Fear not; during the healing process your tattoo will look weird. It may look cloudy, faded, patchy, or even blurred, and this can be concerning when you've just dropped a few hundred on it. At this stage, don't worry.
A tattoo is VERY bright when it is first completed but during the healing process, it starts to look discolored and dull. Don't worry, when the tattoo is finished healing, the color will come back. My tattoo is scabbing.
The tattooing process prompts your body to kill off and shed the damaged skin cells, while it regenerates brand new skin over the tattooed area. As this old, damaged layer of skin dies, it sits on the surface for a while, forming a translucent layer over your tattoo, giving it a faded, milky appearance.
Sometimes, tattoos look messy and blurry while they are healing. You might see some ink leakage and some blurry lines while your skin is repairing itself. However, if your skin is healed and the lines of the tattoo are imprecise and smudged looking then you have a tattoo blowout.
Here are the most common reasons why people regret their tattoos: impulsive decision (35 percent), significant meaning (29 percent), or the idea that it would make them look cool (18 percent). The more thoughtful and careful you are about your tattoo, the less likely you are to regret it.
2-6 Days After Your New Tattoo
Now you'll start to notice that your tattoo looks a bit dull, perhaps even have a 'cloudy-looking' appearance. It may also look red, swollen and still ooze blood, plasma, lymphatic fluid and ink. Not to worry! This is normal.
Week 1. After a few days, the tattoo should begin to feel less sore and red. A person may notice their tattoo appears duller than it did initially. This appearance is not a cause for concern but a sign that the tattoo is healing.
It is normal for a tattoo to be red, swollen, and tender for the first 48 to 72 hours. There may also be some oozing of blood and/or ink during this time period. 1 Makharita notes that these symptoms should improve significantly each day.
Weeks 2-3: The tattoo has a shine
“After a week or two, the scabbing will flake away into a shiny or waxy layer of skin,” says Milliron.
While many things get better with age, tattoos do not always fall into that category. Even if you take the best possible care of your ink, the aging process can leave your design looking washed out. If your tattoo has seen better years, it's time to contact your artist.
Inkhunter is an AR app that allows you to try on tattoo designs as if you're trying on clothes. Leveraging your smartphone camera, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence, Inkhunter overlays a tattoo design on your chosen body part, be it arm, leg or elsewhere.
In fact, it's best for your tattoo to breathe and allow your body's natural healing processes to kick in. After the first day, the tattooed area may appear red, swollen, or even bleed a little. This is completely normal.
The lines of a tattoo must be crisp, straight, and constant throughout the tattoo. Wonky lines are a big indicator of an unskilled artist. How a tattoo heals is a huge sign of a good tattoo vs a bad tattoo. If a tattoo scars, blows out or straight up falls out of the skin, it's a bad tattoo.
If the needle being used on your tattoo doesn't go deep enough into the dermis layer of your skin, that means the ink has been deposited in the epidermis layer. As we mentioned before, ink deposited here will quickly leave the skin when epidermal cells renew themselves, making for a not-so-permanent tattoo.
When it heals, there shouldn't be gaps or shapes in the tattoo that indicate it wasn't filled in properly. The lines of a tattoo should be crisp, straight and consistent throughout the tattoo. Wonky lines are a huge indication of an inexperienced artist.
Drunken behaviour could ruin your new tattoo
You need to be aware of keeping your tattoo clean and dry while it is fresh, so a night out might not be the best option. It's generally recommended that you wait at least 48 hours after your new tattoo before you start drinking alcohol again.
You can shower 3-4 hours after getting a tattoo, if you have a Saniderm bandage on, however, if you have a plastic wrap wait 24 hours to unwrap your tattoo and shower. In either case, shower in cold or lukewarm water and avoid prolonged soaking or submerging your tattoo in water for 3-4 weeks.
Until the surface of the tattoo is healed (at a minimum of two to three weeks), wash the area gently 2-3 times per day. After cleaning the tattoo during this two to three week period, gently apply a thin coat of a lotion-based care product. We recommend After Inked tattoo moisturizer and aftercare lotion.
Research from the UK, US, Australia, Canada and surveys by notable organizations report that 78% of tattooed people regret at least one of them. In the US alone, 23% felt regret.
According to a survey conducted in the United States in 2021, 12 percent of Americans regretted the decision to a get at least one of their tattoos. By contrast, 88 percent of them were happy with their choice.
The survey also found that 1 in 3 people (30%) have considered getting a tattoo removed, while only 1 in 4 (25%) have already removed ink. 31% of men and 24% of women regretted daubing someone's name permanently on their body. For men, 13% regretted their tribal theme, and 13% regretted their Asian characters.