Seaside Jimmy

Thanks everyone for your positive and helpful comments. I think I just need to try not to worry about it and just wait... it's true that all healing goes at different speeds and the recovery time seems to vary a lot from person to person. People seem to always talk in terms of weeks not months, but that's not the reality from what I can see, (which is encouraging). I just want it to feel normal again but looks like I'm going to have to give it a bit more time. Just keeping everything crossed for now :) Thanks!

Yup, ok, here are a few shots although I'm not sure these will make much difference because the tattoo looks completely normal, there's no swelling, redness etc. What I'm describing is a feeling in parts of it, like sunburn. A prickly, uncomfortable feeling that gets worse when touched. It's fairly mild, but persistent. Anyone recognise this or able to say they've heard of anyone who took 2, 3 or more months before their tattoo settled down to feel completely normal..? I guess I just have to sit it out and let it settle down in its own good time..? @Transplant I washed it carefully twice a day with just water and used Bepanthen afterwards. Been using Bepanthen most days for some weeks. I know the world is divided about whether or not Bepanthen is the best thing, but that's a separate debate ;)

Hello Everyone, About 9 weeks ago I got my first tattoo, a half-sleeve. It's colour, mainly blues. It healed normally, within the expected 3 weeks. It looks great, no problem there. However, it hasn't settled down completely. I still get an uncomfortable, prickling/burning sensation in certain areas, (maybe 50% of the tattoo), particularly when it's touched by any fabric. I can't wear long sleeves comfortably - it feels like a sunburn. I know this is normal for a brand new tattoo, but after 9 weeks..? Now, there's no sign of infection. No swelling, no redness, no spots. In the first few weeks I had a mild infection (a few pustules), but that settled down after I got an antibiotic cream from my doctor. He said scar tissue can take 'many weeks' to settle down, that I should wait and the sunburn feeling should eventually go away. It's been over 2 months now and I'm getting quite worried about it. I don't think it's getting worse, but it's not getting any better. My artist says the tat looks perfect, just as he would hope/expect, but as for the persistent sensitive, sunburn feeling he's never heard of this before - anyone here recognise what I'm describing? Thanks