IX XV LXXXVIII

Jugular, it looks like your artist was very heavy handed and went into too deep with the needle. That's why it looks like there is a lot of thick, uneven scabbing on your skin. After it completely heals and you run your fingers over the skin, you may find some areas slightly raised and some splotchy coloring. That is the result of scar tissue. This happened to my very first tattoo I got when I was 18. That tattoo shop is no longer in business (surprise, surprise).

Just got back from the doctor. Clearly infected and put me on triple antibiotics right away. They were like, "yea we're going to give you the standard antibiotics because you can't wait any longer until you have to go the ER" They also said to clean it with hibiclens and put a thin layer of aquaphor. No tegiderm tho.

@oboogieYikes thanks for that insight. I hope I am spared the huge shot in the ass. 2 questions: How long did you wait before you saw the Doctor? Was your infected tattoo decent looking after it healed or did you have to get touch ups?

@Hogrider yea im pretty disappointed. it was beautiful and vibrant and now it looks like a mess. I am quite certain it somehow got infected, but I hope that maybe it will be something I can touch up in the future. I do have a doctor appointment tomorrow morning, so hopefully I can get some antibiotics.

@GingerninjaThis is a reputable artist. He's pretty famous on instagram (100K followers, followed by other celebrity artist) with and well-known for grafitti art style. I have all sorts of color tattoos on my body and never had a bad reaction before to ink. I don't know if he overworked it? I just puzzled that my body for some reason is having so much trouble with this one tattoo. I'm letting it air dry at this point because keeping tegaderm on it seems pointless. Should I moisturize with a thin layer of aphafor or just let it rest?

@Gingerninja @Hogrider @SStu so I just returned from work and now my tattoo looks like this. This is the worst I have ever seen my tattoo heal. It looks like the constant weeping is from the blood spots on my skin. It looks like in some areas the skin was taken right off and now there is a faint layer of blood where the skin used to be. Area is still incredibly red, tight, and painful. Is this a sign of infection or was my tattoo painfully overworked? I reached to my artist and am waiting a response. I also have an appointment scheduled with a doctor tomorrow morning. I don't have a fever or anything, but this looks really bad. I've never had problems with tattoos before and I'm heartbroken that this may heal to be a complete mess.

Ginger ninja I haven’t taken Advil yet. But perhaps I should start. I sit at a computer all day but I lean on the other side to not aggravate the new tattoo. I definitely let this thing air dry and see how it goes. I’ve never had issues with tegiderm and my tattoo overly weeping so this is a little strange for me

Thanks for the input Hogrider. That is a beautiful tattoo btw. Yea I’m just worried because I have my arms, ribs, upper thighs, and chest done but I’ve never had as bad of a healing time as this. I can’t even walk without limping because it is still so sore and swollen.

SStu yes I’ve still been using tegiderm but it has been weeping a lot so it keeps breaking the seal and leaking all over my clothes.

Hello all. This past Sunday, I received a large 7 inch tattoo on the back/inner thigh right up on my butt. It took about 5 hours to complete the tattoo. It swelled with lots of redness as I expected it too. The artist placed saniderm on it and I changed it out the next morning. During the 24-48 hours post tattoo, I noticed the redness had spread to about 3 inches past the tattoo and the swelling intensified to the point it my skin feel very tight and feels like it is burning constantly. The skin was warm to touch compared to other parts of my body. I also have been needing to change out my tegiderm every few hours because it kept weeping and breaking the seal. It was tough to sleep last night because of the pain. Now I am on the 3rd day. The redness stopped spreading, but it is still very red and tender on the tattoo itself. The level of pain is still quite high. It is tough for me to walk without limping because my skin is still swollen and very tight. Additionally, I noticed that the lymph nodes around my groin area on the same side of the tattoo are enlarged and painful when I press on them. Now this is my 16th tattoo, but I've never had a reaction as bad as this. For all you who have gotten tattoos on the inner thigh or other notoriously sensitive areas, did you have a rough healing time like I am having? I am praying that I don't have an infection.

It was something I just noticed yesterday. When I run my fingers over it, it feels like sandpaper over the bumpy areas. But everywhere (non red ink) in the tattoo feels smooth and normal. I use Aquaphor every few days to moisturize. I just don't want it to be something like my body is suddenly rejecting my red ink >_<

Hey all. I got a tattoo 1.5 years ago at a convention. It healed normally and had no issues until something I noticed today. I've got small bumps isolated in just the red ink of the tattoo. There is no itchiness or pain and the bumps don't appear to be spreading. The bumps are too small to see if it is filled with puss. The tattoo itself is not raised. Has anyone this happen this happen to them before? I've got other tattoos with red ink on my body, but none of the others have this reaction. I've never had any kind of skin reaction ever in my life to anything....since this is a little worrisome. I have a theory and maybe people with similar experiences can relate. I started taking olympic grade supplements to boost my immune system, combat my body's inflammatory response to hard exercises, and promote faster healing of my tissues to mitigate micro-tears in my tendons and muscles. I'm wondering if the massive boost to my immune system is causing this reaction to my tattoo. I'm going to lay off those supplements to see if the reaction goes away on its own. Crossing my fingers that it doesn't get worse. I attached a picture. Not the greatest but you can kinda see the bumps. Any thoughts? Any and all help is welcome.

