If you've recently gotten a tattoo, but it appears blurry and smudged during and after the healing process, you may be experiencing tattoo blowout. “A blowout is when a tattoo expands below the skin layer when it hits fat [and] veins or when scarring occurs,” says Crys.
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. Give your tattoo a few weeks to heal.
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.
Your tattoo will still be weeping some ink/blood/other fluid for the first day or so. This discharge can get stuck under the bandage and cause it to look blurry or even like there is a thick colored film over the entire area. This is ok!
Tattoo blowout usually won't go away on its own. In some cases, if it is minor, it might disappear or fade after a year. But, most serious tattoo blowout is permanent and needs to be fixed by professionals. You might not notice tattoo blowout right away.
Applying too much moisturizer restricts the skin's ability to breath, thus causing the pores to clog and can lead to consequent break outs. To avoid these symptoms, follow the aftercare instructions of your tattoo artist and apply the best tattoo aftercare moisturizer: your trusty Ink Nurse cream.
You may see development of redness after 2 - 3 days, you may also see blisters or boils around the tattoo and feel progressively increasing irritation, in this case please remove the bandage, wash it with cold water and consult your tattoo artist or a doctor asap.
Tattoo blowouts, while not super common with advancements in tattooing practices and equipment, can occur to any tattoo design. A blowout is the result of the tattoo ink spreading beyond the lines of the design, often creating a distorted image.
After the first day, the tattooed area may appear red, swollen, or even bleed a little. This is completely normal.
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.
Signs of an over-moisturised tattoo include irritated, inflamed skin; scabs may appear on the tattoo, or the skin may look redder on and around the tattooed area. What's more, the ink could appear slightly blurred.
If the needle is going too deep into the skin, it can cause more trauma and damage to the skin than necessary, which can lead to more pain and bleeding. Another sign that a tattoo is too deep is excessive scabbing and peeling during the healing process.
It is normal for some of this excess ink to be lost as the body tried to repair the wound that the needles made in your skin. There will still be enough ink for your tattoo to look bright and intense, if you follow instructions carefully.
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.
Sometimes, at the beginning of the healing of your tattoo, you will see a bluish edge around your new body art, this is not necessarily a blowout. If after the healing process has come to an end, the lines are blurry or the various colors of ink have bled into each other, you most likely have a tattoo blowout.
"During the healing process, you should moisturize your tattoo three to six times a day," Ladna says. "Keeping your tattoo hydrated during the initial days is especially critical. If your tattoo becomes too dry, the healing may actually take longer, and you may risk losing color saturation."
A good tattoo artist will use high-quality equipment and ink to reduce the risk of a tattoo blowout. - Talk about the tattoo aftercare process. Proper aftercare is crucial for preventing tattoo blowouts, as it can help the tattoo heal properly and reduce the risk of infection.
Tattoo cream: how many days you need to apply it for optimal skin healing. After getting a tattoo, you should moisturize it daily for at least 10 to 14 days. Respecting these timeframes is absolutely crucial because, if your skin dries out, you are likely to get very disappointing results.
After the first few days, your tattoo may become itchy or begin to form flaky scabs. They will fall off on their own, so DO NOT PICK OR SCRATCH AT YOUR TATTOO. Doing so can cause some of the pigment to disappear, and your tattoo may not heal properly. Keep it moisturized and the scabs will eventually dissipate.
"Many people may first notice a redness to their skin – itching, a bumpy or scaly rash may also occur. Severe forms of contact allergy can develop blisters and pain at the site of contact," she said.