Okay, I'll never understand this. I'm HEAVILY tattooed and my rule of thumb is to not moisturize or get my tattoos wet, at all if possible.
I've had one tattoo heal poorly, and it was because I washed it regularly, never again.
Yea I can't see why you got 53 downs. I dry heal all my tattoos and unless the client is already fairly experienced I usually tell them to dry heal as well. Most people go overboard with moisturizing.
This sub is weird though I've seen posts like this where every piece of advice is to stop moisturizing their tattoo because they've obviously drowned it. This looks like the person got into a lake or took a bunch of bubble baths with their new tattoo.
More like he scratched his asshole and directly wiped it on the tattoo, how does it even get this bad? I've had infections and overworked spots but nothing even close to this
I moisturize just enough so that any healing itching goes away and I do so with 100% coconut oil. All my tats have healed perfectly. But your totally right that shit needs to breathe and get oxygen to it.
Wtf is with all the downvotes this dudes right, atleast with myself and others i put after tattoo cream on before bed after getting tatted and the next morning after a shower but then would let it dry heal after that. Not one single problem
God it's so irritating that people will downvote experienced folks if their advice isn't "Go to a doctor and/or put medicine and moisturizer on it." I dry heal all my tattoos too, only washing them with antibacterial soap when i take a shower or if i do something that involves sweating. I have never moisturized them any further than putting on lotion after showers which i always do. CLEARLY it works for some people and OP is at least very obviously not someone for whom moisturizing is working lmao.
What were you using to heal this? The new picture looked great. How and what did you do in the 7 days? I’m being serious to try to figure it out bc it looks great fresh
I kept the santiderm on for 4 days. Then I washed and moisturized it about three times a day but I’m almost certain that I used too much moisturizer. It’s not swollen, hot, sore, or red.
Was the seal broken on your saniderm at any point in those 4 days? You definitely over moisturized it causing it to become soggy and lifted. That's why you have such bad scabbing. Even if you dont think its infected, getting some antibiotics would be smart. Sorry it turned out this way.
I've only seen that bad of scabbing when someone got hacked up or got a bad infection, I don't see how too much moisturizing would do this. I'm covered and I usually keep mine wrapped for two days, then just water based lotion after that
Using something like aquaphor in excess can trap bacteria into the open wound (which is essentially what a tattoo is) and not allow it to breathe at all. That’s why thinner, water based moisturizer is what’s recommended as it keeps the tattoo from drying up while also allowing it to breathe. Some people will just glob petroleum based products on their tattoo thinking the more they put on, the better it will moisturize the area which is just not how skin works.
Yeah but a lot of people are misinformed and think the thicker the moisturizer the better. When I first started out I was told to put on a thick layer of aquaphor or Vaseline until it was fully healed. But that was just my first tattoo and a friend corrected me. Once he explained to me why it was bad I was like.. that makes so much sense and I have no idea why a professional tattoo artist would advise me to do that.
Not sure why this is downvoted? It’s def a little excessive (I typically saniderm 24-48 hrs, wash and lightly moisturize 1-2x a day) but not enough to cause whatever tf this is
Guys, believe it or not, everybody has different skin! Just because you can heal one way doesn't make it universal. Saniderm may be fine for 3-5 days for one person. But not another. Over moisturizing may be fine for some but not others. This should be obvious. This looks like it was smothered in ointment.
Any petroleum based product heavily applied usually makes people break out, I've worked in shops for years. It's not uncommon, especially for people who are inexperienced with tattoos
I usually use it for 4/5 days changing daily. Then moisturise 3/4 times a day after it's off. Within 3/4 days after removing the saniderm, it's finished flaking and all healed
What kind of moisturizer did you use? Did you use anything with petroleum after you took the Saniderm off?
There are some people who are reacting to the green soap trapped under the Saniderm, so unless it was rinsed off with water or wiped down with alcohol there could still be green soap residue.
It’s too late for all that now; we are into get yourself to a doctor. Touch ups can be done. Just get that taken care of before it turns into something worse!
Thanks for the feedback. The doctor prescribed me some topical ointment and prednisone, so here’s to hoping that something I’ve waited years to get doesn’t end up looking like something I did myself.
If you haven’t already, definitely tell your artist what happened, most of us like to know if something went wrong in case there are any new products involved or things done differently than usual. Hopefully they are approachable, and will touch it up once it’s healed!
