Hello. Is this healing badly?

[iaj]

Hello,

First post.  I really love forums like this.  Places like these are a great place for people with similar interests to share ideas and information and I'm glad it exists.  Will get straight to it.  

The first pic was 24h fresh only a few hours after taking off the bandage, washing and applying ointment.  The colors were true and I loved it.  After a few days the tattoo got that thin film over it with some light scabbing and which I believed was the normal signs of healing.  I haven't been the best at taking care of it but I do wash it at least once a day and apply ointment to it 3 times a day.  At about week 2 it started to itch really bad and I admit I did scratch it a few times but I never went so far as to peel off the scabs.

Anyways.  The second picture is 4 weeks (taken today) and as you can see the color has changed a lot and there are even tinges of green/brown in some locations.  It is still slightly raised in some sections but most of the peeling/scabbing has fallen off and it's starting to feel more like regular skin.  

It's the color that's freaking me out. 

Any advice would be a godsend at this point.  Please and thank you ._.

 

Edited June 1, 2017 by iaj

[Dan]

looks like a normal healing for what it is to me,that's what happens to tattoos,they NEVER again look like they did the day they were applied.

and also this new "water color" style does not hold up as well as bold saturated colors with outlines.

Edited May 31, 2017 by Dan

[Devious6]

Welcome! As Dan said you're going through normal healing - and it can take up to 6 months to fully heal. Have you talked to your artist about your concerns?

[Rob I]

Tattoo looks totally fine and seems to be healing very well. The lightening of the colors is totally normal as the ink is now under a layer of new skin. Looks totally and completely normal. 

[iaj]

On ‎5‎/‎31‎/‎2017 at 4:55 AM, Devious6 said:

Welcome! As Dan said you're going through normal healing - and it can take up to 6 months to fully heal. Have you talked to your artist about your concerns?

I talked to the artist and he said that it's my natural skin pigment that's making the colors look green/brownish.

I asked him if he could do it a deeper blue to cover up the miscoloring and he refused saying "The color would be too flat and it would look bad"

Not really what I wanted to hear, he basically said there's nothing he would do about it, but he offered a free touch up.

Edited June 1, 2017 by iaj

[Devious6]

Is it just the picture or do you have some suntan on your arm in the second picture? Remember that you have a layer of skin cells now regrown over your tattoo and that will change the appearance - and if it is tanned it will change it even more.

Certainly, our bodies all react differently to the ink injected during tattooing and one's skin pigment will affect the colors to some degree. I had problems with red ink - my body seemed to absorb it in places so it took some touch up and I still have a few small places where it's not as saturated...but tattoos aren't perfect, they're handmade art.

[iaj]

9 hours ago, Devious6 said:

Is it just the picture or do you have some suntan on your arm in the second picture? Remember that you have a layer of skin cells now regrown over your tattoo and that will change the appearance - and if it is tanned it will change it even more.

Certainly, our bodies all react differently to the ink injected during tattooing and one's skin pigment will affect the colors to some degree. I had problems with red ink - my body seemed to absorb it in places so it took some touch up and I still have a few small places where it's not as saturated...but tattoos aren't perfect, they're handmade art.

I've been putting loads of sunscreen on it since we've been getting a lot of sun the past few weeks. 

I am coming to understand and accept that tattoos are inherently imperfect and with that perspective I am learning to love mine for what it is, instead of what I wanted it to be.  Also I did some reading and I think I'm still in the phase of healing where there is a layer of dead skin over the tattoo since it still feels raised and looks cloudy.  I'm hoping when the healing is 100% done some of the original color and sharpness will rise to the surface.

Thanks for all the helpful advice!

[Devious6]

Everyone is different, but it generally takes 6 months for a full heal. Give it time.