Omg my own actual post??? That's insane.
A few months ago I had everybodies WORST fear when it comes to getting a tattoo.
I had an infected tattoo.
So. Let me walk you through what it was like. And answer some questions you might have regarding tattoos and infections.
Q. Was this a home tattoo?
A. Nope! Infact, this was a tattoo done at a studio I had already been to, by a artist I've already gotten a different tattoo from. It was clean, so the environment, tools, and person are all out of the question.
Q. Well did the tattoo feel different?
A. Well, I now have 10 tattoos, only 2 I've gotten after my infection. And it did.
I was getting my left thigh tattooed, and I had previously already gotten my right done. A few times during the process, I would suddenly jerk while getting it done. I didn't have really any warning to this, no smaller twitches, no shakes, just sudden movements. I shrugged this off and assumed I was just being a wuss. Fun fact! I was not.
Q. How did it you know it's infected?
A. When tattoos are healing, they all go through a similar stage. They are usually under second skin for the first few days, still bleeding ink and plasma. Then it gets really, really itchy, and will start peeling, and scabbing.
This is a normal reaction.
My tattoo, when it's healing, I noticed was very sore. More than usual. I thought maybe it was sore because we had done so much color since it was an ombre she used 6 different shades to make.
Quickly after that, it started getting HOT, physically, this was the area rising in tempature. Almost like a sunburn. Quickly after that started it entered it's "molting stage" where I noticed things like Lint from clothing and towels were getting stuck IN my healing tattoo. Also not normal as this can be Ink Rot / Rejection.
Q. What did you / should you do if you believe your tattoo is infected or I have concerns?
A. The very first thing you should do is contact your artist to let them know. This allows them to keep up with you and take more caution with their current clients.
Make sure you take pictures / videos and send them to your artist so they can understand what the situation is and be able to give you further advice.
In the event that your artist does not help you. Take next steps. Reach out to the shop directly, let them know everything you can about your experience. And if your tattoo is causing you pain, enough you can't even wear a skirt or have any direct contact with it. You should see your local urgent care, as in my case they did need to prescribe anti biotics.
You'll definitely need to change your aftercare to accommodate the infection to keep it from getting worse. Please seek immediate guidance from a artist for follow up directions.
Q. What was it like after it healed?
A. Interesting. After my tattoo healed, it pretty much looked like I had been hit with lightning from the way there were patches all over the tattoo where all the ink rejected and you saw my actual skin instead. Honestly, I didn't end up hating the way it looked.
However. It was my first ever custom tattoo (a planchet with color) so, I still went to get it re-done.
Q : Can you tattoo over an infected tattoo?
A : it must be fully healed, and you must be off anti biotics in order to get a tattoo redone. What happened to the tattoo doesn't matter, though the scar tissue may make re-doing it more painful.
If you used black in the first iteration, it may be difficult to cover, as even with my re-do, a design around the hole is visible under my color. But they can definitely layer ontop of what you have to help adjust the tattoo after healing.
Q. Why didn't getting an infected tattoo steer you away from them entirely?
A. When reviewing with the shop, we figured the most likely cause of my infection was my artist going too deep into my skin. Which is likely also caused the jerks during my session. I still trust my shop to do good, honest work. The artist I went to previously has since moved shops.
I now have gotten a fox on my lower leg and a leaf heart on my bicep done from the same exact artist.
Q. So you'll get more in the future?
A. Yea! Honestly I said to my friends the other day, "I want tattoos that make me look like an anime succubus." Because I want Wings on my back, a heart centric cybersigil tramp stamp, and a succubus ovary mark.