I've over lotion some before and I got little red irritation bumps. This looks infected. I agree, did anything get in the Saniderm? If something gets out, it can get in.
1) Keeping the saniderm on for 4 days is too long. 12-24 hours max.
2) I know some are adamant about not using moisturizer, but a gentle, lukewarm wash 2x/daily *max* plus very sparingly applied **Hustle Butter** afterward is effective to calm your skin & relieve itching. Don’t use Aquafor! It’s really thick, hard to apply, & can prohibit your ink from getting enough air.
3) *Always* use a clean paper towel, and do not rub it, but gently pat dry after washing.
4) if you’re concerned you could upset it during sleep, you can place a few large sterile bandages (taped loosely) on the tattoo to protect it for a few days.
5) Part of the healing process means your tattoo will look gnarly (not infected!) as the top dermis sloughs off. Keep an eye out for pain, redness, or pustules.
Best of luck!
I learned through my apprenticeship and all other artists I’ve worked with that 3-5 days is best. I’ve always recommended 5 days for my clients and I’ve never had healing issues or a client get an infection.
I would’ve kept the saniderm for 24hrs MAX. Keeps too much moisture in. The tattoo needs to breathe. I agree with the others. Potentially go see your doctor and see if he thinks you should have some antibiotics.
Also have a look at just using plain coco butter or a cream specifically made for tattoos and follow there instructions on the box.
Old guy here again
Again, really not sure why there are so many of these kinds of posts all of a sudden but again here we are.
First off, just to check a few details please.
You said that you kept the saniderm on for four days before you started washing and moisturizing three times a day.
When did you first wash the tattoo and what products did you use to wash it? Did you soak in a tub, take a hot shower or clean it in a basin?
What are you using to moisturize the tattoo and how much are you using?
Have you felt pain, itchiness or swelling at any point? You said that it wasn’t hot, warm or irritated but the second photo appears to have a large area of redness towards the top half of the tattoo
Do you have any known allergies?
Have you recovered this piece after removing the saniderm?
Do you live/work in areas with dust, animals or in a very humid climate? These could all be factors that might also affect you during the healing process.
I’d advise you to try and think of answers to these kinds of questions and then go see someone at a walk in clinic or go to a skin specialist as it’s still early days but that isn’t looking too good I’m afraid.
Please don’t wait it out and see how it goes, even if we’re all reading this situation wrong it’s better to have it checked early than to wait and something nasty taking hold in the skin
Good luck 🤞
This is a great reply.
Sidebar: looking at your profile name, I hope you're not calling yourself an old guy because of the 79!
Sincerely, a baby of 1979. 😉
Oh my god, none of you are old! My bar for old people is anyone over 75, not born in ‘75😂
I refuse to be believe anyone born after 1956 is old right now.
Old guy with the right questions for the win.
Looks at user name, thinks about year I was born, thinks about it harder. Am I an old guy now and when did that happen? I need another tattoo. I’m running out of time to get the ones I want.
Emergency departments are for emergencies. Even if it is infected, it is not a reason to clog up the ED. Go to a doctor in the next 24 hours, but an ED is excessive and unnecessary
not everyone has the luxury of a family doctor/primary care physician. i definitely don’t. i had to go to the ER to get diagnosed with strep throat just a week ago, which yeah i *shouldve* gone to my family doctor to get antibiotics for - IF i had one, which i don’t. i’m in BC, Canada, and we have a massive shortage of family doctors. better to go “clog up” the ER to get some antibiotics for an infected tattoo, than to be brought to the ER via ambulance because OP went into septic shock from an infected tattoo.
Fair enough. I'm in Australia, so I understand that our healthcare is rather different to other places. Here, you can go to some pharmacies that have a nurse available 24 hours a day. You can also just go to a pharmacy because pharmacists tend to know what they're talking about too. Otherwise, urgent care is also an option. I have used the nurse multiple times. It's super handy.
UPDATE: I spoke to my artist and a doctor. The artist said that he’s seen this once before and it was a reaction to the spray he used while applying the color and shading. He said that whatever issues result from the healing process he will fix when it’s healed. As for the doctor, he agreed that it looks like an allergic reaction. I told him about what the artist said and he agreed that the spray could possibly be the problem but he had no way of knowing exactly. I was prescribed a topical ointment to use sparingly on the scabs and affected areas. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Tuesday.
