ingrown hairs / red spots

[sketchin]

So after about a week and a half after my calf tattoo i started to get some ingrown hairs, now i put this down to the fact that my leg had just been shaved and i didn't ex-foliate it before hand (new to tattoos). I accepted this but they're not just localised in that area where the hair was shaved, they're up on my knee some are ingrown hairs others a just little red spots, some of them kinda hurt and have gotten a bit of white puss in them.

Should i be worried? I used bepanthen to moisture the tattoo for the first week or so then when they came up i did a little googling didn't find much a part from some say A&D creams can do this so i switched to coco-butter. They're still there and have started getting dark red around them. I have a pretty pale leg so they look quite bad.

Anyone have any ideas what i can do and why these have come up?

[bongsau]

Sounds like foliculitis.

I had that before when I had my legged tattooed.

I just had epsom salt baths and dry healed.

I would refrain from using any cream or lotion, likely making things worse.

[Colored Guy]

Years ago my cat had that.. a one-way ticket to the vet.. sorry man....

[geekster189]

I have a something I'd like to add yet ask as well. I've had my back done and I used tattoo goo with no problem healed wonderfully. I started a leg sleeve back in the fall of 2014, used A&D and had a TERRIBLE ingrown hair, next part of it, thought I used too much so I lessened it. Then went on to my next session and instead I used aquaphor and euccerin daily replenishing lotion, happened again but it wasn't as bad, I'm getting just a whole bunch of white heads.. I guess.. At the base of a hair follicle it's a white head/infected. I can't have this happen every time I get work done.

[herewego]

Sounds like foliculitis.

I had that before when I had my legged tattooed.

I just had epsom salt baths and dry healed.

I would refrain from using any cream or lotion, likely making things worse.

I had this happen to me on my ditch tattoo. My doctor told me to stop using lotions, as this was most likely the cause. It cleared up slowly after I turned to dry healing.

[Inas]

I have both my calves done and had the same thing with red dots and puss. I did dry healing and epsom salts baths ( as bongsau mentioned) and they cleared up quickly.

[khubilai]

How would you guys use epsom salt baths? I take them normally, but specifically stay away from them for 2-3 weeks after I get tattooed.

[Inas]

Good point, I wasn't clear. Dry healing for the first few weeks and then epsom after for lingering spots ( I found that the dots lingered) but I am pretty sure you could also soak a wash cloth in warm water with epsom and get a lot of the same benefits without the soaking.

[Colored Guy]

I had a big ingrown hair on the back of my arm after a recent tattoo session. It was actually painful, got it hot in the shower and popped it and now it looks fine. I get minor ones now and then.

[2bacanvas]

I had those as well with my left sleeve. On my right sleeve I used a beard trimmer first to get it really short. And then I used the razor blade. Didn't have any ingrown hairs at all. And I've got pretty hairy arms. Seems to me this was the solution for me.

[knucklehead211]

I've found one so far on my calf. Definitely a product of the razor, as it was in a clear patch of skin. Now I'm just hoping

i don't find more!

[tkruise]

Happened to me, I just let it alone, and after a month(fully healed tattoo) I plucked some of the ingrown hair and hair with red spots around it, shaved the rest with a number 0 crop(no razors at first)

[SStu]

super old thread