells but at least you don't have to deal with the raw feeling of fabric rubbing against abraded skin. Sometimes I take Benadryl to fall asleep and I wonder if this would help with the inflammatory response.

Almost all of the tattoos I've gotten so far are on my preferred sleeping side because I'm an idiot.

[sighthound]

What @polliwog said. I always keep the original bandage on overnight on the day that I get the tattoo. No more worrying about it rubbing or leaking a bunch of gunk onto the sheets.

[bongsau]

couple hours yesterday on my upper back / spine / shoulder blades

pretty bruised up ... holy fack bro lol

[Marwin3000]

Got my elbow blasted yesterday. Now I understand why people call it swelbow! Crossing my fingers for a good heal!!

[abeukeveld]

Any tips for healing an elbow ditch? The tip of my eagle's wing is right in the ditch and its healing pretty rough. The scab keeps coming off and its bleeding a bit.

[ItsNewport]

Any tips for healing an elbow ditch? The tip of my eagle's wing is right in the ditch and its healing pretty rough. The scab keeps coming off and its bleeding a bit.

I had the same problem with mine, i think it's kind of unavoidable with the way your joint makes the skin crease. I just tried to keep mine moisturised as best i could but i still have a couple of small patches where the colour came out - luckily they're inside the spots on a leopard so it doesn't look too out of place!

[bongsau]

@abeukeveld just do your best to limit your arm mobility i.e. bending. keep the skin moisturized often w/ A&D or whatever lotion/ointment you are using. yeah it will suck and be difficult to use your arms like Frankenstein for a week or two...but the end result will be worth it for years to come. You can always hit the spot again with touchup if it heals really rough. Good luck :)

[purplelace]

Nearly 4am here and not fucking slept! Tattoo, fuck it hurts! Calf definitely sorest place got tattooed to date. It is also now red as fuck! Not swollen much yet, but expect that to come. And of course the bruising. Painkillers aren't cutting it. Have stronger ones at home, will be taking them when get back.

All part of the fun though... right? lol

[xcom]

Nearly 4am here and not fucking slept! Tattoo, fuck it hurts! Calf definitely sorest place got tattooed to date. It is also now red as fuck! Not swollen much yet, but expect that to come. And of course the bruising. Painkillers aren't cutting it. Have stronger ones at home, will be taking them when get back.

All part of the fun though... right? lol

Take it easy and try to rest. I had my calf blasted and what has work for me is sleep facing down.

I usually sleep well after my tattoos but I know that there is a few time were some spots just hurt too much.

Ice, Tylenol, and relax bro.

[purplelace]

@xcom, ta bit hard to sleep on front when boobs get in way lol was really surprised fell asleep getting the thing done. Though maybe cause right foot was hanging off the chair helped. In hotel and tried sleeping with foot hanging off side of bed, as bottom of bed has an end board, so can't hang foot off end of it. I am resting and not back into work till Tuesday, so got a long weekend to rest.

Tattooist said that near ankle will hurt, so expecting that to kick in sometime soon. No idea what that drug is, but got stronger painkillers back at the house. And fuck ringing down for ice at this hour lol

I'll live, just well erm... Yeah suffering a bit at the moment, will be worth it though.

[xcom]

@xcom, ta bit hard to sleep on front when boobs get in way lol was really surprised fell asleep getting the thing done. Though maybe cause right foot was hanging off the chair helped. In hotel and tried sleeping with foot hanging off side of bed, as bottom of bed has an end board, so can't hang foot off end of it. I am resting and not back into work till Tuesday, so got a long weekend to rest.

Tattooist said that near ankle will hurt, so expecting that to kick in sometime soon. No idea what that drug is, but got stronger painkillers back at the house. And fuck ringing down for ice at this hour lol

I'll live, just well erm... Yeah suffering a bit at the moment, will be worth it though.

Well burn on me.:o

Sorry about that :D

Hope you feel better.

[purplelace]

@xcom you thought I was male? lol awww cute! no probs

and thank you, will get there

[purplelace]

tattoo update: slept like dead last night, angry red gone though still a bit red. My ankle is swollen to fuck. Though it is easier to walk on today and it looks fucking amazing :D

[exume]

Got both sides of my elbow tattooed the other day, some well into the ditch, about to head in to work and I'm hoping I can limit the amount of motion I subject it to.

[purplelace]

hope you work wasn't too bad @exume

tattoo update: redness gone, swelling gone... bruised to fuck! looks fucking amazing :D

[xcom]

Update on my last session. I am not sure if ever do a session this long again. The body part definitely takes a toll and healing is slower. Starting to itch and peal in some areas and some ares still feel some what raw and painful.

Doing a semi dry heal.

[purplelace]

@xcom how long was session and, was it the calf you got done?

[xcom]

@xcom how long was session and, was it the calf you got done?

9hrs -1 brake. I got both side calf, chin, top of ankle bone (left side) all done in one seating. (Outline, Shading, and Color), This is a sock that starting to evolve to a leg sleeve.