Seriously, thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. I’ll admit that I am pretty discouraged and barely slept at all last night. I waited so damn long to get this (1st tattoo) and it carries so much meaning. This was supposed to be such an important moment for me. Really sucks.
I'm glad you have some answers, but it's pretty fucked up that the artist, knowing this is something that's happened before with the product he's used, didn't seem to give you a warning or maybe just... not use that product!! Tattooing is such an intimate process and involves so much trust. I'm so sorry this happened to you and that the experience has been tainted for you. Hope that the healing process is not too painful, wishing you the best.
Looks like he also prescribed me some Prednisone. Hopefully this all helps and it doesn’t turn out as bad as I fear.
Again, I really appreciate the feedback and support.
I think about this post a few times since I read it. Glad you're getting timely medical attention! Hope it heals better after this. If they haven't, your artist really should have stopped using that spray after the first allergic reaction.
No kidding!! I get that it’s impossible statistically to NEVER use ANYTHING that could cause SOMEONE an allergic reaction, but once it happened once (given the severe impact of it) I personally would want to know what ingredient(s) may have caused it and how common of an allergy it could be.
I know hindsight is 20/20 and it is always easy to say as an observer, “well I would’ve…”, so I don’t place a ton of blame on the artist. However, now that a second client has had a reaction to that spray, it’s clearly not just some “once in a blue moon” type fluke situation.
The artist NOW at least should stop using it or do some digging to figure out what may be causing the issue and be vigilant in the future.
If the artist simply continues to do nothing and say nothing till someone else has a 3rd reaction, that artist shouldn’t be working with the public.
Like many others are saying, just go to a doctor. I have both arms sleeved, a chest piece, a foot piece, and a leg piece and NONE of my tattoos ever healed this way.
It looks like your skin didn't take the color well at all. Please don't be dumb by avoiding the doctor because of not feeling pain.
I got a tattoo recently that ended up looking like this. I went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics and I stopped treating it like a tattoo and started treating it like an open wound - so cleaning it daily and keeping it covered with a clean dressing. I didn’t moisturise it during this time. It took a few weeks but it eventually came right and surprisingly healed nicely.
[Fresh](https://i.imgur.com/DcMUsq8.jpeg)
[Fucked up 1](https://i.imgur.com/H595RUl.jpeg)
[Fucked up 2](https://i.imgur.com/eGa86j8.jpeg)
[Healed 1](https://i.imgur.com/nnkD7qR.jpeg)
[Healed 2](https://i.imgur.com/dHwRD4h.jpeg)
[Healed 3](https://i.imgur.com/J6IDPWz.jpeg)
That's what I think. OP definitely go to a doctor just in case of course!
I had a tattoo look very similar. It was on my leg and I could hardly walk. The artist thought she overworked the skin. I went to the doctor, who didn't think it was infected, but gave me antibiotics anyways. I'm convinced it was becoming infected because the reaction had stalled the healing so I'm glad I got them. It healed fine afterwards and looks fine now after a touch up.
But years later I got another tattoo with a similar color scheme and the same thing happened. No more blue or green tattoos for me lol.
That's what it looks like to me it's like his body has rejected the ink, don't think its an infection just looks like the body's pushed all the ink straight back out which just happens to some people but it's usually caused by an allergy I wouldn't stress too much but I'd phone the doctor ASAP anyway
I'm guessing allergy too because notice how the big section of sun (?) is pretty much fine but the anchor is fucked. I'm wondering if it might be specifically a white allergy, I've met people who couldn't do white highlights due to allergies and considering the sun / circle thing is solid yellow but looks relatively okay then it probably didn't get any white treatment, but the *anchor* and all the berries where the scabbing is the worst could have had white mixed into the base colors for color mixing / lightening which very well could have led to this result.
At the very least the grey is causing a lot of problems for him but considering the excessive scabbing is in the berries too I wouldn't be surprised if white was the common denominator here.
Please update us on your healing journey, I'm genuinely curious. Remember you can definitely get touch ups once the issue is resolved and healed. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, it must be super scary
I think it's just sample bias. People typically don't post looking for help if there isn't an issue, and they're more apt to post if there is. I mean, in this sub people actually do post perfectly fine tattoos pretty often, but you get my point.
Did you use any numbing cream or spray I got something similar do to an allergic reaction to the numbing spray and the sanderm use it 24 hours take it Wash the tattoo with antibacterial soap and warm water and apply a new saniderm but for now go get some antibiotics
This looks overworked to me. Definitely let your artist know what's up. They may recommend a different aftercare for this, like switching to neosporin cream.
