My tattoo seems to be getting darker over the first week?

[Dani2304]

UPDATE: Solved. Turns out my tat was darkening in places because my skin as a whole was having a mild allergic reaction to the ointment that the artist recommended and have now switched creams. I will leave this here in case it helps anyone with a similar issue.

Hi everyone,

I got a floral tat on my arm exactly a week ago. (The little turtle in the middle has been there for a few years, the flowers around it are new.) Fresh out of the chair the shading was light and perfect. But three days later I noticed the three flowers closer to my elbow were getting darker - specifically that the shading was getting darker. The flowers closer to my wrist are not so bad. A week on now and the dark shading in the petals seems to have gotten slightly darker still. Is this normal? Could it be a subtle form of blow out? I really liked the lighter shading and I feel like it is now too dark, I'm hoping after everything has peeled it will look lighter again. Photos attached

I know we won't fully know what it looks like until it's healed in 4-6 weeks but any help in the meantime would be hugely appreciated, especially if anyone thinks this is blow out or has similar experience with shading that seemed to get darker instead of lighter

Ps I'm in Sydney Australia where covid restrictions have lifted for tattoo parlours

 

 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Dani2304

[Hollie]

It’s still healing... it looks kinda shinny still. Is it flaking or raised at all? It does take time for the ink to settle. But the best advice I can give you is to just leave it be and let it heal. It’s permanent so panicking about it now isn’t going to help. It’s also too soon to tell if it’s blowout. I have a little bit of blowout under my arm from a sleeve I just had done. Looks like bruising around one of the leaves (I have a floral piece too) and honestly, I’m not really bothered by it. Yours doesn’t look like blowout to me but mines also colour so I don’t know about black and grey blow out. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Hollie

[Dani2304]

Thanks so much for your reply! Yeah it's still healing, some parts are raised, some parts flaking and other parts shiny. It's a relief to know it's not definitely blow out. Strange that it got darker though right? You're right I should just let it heal. I have plans to get a bigger tattoo on my shoulder, I booked a spot with the same artist and I'm not sure now whether I should go ahead with it.

[Hollie]

Then you definitely shouldn’t worry if it’s still shiny in places, flaking and slightly raised. Mines colour but I’ll show you some pics of when I first got it done vs a few weeks after, and a timeline because mine took 2 sessions. 
first session on 4th June - first two pics
second session on 16th June - third pic

last two pics were June 30th. 
 

[Dani2304]

Thanks for pics! Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see any blowout at all, no difference between first day vs a few weeks later. Hope mine will settle too. I'm still on the fence about getting a bigger tattoo with same artist, maybe I should wait for this one to heal first.

PS I changed my pic so it's a before and after shot so the darker shading is more obvious.

[Hollie]

Oh and in terms of the tattoo itself and the artists work.. I think it looks good. I’m always reluctant to book another tattoo directly after the other because I like to make sure the other one is healed and personally I wait a few years between so I can see how much it fades over time etc. was this your first one? I have four total. 1/2 Sleeves the biggest but have one on my shoulder that takes up majority. 

[Hollie]

Just now, Dani2304 said:

Thanks for pics! Maybe I'm missing something but I don't see any blowout at all, no difference between first day vs a few weeks later. Hope mine will settle too. I'm still on the fence about getting a bigger tattoo with same artist, maybe I should wait for this one to heal first.

PS I changed my pic so it's a before and after shot so the darker shading is more obvious.

You can’t see the blow out because it’s a leaf at the back of my arm so it’s not overly visible unless I lift my arm. 

[Hollie]

Not a good pic but you should see it... kinda looks like it’s bruised around the leaf. Blowout colour will also depend on the colour of ink also. In my case it’s greeny blue hence why it looks kinda bruised. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Hollie

[Dani2304]

Re your blow out: ohh i see. To me it's barely there, looks like a faint bruise. The tat itself looks great btw!

Re advice about the tattoo artist: thanks, you're right I should wait at least until it's fully healed before getting the big one done. I might reschedule then and hope it doesn't hurt her feelings too much. Not my first tat, had a few other small ones from a few years ago that lasted well, but they were from overseas.

[Hollie]

I also noticed that your arm looks more tan in the second pic... you’re not tanning are you/or using tanning lotion...? You should avoid being in the sun for the first few weeks(if you are wear long sleeves) and afterwards always use sunblock or cover it if possible. Tattoos fade from the sun but it also cause issues with healing. 

[Dani2304]

That's a good point my arm does look more brown. I wonder why. Definitely haven't been tanning or in the sun, it's winter here so we're all rugged up. Btw I'm Sri Lankan so I'm naturally dark-skinned, strange that the colour looks so different in the shots. Maybe the lighting was different...

[Hollie]

3 minutes ago, Dani2304 said:

Re your blow out: ohh i see. To me it's barely there, looks like a faint bruise. The tat itself looks great btw!

Re advice about the tattoo artist: thanks, you're right I should wait at least until it's fully healed before getting the big one done. I might reschedule then and hope it doesn't hurt her feelings too much. Not my first tat, had a few other small ones from a few years ago that lasted well, but they were from overseas.

Just say you want to wait till it’s fully healed so your bodies not fighting to heal two places at once. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’d give yourself a month if not two at minimum before getting the other one but that’s entirely up to you. 
 

yep you’re right. It’s not that noticeable and blowout does happen.. I’m not overly concerned. I’m happy with the piece as a whole. Need to add a couple more flowers in a few weeks but I’m not in a huge rush. 

