Lower leg tattoo

[hollyjoybee]

@Delicious actually @gougetheeyes made a good point... i have to wear black tights and dress to work so what i did when healing leg tattoos was lotion before i put my tights on and then when i got home at the end of the day stood in the shower and soaked the tights until they came away from the new tattoo easily. People will think you are mental but all my leg tattoos healed well with no colour loss.

[gougetheeyes]

Lotion, stockings, shower -- wait, which forum is this :eek: :eek: :eek:

[jitterbug]

I struggled a bit when I had my outer calf done. My ankle and the top of my foot was swollen from standing at work and I started getting pins and needles in my toes. I took antihistamines, anti inflammatorys and kept my leg elevated when I could but it still took about a few days before my leg was a normal size again. I'm getting my other calf done in two weeks and know what to expect this time around.

[hollyjoybee]

Lotion, stockings, shower -- wait, which forum is this :eek: :eek: :eek:

ooer missus!

[else]

I dont have the ability to just stay at home for a few days, and elevating my leg has done nothing. the skin feels tight and my leg is swollen. every step is painful. the skin feels stretched tight when I am standing up. What do I do? I have to walk a mile in the morning to get to the bus and I am afraid I'll be in too much pain

yep - that's it in a nutshell!!

I found that walking, after the first 50 yards or so, actually feels pretty good on the lower leg tattoos...

Minimizing the rubbing of clothes is super important, I had to buy some pants two sizes too big to accomodate the swelling, and I've also sometimes worn leggings underneath for a little bit of compression and to eliminate friction as well.

It'll be ok Delicious!!

It'll all be worth it!! :D

[Delicious]

Yeah I have found that every step still hurts. Cant even get in or out of bed, on or off the couch, without pain. Idk how to describe it, it just feels like my skin is almost burning? Or like little daggers? Idk. I know I'm gonna have to suck it up, but every step I take is painful, no matter the distance. Haha im such a wimp! Thanks for the moral support guys, I'm gonna be ok, once I grow some lady balls and man up

[kswan530]

I recently got a rose on the inside of my calf about 4" below my knee. The last two that I've gotten have been on the lower leg so I'm well used to the surge of pain upon standing(totally sucks). For me this time the healing sucked because of my pants constantly rubbing the area, so I highly recomend finding pants that are gentle on the new tattoo.

[Delicious]

@else, you were totally right. Once I started walking today, wasn't nearly as bad as yesterday, and my skin doesnt feel as tight.

[CaptCanada]

@Delicious also if you smoke, quit for the time being... I found that when healing tattoos on the lower leg feel a lot better when you quit smoking. More blood circulation I guess.

[sbhikes]

Gosh I don't remember any pain while healing my back of calf tattoo.

My round the ankle tattoo swelled up horribly the day after. I put a cold pack on it when I got home from work. It felt good but didn't do much. I took a couple walks during the day. After the first few steps it always felt a lot better.

By the 2nd day I was able to lift weights at the gym--squats and bench press. By the 3rd day I was able to do my Olympic lifting class--clean and jerks. On the 5th day I went hiking 8 miles. The hiking is great because it seems to make the scabs come off.

It's almost been two weeks and that sunburn-like peeling around the edges just won't go away. Hopefully it'll be gone by Monday so I can start the process all over again with round 2 of the great ankle coverup project of 2013.

[Delicious]

Ha, my leg is peeling like an onion, and my ankle is so huge its freaking me out.

[fizz7283]

Hi everyone,

I actually just joined this forum because of reading this thread. It's nice to see people with large tattoos covering large areas of their body say that the swelling and tenderness is normal rather than just jump to the conclusion of it always being an INFECTION.

So I just wanted to say leg tattoos are a pain in the butt to heal! I got the whole front of my left leg done last year and had a ton of issues with it, but it originated with me having a reaction with green ink. Since then I've attempted getting tattoos three separate times with green ink and I've always had issues the same way and they were on my forearms and wrist. It will swell, be really red, painful, feel like it's bruised pretty much, but also feel like it is burning. With the green ink it also seems like it "attacks" any scar tissue around it, whether it's other tattoos or just normal scars. They will swell up really bad and blister.

I just got a decent sized tattoo on my inner right leg, right in the middle, it's probably about 5x6 inches or so. There's some green in it, but my artist mixed colors instead of using an actual green ink.

It's getting really hard for me to tell if I'm having a reaction to the green that he concocted or just simply having issues that come along with a lower leg tattoo. Just wondering if you all have any opinions on this?

And sorry if I hijacked the thread at all, but it involved a leg tattoo, so didn't really see the need to open a new thread for it.

[Eilin]

I have a funny picture of what it looks like a few days after getting tattooed on your lower leg, since I just got mine done!

:rolleyes::cool:

[else]

Ha, my leg is peeling like an onion, and my ankle is so huge its freaking me out.

I've had some mad cankle action too ;)

a few times there was no visible evidence of bones in there at all!!