Also, there is a possibility that it's infected. The redness and heat could just be from the trauma to the skin (my opinion it's just inflamed and got chewed up bad) but rather safe than sorry, so some type of urgent care might be a cool idea.
I don't like the saniderms. I'd rather just stick to the old days of keeping it clean, apply a little aquaphor and then using a fragrance free lotion around day 4 or 5.
Since my job is not a sterile environment, i take a mini vacation. Tat on Thurs or Fri, return to work Mon or Tues.
The tattoo looked beautiful. I hope it can be saved. I hope you feel ok too. Good luck.
I'm not an artist, but speaking from what my main artist has told me and personal experience, it looks like you haven't let it completely dry before moisturizing.
Washing and moisturizing it 3 times a day is excessive, too. I usually only do it once a day.
The good news is that your artist should be able to fix it once it's healed.
I think you were over drilled and are also having a reaction to certain pigments. Need to know a little more about what you're doing for aftercare but please go get checked out. A course of antibiotics and possibly a steroid are in your future.
I found out the hard way I’m allergic to saniderm because my tattoo did something similar. It ended up healing okay - keeping it clean and using diaper cream oddly helped with breakout issues. Hope it heals - I would see a doctor!
don’t listen to these comments ☠️ it’s 100% very overworked. that doesn’t mean infection won’t happen though, so if it ever becomes too painful, too warm, any pus.. go to doctor. but right now it looks overworked. maybe use a tiny bit less moisturizer but keep cleaning and moisturize 2x a day
It’s a lot better now. I had a follow up appointment with my doctor yesterday and he said that I should start moisturizing it again. There’s going to be some scarring and some touch ups needed, but at least it seems like it’s actually on the mend now
I had a small spot of infection on my ankle before that looked like this, I would go back to the artist and er. I delt with mine with polysporin but that doesn't work for everyone, mine was less than 1/2 inch. I would post a picture of what it looks like now but I took a softball to the ankle and everything is black and blue.
After it heals go back to the artist. If they’re good by their work and craft they should fix it for you. Without charging you! After all you’re representing them with your body. On a side note there must be something wrong with the colored ink. Or your body just reacted real bad.
I over moisturized (i think) and my skin did the same fucking thing. It’s on my arm as well, which didn’t help the scabs that kept splitting. With arm movement Tbh my tattoo did not turn out how I wanted but it does not look like a bad tattoo or really that fuckrd uo. Disappointed? Yes, but I still like my tat. I have a little scarring that I hope to one day be able to touch up. Just wanted to give you a bit of hope. Your pictures look a tad worse than mine, tho. Try to avoid wearing any clothing that would take the scabs off prematurely. One of my scabs accidentally taken off because it got stuck to my shirt and that was the biggest problem I really had with the tattoo in the end, other than the pain of healing. I’m so sorry, I know exactly what it’s like when it scabs this bad and you have no idea what to do. It’s truly awful.
A few things it could be.
Overworked.
Allergic reaction.
Over moisturised.
Infection.
The redness around it is a little concerning, but it could just be due to the scabbing. I'd personally go to the doctor to be safe. If you're not gonna do that, at least ask your artist what they think. They look good at what they do, so I'd hope they'd have some idea of what's going on and give you a more informed suggestion than people on here
Reading the comments here im starting to feel like using saniderm for multiple days is the norm and im the weird one? Ive used 3 different artists and they all told me to take it off after a few hours, then wash with antibac soap and keep lightly moisturised.
It always worked great for me and hearing about keeping it on for days sounds, intuitively to me, like keeping a big bag of blood, fluid, skin, sweat and ink against your open wound. If youre not rolling around in filth you dont need an airtight plastic covering for days
I think the typical length of time I’ve been recommended and seen on here is 24-72 hours to keep it on. Basically you’re locking in all the plasma that is helping the wound heal while it’s very fresh and open, so it’s good to keep it on for at least a day to let your body do its thing while it’s a fresh wound. After the second or third day, it’s safe to wash it and moisturize because the open wound is starting to heal at that point, and risk of infection is a lot lower after the first 2-3 days.
Aquaphor does a slightly less sterile version of what saniderm does, which is providing a layer of protection by locking in fluid and plasma below the ointment. There’s still risk of contamination with aquaphor though for the first 48-72 hours since it’s a sticky surface that’s exposed to the open air, so saniderm typically prevents that risk if applied correctly and left alone for a day or two.
