That's not true of "most" tattoo artists. I'm sorry you had a bad experience or two, but that's not remotely true.
To the OP, that is shitty and uncool. I'd be so effing pissed.
The ditch is always the worst healing and touch-ups there are totally normal. That being said I'd avoid anything more than very minor lotion (or nothing at all) - and if it gets red and/or hot and/or puss-ey you should seek medical attention immediately . . .
I mean, I'm getting a Japanese traditional backpiece, where they sign it, which is the most traditional way. that's what I wanted.
But if we're talking any other piece I'd flip shit.
Looks more like bruising that blowout, but it takes at least 4 weeks to heal, so you won't know anything until then. You should know that thin lines on delicate skin, like that near the ditch, are more prone to blow outs.
Wow, it really sucks that you've had such poor experiences. The 3 that I've been tattooed by have all been great. Please keep an open mind and don't let a few ruin it for you. There's always a couple bad apples in any group.
Welcome! High quality body of work that you have. Hope you become a regular. It'd be really nice to have more artists weigh in on some of the questions here.
Was it on the stencil? If an artist did it to me without asking my permission first I'd raise a holy f'ing stink.
That being said, if I ever get tattooed by a really top notch artist I plan to ask them to them to sign their work.