[Hollie]

2 minutes ago, Dani2304 said:

That's a good point my arm does look more brown. I wonder why. Definitely haven't been tanning or in the sun, it's winter here so we're all rugged up. Btw I'm Sri Lankan so I'm naturally dark-skinned, strange that the colour looks so different in the shots. Maybe the lighting was different...

Quite possibly lighting. I’m originally from New Zealand - I forget its winter over there now LOL. I’m whiter than white. Wish I was naturally tanned! Guess we all want what we don’t have huh. 

Edited July 10, 2020 by Hollie

[Hogrider]

10 hours ago, Dani2304 said:

I know we won't fully know what it looks like until it's healed in 4-6 weeks but any help in the meantime would be hugely appreciated,

What help would you like? Relax and wait. There is nothing you can do regardless of what the circumstances are. That's not what a blow out looks like.

[Dani2304]

Thanks, as I mentioned I guess the help I was looking for was words of advice from anyone who has similarly experienced their tattoo getting darker as it heals so I can either feel better as I wait, or at least mentally prepare for the possibility that it will remain dark forever

[SStu]

@Dani2304 You acknowledge that it's too early to tell what it's eventually going to look like and in the meantime you persist in micro-analyzing what you worry might be potential imperfections in an art form with plenty of room for perceived "imperfections". Honestly, I wouldn't recommend proceeding with getting any further and/or larger pieces done anytime in the near future . . . 

[Dani2304]

I have larger pieces and have never had this happen before. Even my tattoo artist has admitted it is strange that it looks darker, but that only time will tell. I was just asking if anyone else has experienced the same, there's no need to be antagonistic

[Hollie]

Grumpy bums today 😂

[oboogie]

6 hours ago, Hollie said:

Quite possibly lighting. I’m originally from New Zealand - I forget its winter over there now LOL. I’m whiter than white. Wish I was naturally tanned! Guess we all want what we don’t have huh. 

I'm as pale as a ghost, too. My tattoos definitely pop. 😂

[oboogie]

2 hours ago, Hollie said:

Grumpy bums today 😂

Nah. He just speaks the truth. And people ask the same questions over and over a lot here instead of doing a quick search.

[Hollie]

3 minutes ago, oboogie said:

Nah. He just speaks the truth. And people ask the same questions over and over a lot here instead of doing a quick search.

Oh I know. I’ve been going back to a few years and there’s loads of the same stuff. Especially around Tattoo anxiety! I was actually surprised.. now maybe I’m weird because I never went through any of that...only type of anxiety I get is when I’m sitting there waiting for the artist to stab me with needles for hours LOL. 

[Hogrider]

12 minutes ago, Hollie said:

Oh I know. I’ve been going back to a few years and there’s loads of the same stuff. Especially around Tattoo anxiety! I was actually surprised.. now maybe I’m weird because I never went through any of that...only type of anxiety I get is when I’m sitting there waiting for the artist to stab me with needles for hours LOL. 

I know you can't tell me anything until it's healed, but what can you tell me?

 

I'm with you on the no anxiety after getting a tattoo. I read about it and understand it, but I've never felt it. Probably because I waited so long, researched it so thoroughly, and took my time finding the right artist.

[Hollie]

4 minutes ago, Hogrider said:

I know you can't tell me anything until it's healed, but what can you tell me?

 

I'm with you on the no anxiety after getting a tattoo. I read about it and understand it, but I've never felt it. Probably because I waited so long, researched it so thoroughly, and took my time finding the right artist.

LMFAO @ that GIF 🤣🤣 

that cracked me up!

honestly I think most people just want some kind of reassurance in most aspects with their questions. I know the main reason I joined initially was cause I had a crack on the inside of my ditch (little did I know there was a thread from years ago about healing ditches etc). Then I got paranoid about infection because I just lost my job and don’t have health insurance and you know the funniest thing? This is the first tattoo I can actually see, and saw during the healing process. The rest of mine are shoulder, collarbone, back. I mean I can see my collarbone in the mirror but not infront of my face like my arm...

I honestly think that’s partly the issue, if you can see it, you can dwell on imperfections, how it’s healing etc etc. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[Queen Rocks]

1 hour ago, Hollie said:

I honestly think that’s partly the issue, if you can see it, you can dwell on imperfections, how it’s healing etc etc. 🤷🏻‍♀️

This.

I have a piece on my back that I've not once fretted over. But after I got my first "visible" tattoo I started going over every f*cking detail. This was after waiting a long time, searching for the perfect tattoo artist, consulting with the artist prior, etc. I was calculated. But as already noted, some people (such as myself) need that little bit of reassurance because maybe our anxiety gets the better of us. We're all wired differently. 

To the OP, to me it looks like you got a bit tanner. Not to worry, even if it is darker, it will still look great. 

[Dani2304]

I've figured out what may have happened!

Firstly thank you Hollie (LOL grumpy bums ahahaha) and Queen Rocks for being understanding unlike the others here who are so quick to jump to assumptions like "I didn't spend time researching the right artist" - my artist has a wonderful reputation or that "I didn't do a quick search" lol as if I would be here if there was a any information out there about tats that darken instead of lighten during healing, which there isn't.

Someone on another forum where I posted the same question (without anyone who jumped straight to "wait and see and stop whining, you irresponsible anxious newbie" routine) mentioned that since I haven't been out in the sun at all but my arm looks browner said perhaps I was having a mild allergic reaction which led to the skin reddening. I've spoken to the artist and switched creams now to something less heavy than the one she initially recommended and that seems to have helped a lot! It's only been a few hours but my skin is less red/dark so will keep using the new light cream.

Thanks again for your help girls!

To the others: keep an open mind, everyone's bodies are different 🙂

Edited July 10, 2020 by Dani2304