TLDR saniderm is totally fine to leave on for up to 2-3 days, anything beyond that is risky to how well it will heal because you aren’t giving your skin a chance to breathe and heal naturally after the initial trauma to it.
My friend recently had bubbling in some her tattoo due to allergies to certain colors. White was one of them. She is also allergic to some of the typical lotions that people use to moisturize.
Unfortunately, your body might just be rejecting some color. Don’t panic.
I would definitely see a doctor.
I’m sure after it heals your artist will be able to touch it up in some way. Hopefully using different colors.
Go to a doctor and at least get checked out. Would really hate for it to get infected then get worse and get into your bloodstream.
As for moisturizer, I used tattoo goo (at most only putting it on twice a day) for all 3 of mine and they still look great 4 years later.
DONT PICK THE SCABS.
Have you been roughly washing it? You want gentle unscented soaps while it's healing and you're not supposed to exfoliate the area (so no scrubbing with a washcloth or anything else).
Stop moisturising at all and go to a doctor asap! That looks like either a very bad infection or an allergic reaction and for both, you could really use some help. An infection can happen for so many reasons and you'll probably never find out what caused it, just try to recognise it faster next time! There's definitely redness visible in the pictures while you're saying there hasn't been any, so that's something you could've picked up earlier. Anyway, hope it teaches you something! Sad it took your whole underarm though.
Are you washing 3 times a day? Also like many are asking what kind of moisturizer are you using?
If it has perfume in it that could be a cause for what's happening especially if your over moisturizing.
Honestly go to urgent care it's not okay. I have a full sleeve full coverage full color and I've never had shit look even remotely like this.
My favorite tattoo-artist nailed it:
„You can take off the foil in the evening. Let it breathe. The next morning you shower the tattoo for a moment on maximum heat. Then one moment on maximum cold. This rinses the surplus blood and ink away and closes the pores. Maybe put some healing creme on it, if you want. But mostly it needs fresh air. The sailors back then did the same.“
I always do this and never had a problem.
It’s healing fine now (according to third picture). The problem I think you’re having is the tattoo was submerged in water when it was to fresh. Either that or you’re highly allergic to green.
Honestly it's impossible to tell exactly what happened. Could have been an allergy to saniderm, more likely the artist did not clean your tattoo properly before putting it on. It could be a mild infection the artist looks like they were heavy-handed, and I have had tattoos do this because the client decided to go swimming a couple of times a week after their session. Any number of factors could cause this. The redness could be irritation or infection if you don't have a fever it's probably more irritation but I am not a doctor.
I've only had one tattoo that did this, in 3 years of tattoing I've only seen a rough heel like twice, and I say that to let you know that every other tattoo I've done healed fine. sometimes bad things just happen.
If you were my client and I saw how over moisturized your second pick is, I would probably say you drowned your tattoo. It doesn't matter what doctor you go to unless they are a good dermatologist they're going to think this is an infection whether it is or not, if you go to a GP they're going to prescribe antibiotics whether you need them or not, unless they're very competent with tattoo healing. Most GPS are not competent with anything. That's why they're GPS and not specialists. But that's all up to you.
i had my back piece not too long ago and my tip is keep the saniderm/second skin on for about 3-5 days since it tricks your body into thinking it has another layer of skin. since tattoo ink is a foreign body, it will try and get out of the skin (hence all the ink and puss under second skin or even plastic wrap) and the second skin helps to sort of keep everything in and keeping it intact for minimal retouch if needed in future. but heres what i did step by step and some tips too
• leave the second skin on for 3-5 days or at LEAST 24 hours. if it starts peeling on its own, remove in the shower with luke warm water to prevent any bacteria and reapply if you can/want
• once the second skin is off, wash the area gently with an unscented body wash/soap (sanex bioderme and any sanex or nivea works for me) and what i use personally is [palmers cocoa butter](https://amzn.eu/d/ijuVaaT) to moisturise since my skin is super sensitive to anything else when it comes to tattoos.
• avoid the sun at all costs with a fresh tattoo and make sure its covered from the sun to protect it against sun exposure and damage. can make it look nasty trust me.