Aaaannnndddd one more: this tiger is an add on from Colin Baker who works at State of Grace Tattoo in San Jose, CA. The tiger wraps around the inside of my right thigh. The Lady Warrior tattoo was completed in August earlier this year. The tiger was an add on. He also completed a very intricate Rat Warrior (yup the Chinese zodiac thing is lit on my leg), but that one was done on the back of my thigh. When I can figure out how to do a 360 degree shot of my leg, I'll post pictures of the complete battle scene. The Chinese calligraphy that I posted above, compliments this battle scene. Loosely translated it means: Brave woman, escape the ordinary.

Yup here's another one. This one was completed in Hong Kong by Erin, the owner of Bubblegum Tattoo Shop, which he runs with his wife (also a tattoo artist). He is known for his Chinese calligraphy. This was hands down the most painful tattoo experience, not only because it was on the ribs, but because he banged it out in 2 hours (I had another appointment and the design process took longer than planned).

Got this nugget in Seoul, South Korea. Done by an artist with the instagram handle @Yuuztattooer. Took about 5 hours to complete. Doesn't speak much english, and I specifically went to Seoul to get a tattoo by him (I tacked on this special trip while in Hong Kong). Quite the experience, traveling to a foreign country I have never been to before. I wouldn't trade it for the world. Enjoy!

Yes the current trend is to not permanently ink yourself with symbols of racism, hate, etc. Sad that there are people who continue to embrace the most shameful period of USA history.

I use Tegaderm for all my tattoos. It's a sticky plastic, waterproof film that you can leave on for days while your tattoo heals. I got one on my foot in NYC and this is what I did: 1. I put Tegaderm on after the tattoo. Left it on for 6ish hours before replacing it because of all the tattoo juice build up. 2. Left the second application of Tegaderm on for 3 days. I was able to shower, I even went for short jogs during this time period. I found light exercise was ok, but I was afraid to slay myself in the gym in case excess sweat loosens the Tegaderm. 3. Replaced the Tegaderm after 2 days the third time. Left this one on for 4 days straight. 4. Replaced the film one last time and left on for 2 days. Total time under Tegaderm: a little over a week. I did not have to deal with scabbing and itching on my foot. The colors healed bright and fresh. Looking at what you want to get on your foot, I will say this: Colors tend to fade on the foot because the skin constantly gets beat up from the constant walking, standing, running, etc. And it will fade more quickly if you like to frequently wear flip flops in the sun. I don't think the tattoo you want will hold up very well over time because there are no black outlines in the flower and the colors will blend into your skin tone when they fade because they closely resemble the color of your skin. If you choose to stick with this design, sunscreen is paramount to protect the colors if you wear flip flops/sandals a lot, and lotion to keep the colors moisterized.

Absolutely I tip with these factors in mind: 1. Timeliness to emails: I've worked with artists who take 2+ weeks to get back to me. I've worked with artists who get back to me within 2 days. I am more inclined to tip more to the artist who is extremely responsive. 2. Personal relations: I've worked with artists who had the nerve to argue with what I wanted. I've also worked with artists who collaborate and give sound advice if they think something won't work or if they have a better idea in mind. I am more inclined to tip more to the artist who treats the experience like a partnership and a collaboration. 3. Satisfaction with the design: I've had artists who hit the nail on the head 100% with what I wanted. I've had artists go on their own crazy program and give me something I was not happy with. I'm more inclined to tip more to the artist who gives me exactly what I want. I always tip, but I will tip generously to the artist who fits the above criteria. And in turn, I've found they will bend over backwards to give me more flexibility for future appointments and longer tattoo sessions. I scratch their back, they scratch my back, its a win win for both of us involved.

I've gotten my ribs, spine, hip bone, top of the foot, both upper thighs front and back, upper chest, and a shoulder blade inked. Here were my top 3 most painful: 1. The fleshy area around the crease that separates the butt cheek and thigh. This was from some Polynesian tribal that snaked from my inner thigh 2 inches above the knee to the butt crease. I was sitting like Plymouth Rock till my artist poked me in that section. He actually yanked his tattoo machine away from me because I spasmed so hard, I nearly rolled off the table. After sputtering all the vulgarities and getting my life back together, he resumed tattooing the last 2 inches of that tribal onto my butt crease. It felt like a knife shooting electricity in me was slicing me open. It has been 8 years since I got that tattoo and got several more since then. I still regard this as the most painful place. 2. My ribs. Yup I'm sure 90% of the tattoo'd population has the ribs at the top of their most painful list. 3. Hip bone and back of the upper thigh tied for third. Least painful area: Upper thigh. I'll either fall asleep and gently twitch awake during a particular painful jab. Or it tickles and I'm giggling to myself.