Tattoo fix for scabs?

[TheColorUrple]

Hi everyone, first post.

I'm trying to seek out some advice because I haven't found any info online. Hopefully the moderators will let me ask a question here!

I got a half-sleeve over a period of two days. The front half healed nicely, but the back half.... not so much. It scabbed pretty heavily, leaked plasma for over a week, and my arm became swollen to my forearm.

A few months later it has finally stopped itching, but I remain with two problems. One is that some of the colors, particularly the light green, became muddier, with a sort of reddish brown tint infused into it. The other, and bigger, problem is that several small scabs took some color with them when they came off. It has created these ugly grey spots in an otherwise very beautiful tattoo.

My artist said that I would have to wait a year for the colors to settle before attempting a touch-up, but he seemed noncommittal about the feasibility of that kind of touch-up.

Does anyone have experience with these colorless post-scab spots and is it a wise idea to get them recolored?

Thanks :)

[SStu]

Indeed some ink occasionally falling out in the healing process isn't uncommon and touch-ups are easy and normal. I've never heard anyone say that it would take anywhere close to a whole year waiting time to accomplish that, tho . . . 

[oboogie]

Why on earth would you wait a year? That has happened in spots here and there on both of my sleeves, but a few months is more than enough time to wait before a touchup.

[scottyg]

I had a similar problem: I wore jeans (I have to work) and they chafed my then-new tattoo, causing scabbing, and then discoloration.

While getting other work done with my artist, I asked him about it and he said to wait. Here we are a few years later, and the color has healed fine: there's no brownish red anymore where the scabs were. So a touch up isn't necessary at this point.

Now, the color falling out is a different issue, which will most likely need a touch up, and my tattoos are tebori, but the lesson is that allowing the body to work its magic over a longish period of time isn't an unreasonable or unheard of thing.

Edited February 20, 2020 by scottyg

[oboogie]

A tattoo I had that was infected had every bit of color fall out. Like ALLLL of it. It was a few months before he could touch it up.

[scottyg]

oof.

yeah one's mileage will definitely vary