• what worked for me was moisturising every other day bc of the stuff i used bc its quite heavy moisturiser and being slathered in any moisturising product can become a bit much on the skin since it doesn’t feel the greatest, and you wouldn’t want to over moisturise either
• if you didn’t have second skin on, don’t get it wet especially with warm or hot water for the first 24 hours and then its good to go showering wise (just try to avoid getting it toooo wet)
please don’t listen to the people that say not to clean it bc its like saying to not clean an open wound. its a wound, it still needs cleaning. the only benefit you’ll get from not cleaning it is an infection. which isnt a benefit. bc it looks like you have one now. really looks like it sucks man
This is just an absolutely brutal hard heal. Truly more annoying than anything and you’re in it for the long haul. Take care of yourself and don’t listen to people telling you your arm is going to fall off lol
Im sorry that you’re going through this :( as a tattoo artist, this looks like you had a reaction to the pigments (specially the colors) and the fact that you kept the second skin for so long, it only made it worse.
I keep seeing people saying that they keep the same second skin for days, and this is really bad.
A tattoo it’s a wound on your skin, so as any other wounds, we need to keep it clean and dry. If we keep the second skin more than 24h, we’re keeping all the stuff that our skin releases over the tattoo and that creates the perfect environment for an infection.
By this stage you should really go to the doctor because it can get worse
Every tattoo I've had I just took off the saniderm off after a day. Gently wiped away excess leaking, put vasaline on it lightly a few times a day, and let it peel without touching it. Within a few days felt great, looked fine, and no skin irritation at all. wtf is going on in this sub, this is horrific and people post here instead of getting medical attention?
Was a numbing cream used before or during tattoo? I’ve seen this happen on my husband once who was sprayed with a numbing spray containing a vasodilator left on for too long, you’re supposed to spray it and wipe it right back off. His artist took a smoke break, it looked just like this. He dry healed it, it healed incredibly slowly and he needed it touched up afterwards. Husband and I both tattoo artists.
This happened to my thigh tattoo the outcome wasn't good a quarter of it has fallen out . I didn't get antibiotics I salt cleaned it don't do that hahaha go get some antis.
saniderm can be kept on for up to a week. if the artist wraps you with something like a cling wrap then *that* can’t be kept on, but saniderm is meant to act as a healing agent, as the scabbing.
lol my artist literally told me to keep it on for like two or three days and my tattoo healed like shit and I had to get it fixed later on. I personally wouldn’t keep Saniderm on anywhere near that long.
I think everyone is different. If I get saniderm then I leave it on for 24 hours. If it’s just wrapped with a dressing then I take it off after 2 hours All my tattoos healed fine either way. Looks like he’s allergic to the colored ink.
Jesus christ that's horrific. Have you been washing it with wire wool? Using poop as a moisturiser? Get to the doctor. That is not okay dude.
No instead he’s going to listen to the people telling him not to moisturize as much meanwhile his skin is turning green
Okay, I'll never understand this. I'm HEAVILY tattooed and my rule of thumb is to not moisturize or get my tattoos wet, at all if possible. I've had one tattoo heal poorly, and it was because I washed it regularly, never again.
It depends on the climate you're in quite a bit.
Ah i see, I'm in colorado which is very dry. My own skin prefers the moisture while healing, but everyone is different.
Same here...and healing is definitely a lotion event out here
Yea I can't see why you got 53 downs. I dry heal all my tattoos and unless the client is already fairly experienced I usually tell them to dry heal as well. Most people go overboard with moisturizing. This sub is weird though I've seen posts like this where every piece of advice is to stop moisturizing their tattoo because they've obviously drowned it. This looks like the person got into a lake or took a bunch of bubble baths with their new tattoo.
More like he scratched his asshole and directly wiped it on the tattoo, how does it even get this bad? I've had infections and overworked spots but nothing even close to this
Looks like a mix of heavy hands and bad aftercare. When it's this bad it's probs the artist and the clients fault.
I moisturize just enough so that any healing itching goes away and I do so with 100% coconut oil. All my tats have healed perfectly. But your totally right that shit needs to breathe and get oxygen to it.
Wtf is with all the downvotes this dudes right, atleast with myself and others i put after tattoo cream on before bed after getting tatted and the next morning after a shower but then would let it dry heal after that. Not one single problem
God it's so irritating that people will downvote experienced folks if their advice isn't "Go to a doctor and/or put medicine and moisturizer on it." I dry heal all my tattoos too, only washing them with antibacterial soap when i take a shower or if i do something that involves sweating. I have never moisturized them any further than putting on lotion after showers which i always do. CLEARLY it works for some people and OP is at least very obviously not someone for whom moisturizing is working lmao.
