Fresh tattoos will be swollen and not 'settled in' yet If your tattoo is very new, it is likely that the lines feel raised and swollen simply because they are a bit swollen. Your new tattoo is an open wound, and the impact of the tattooing process will usually result in some swelling.
Your new tattoo will be red, irritated, swollen, warm-to-the-touch & possibly bruised; this is all NORMAL. This will normally last 1 to 3 days. If your tattoo is on an extremity, especially below the knee, you may experience more swelling than normal.
Many people who get tattoos experience what's called an acute inflammatory reaction — the skin becomes red, slightly swollen, and irritated at the site of the tattoo. This occurs because of the irritation caused by the tattoo needle and the tattoo ink.
Sometimes older, healed tattoos become raised but don't itch. A tattoo can become raised for a number of reasons. The most common factors that can cause tattoo raising are allergies, tissue damage, certain weather conditions, poor healing and rough tattoo artist work.
Massage and moisturize: Gently massaging the raised area of the tattoo with a moisturizer or a specialized tattoo aftercare product may help soften the skin and promote better healing. Moisturizing the tattoo regularly can also help keep the skin hydrated and reduce the appearance of raised texture.
An ink allergy is usually characterized by itchiness and a few other things. "Even years after getting the tattoo, some people can develop lumps or bumps at the site as a reaction to the pigment in the tattoo," Marchbein explains.
Signs of an Overworked Tattoo
A Change in Appearance - If the tattoo looks faded, pale, cloudy, blurry, or heavily distorted, this could be a sign of overworked skin. This may also appear as ink distortion and blurring. During a tattoo, ink needs to be deposited in your dermis so the pigment stays put.
If some swelling/redness is present the day after your tattoo, and it is uncomfortable or bothering you, it is appropriate to use ice (20 minutes) and/or an NSAID (ibuprofen, Advil, aleve, naproxen) to help bring the swelling down.
Your tattoo will go through a number of stages as it heals. In the first few days, redness, oozing fluid and swollen skin is common. If this carries on however for more than a few days this could be a sign of an infection. After two weeks, your skin may begin to peel.
Week One: Redness
It is typical for your tattoo to appear reddish during this stage, and you may even see ink seeping out of the tattoo. If the "oozing" persists after a week, consult a doctor.
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.
While some redness, swelling, and scabbing is normal during the healing process, excessive pain, bleeding, and scarring may be a sign that the needle was too deep.
You'll want to keep the tattoo wrapped for at least the first night because it will take a while for it to settle down and stop leaking. You don't want an open wound like that touching your bed sheets, getting blood everywhere, or dirt and dust getting into the wound itself.
You skin needs air to heal, too much use of petroleum jelly / or any aftercare product can suffocate skin and may lead to infection. Tattooed skin is like any open wound (like scratch wound), too much dust around, or too much water can let bacteria to enter the wound and multiply fast.
Tattoo flu explained
So while you might be super chill mentally, your immune system might charge in like there's a four alarm fire. When the needle hits your skin, your pain receptors go into overdrive, giving you a nice jolt of adrenaline which then makes your ticker beat a bit faster.
Although it's rare, your tattoo may feel raised if you're allergic to the ink; this is more common with colored inks, and most experts say it should stop within two to three weeks. However, you must seek medical attention if you notice other symptoms, such as dizziness, nausea, or an intense burning sensation.
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.
Now, save for moments you catch a glimpse of the design in the mirror, you usually forget the whole thing happened. What's done is done, right? Not always. In fact, skin irritation or a full-blown condition can develop months, years, even decades after the initial tattooing process.
Because your body considers tattoo ink a foreign object, your immune system will most likely have a reaction to it. This reaction typically manifests itself as a red, bumpy rash on the skin. While there is nothing dangerous about this rash, it's important to keep the area clean and moisturized.