[sbhikes]

I don't know if you can see the swelling in my ankle, but here it is.

I think it was even worse by the end of the day.

The other side of my leg is a matching rose but it was not colored in. It was less swollen but more red. Even the untattooed parts were red.

Judging by the experiences everybody is describing here, I'd say if you just have nasty swelling and redness that it's probably normal and unrelated to the color. Of course, I don't know for sure. Just thought if your leg looks anything like mine maybe you'll feel better about it.

Hopefully I'll get the other side finished on Monday. More swelling...

[fizz7283]

My leg is soo swollen, it's so tight I can hardly bend my leg in. The redness is spreading and it is burning really bad. At this point I'm not sure if it's just from being a leg tattoo or my issues with green ink.

So here's what the tattoo looked like a few hours after getting it done on Wednesday.

And here's what it looks like now. My leg is very swollen and you can see the redness spreading.

I've been taking Benadryl, ibuprofen and using ice packs in the evenings, but it's not helping much. Being at work all day makes it swell terribly. Now I know why my artist doesn't have his legs worked on too much himself lol it's such a hassle to deal with afterwards. Plus it's already beginning to scab as well since there's so many dark inks, not sure why my skin likes to create scabs on dark inks, but that's another annoying quirk, almost as bad as being allergic to green ink.

[Delicious]

My leg has stayed red and tender even though it is peeling. I think it's just the area of the leg that is tattooed that is sensitive.

Anyway, elevate your leg, and continue to treat it as you have. Thats all I can give you, Im not a pro!

[fizz7283]

My leg has stayed red and tender even though it is peeling. I think it's just the area of the leg that is tattooed that is sensitive.

Anyway, elevate your leg, and continue to treat it as you have. Thats all I can give you, Im not a pro!

I'm hoping it's just because it's on the leg. My gray shading is still very red and most the tattoo is still very red all around the outside as well. Very swollen too. At least it's not as hot to the touch today, so that's good.

I'm probably worrying too much about the normal healing process considering the placement of the tattoo.

[jitterbug]

My left leg is hurting a lot more than when my right leg was done! It's really weird, even getting the tattoo hurt a lot more. Every time I have to put my leg down after keeping it elevated I'm doing it really slowly otherwise it bloody stings! And I have to go back in two weeks to have it finished (groans)

[sbhikes]

My lower leg tattoo is so itchy. I don't remember my shoulder being this itchy. It's itchier on the healed side (the side that was finished two weeks sooner than the other side), too. On the leaves of my roses, not on the flowers.

[gougetheeyes]

My leg is soo swollen, it's so tight I can hardly bend my leg in. The redness is spreading and it is burning really bad. At this point I'm not sure if it's just from being a leg tattoo or my issues with green ink.

So here's what the tattoo looked like a few hours after getting it done on Wednesday.

And here's what it looks like now. My leg is very swollen and you can see the redness spreading.

I've been taking Benadryl, ibuprofen and using ice packs in the evenings, but it's not helping much. Being at work all day makes it swell terribly. Now I know why my artist doesn't have his legs worked on too much himself lol it's such a hassle to deal with afterwards. Plus it's already beginning to scab as well since there's so many dark inks, not sure why my skin likes to create scabs on dark inks, but that's another annoying quirk, almost as bad as being allergic to green ink.

Looks totally fine, your body just heals things differently in different spots. Don't mess with it too much or wear tight pants and you'll be okay.

[gutter gutter]

I'm new here, and pretty much joined after reading every post in this thread (and you guys scared the heck out of me). I have been tattooed on my arms and chest, and the healing process was very easy., I have decided I want to get leg work done. that's how i got here, and read all the stories of long durations of swelling and pain (yikes).

I have an appointment next week for my first piece on my shin right under my knee. I work the next day after I get the tattoo, a 12 hour shift where I'm on my feet for at least 10 hours and I have to be very mobile. Will it be possible for me to stand and walk that long? Is it best to reschedule and try to do it on a time when I have more days off from work?

[else]

I'm new here, and pretty much joined after reading every post in this thread (and you guys scared the heck out of me). I have been tattooed on my arms and chest, and the healing process was very easy., I have decided I want to get leg work done. that's how i got here, and read all the stories of long durations of swelling and pain (yikes).

I have an appointment next week for my first piece on my shin right under my knee. I work the next day after I get the tattoo, a 12 hour shift where I'm on my feet for at least 10 hours and I have to be very mobile. Will it be possible for me to stand and walk that long? Is it best to reschedule and try to do it on a time when I have more days off from work?

I've gotten a couple few on my calves lately and I *always* take the next day off to baby my leg a little bit.

Not to say that it's IMPOSSIBLE for you to work 12 hours the day after... but I wouldn't want to do it.

[sbhikes]

Well, in my case it was about 24 hours of swelling so I don't think that's too bad.

[gutter gutter]

thanks for the input, else. I took your toughts into great consideration. Luckily I was able to switch a day with a coworker so I can have a day off after my session.