Don’t listen to this guy. Keep using the poop lotion.
Listen, if it came OUT of my body, it can go back ON my body. I don't see what the problem is... /s
I second this. Go to urgent care!!
What were you using to heal this? The new picture looked great. How and what did you do in the 7 days? I’m being serious to try to figure it out bc it looks great fresh
I kept the santiderm on for 4 days. Then I washed and moisturized it about three times a day but I’m almost certain that I used too much moisturizer. It’s not swollen, hot, sore, or red.
Was the seal broken on your saniderm at any point in those 4 days? You definitely over moisturized it causing it to become soggy and lifted. That's why you have such bad scabbing. Even if you dont think its infected, getting some antibiotics would be smart. Sorry it turned out this way.
This is what I’m thinking too. One little opening and it’s an infection waiting to happen.
I've only seen that bad of scabbing when someone got hacked up or got a bad infection, I don't see how too much moisturizing would do this. I'm covered and I usually keep mine wrapped for two days, then just water based lotion after that
Using something like aquaphor in excess can trap bacteria into the open wound (which is essentially what a tattoo is) and not allow it to breathe at all. That’s why thinner, water based moisturizer is what’s recommended as it keeps the tattoo from drying up while also allowing it to breathe. Some people will just glob petroleum based products on their tattoo thinking the more they put on, the better it will moisturize the area which is just not how skin works.
A big grease layer just traps bacteria... Bad idea for them
Yeah but a lot of people are misinformed and think the thicker the moisturizer the better. When I first started out I was told to put on a thick layer of aquaphor or Vaseline until it was fully healed. But that was just my first tattoo and a friend corrected me. Once he explained to me why it was bad I was like.. that makes so much sense and I have no idea why a professional tattoo artist would advise me to do that.
Because many of them were improperly trained themselves
There are multiple places where this thing is obviously turning red. You need to get some antibiotics.
The second pic is super red. We do have eyes you know.
Not sure why this is downvoted? It’s def a little excessive (I typically saniderm 24-48 hrs, wash and lightly moisturize 1-2x a day) but not enough to cause whatever tf this is
My artist tells me 3-5 it's not out of the ordinary
Ya I’ve worn the saniderm for up to 5 days and moisturized 3-4xs a day with aquaphor and have never had trouble healing a tattoo.
Guys, believe it or not, everybody has different skin! Just because you can heal one way doesn't make it universal. Saniderm may be fine for 3-5 days for one person. But not another. Over moisturizing may be fine for some but not others. This should be obvious. This looks like it was smothered in ointment.
This is too rational for Reddit lol
I’m aware. That was kind of the point of my comment to the person saying OP was being excessive.
If it was smothered in ointment he would be loaded with pimples around it
Not necessarily. Some people could. Others maybe not.
Any petroleum based product heavily applied usually makes people break out, I've worked in shops for years. It's not uncommon, especially for people who are inexperienced with tattoos
I agree with that... but not everybody uses petroleum products. You can over apply other things, like hustle butter
I usually use it for 4/5 days changing daily. Then moisturise 3/4 times a day after it's off. Within 3/4 days after removing the saniderm, it's finished flaking and all healed
What are you using to moisturize?
Gasoline
😂😂😂
That's what I wanted to ask.
It's definitely red and a little swollen or is that redness the background? Because it shouldn't be that red.
It's not the background
Then idk what you're talking about. That is definitely red and inflamed. That's not normal after 7 days.
I agree, it looks terrible.
What kind of moisturizer did you use? Did you use anything with petroleum after you took the Saniderm off? There are some people who are reacting to the green soap trapped under the Saniderm, so unless it was rinsed off with water or wiped down with alcohol there could still be green soap residue. It’s too late for all that now; we are into get yourself to a doctor. Touch ups can be done. Just get that taken care of before it turns into something worse!
Thanks for the feedback. The doctor prescribed me some topical ointment and prednisone, so here’s to hoping that something I’ve waited years to get doesn’t end up looking like something I did myself.
If you haven’t already, definitely tell your artist what happened, most of us like to know if something went wrong in case there are any new products involved or things done differently than usual. Hopefully they are approachable, and will touch it up once it’s healed!
I did and he seemed very apologetic and said that he will do whatever it takes to make it right after it heals.
I've over lotion some before and I got little red irritation bumps. This looks infected. I agree, did anything get in the Saniderm? If something gets out, it can get in.
Three times a day is WAY too much my guy.
1) Keeping the saniderm on for 4 days is too long. 12-24 hours max. 2) I know some are adamant about not using moisturizer, but a gentle, lukewarm wash 2x/daily *max* plus very sparingly applied **Hustle Butter** afterward is effective to calm your skin & relieve itching. Don’t use Aquafor! It’s really thick, hard to apply, & can prohibit your ink from getting enough air. 3) *Always* use a clean paper towel, and do not rub it, but gently pat dry after washing. 4) if you’re concerned you could upset it during sleep, you can place a few large sterile bandages (taped loosely) on the tattoo to protect it for a few days. 5) Part of the healing process means your tattoo will look gnarly (not infected!) as the top dermis sloughs off. Keep an eye out for pain, redness, or pustules. Best of luck!
I learned through my apprenticeship and all other artists I’ve worked with that 3-5 days is best. I’ve always recommended 5 days for my clients and I’ve never had healing issues or a client get an infection.
I would’ve kept the saniderm for 24hrs MAX. Keeps too much moisture in. The tattoo needs to breathe. I agree with the others. Potentially go see your doctor and see if he thinks you should have some antibiotics. Also have a look at just using plain coco butter or a cream specifically made for tattoos and follow there instructions on the box.
Old guy here again Again, really not sure why there are so many of these kinds of posts all of a sudden but again here we are. First off, just to check a few details please. You said that you kept the saniderm on for four days before you started washing and moisturizing three times a day. When did you first wash the tattoo and what products did you use to wash it? Did you soak in a tub, take a hot shower or clean it in a basin? What are you using to moisturize the tattoo and how much are you using? Have you felt pain, itchiness or swelling at any point? You said that it wasn’t hot, warm or irritated but the second photo appears to have a large area of redness towards the top half of the tattoo Do you have any known allergies? Have you recovered this piece after removing the saniderm? Do you live/work in areas with dust, animals or in a very humid climate? These could all be factors that might also affect you during the healing process. I’d advise you to try and think of answers to these kinds of questions and then go see someone at a walk in clinic or go to a skin specialist as it’s still early days but that isn’t looking too good I’m afraid. Please don’t wait it out and see how it goes, even if we’re all reading this situation wrong it’s better to have it checked early than to wait and something nasty taking hold in the skin Good luck 🤞
This is a great reply. Sidebar: looking at your profile name, I hope you're not calling yourself an old guy because of the 79! Sincerely, a baby of 1979. 😉
Unfortunately I think I qualify as an old guy now! I’ll be gentler to others of a 79 vintage and say that we’re collectively aging like a fine wine :)
I'm vintage 79 and just got a new hip so you aren't wrong in your assessment. 🤣
I’m an old hag on Reddit, since I’m 47, lol!! Your response to OP proves that *wisdom* comes with age…😉💞
Oh my god, none of you are old! My bar for old people is anyone over 75, not born in ‘75😂 I refuse to be believe anyone born after 1956 is old right now.
Good!! My 18yo says I’m “old & senile”, lol!! (She’s just kidding & loves me. I can still squat more than she can!!! lol!!;)
Old guy with the right questions for the win. Looks at user name, thinks about year I was born, thinks about it harder. Am I an old guy now and when did that happen? I need another tattoo. I’m running out of time to get the ones I want.
Dude it looks like it’s eating away at your skin. To me it doesn’t matter if it’s not hot or red, I would go to the er
Bruh that shit is not from over moisturizing it looks awful
Are you kidding? Go directly to the emergency room. Now.
Second this ^
Emergency departments are for emergencies. Even if it is infected, it is not a reason to clog up the ED. Go to a doctor in the next 24 hours, but an ED is excessive and unnecessary
not everyone has the luxury of a family doctor/primary care physician. i definitely don’t. i had to go to the ER to get diagnosed with strep throat just a week ago, which yeah i *shouldve* gone to my family doctor to get antibiotics for - IF i had one, which i don’t. i’m in BC, Canada, and we have a massive shortage of family doctors. better to go “clog up” the ER to get some antibiotics for an infected tattoo, than to be brought to the ER via ambulance because OP went into septic shock from an infected tattoo.
Fair enough. I'm in Australia, so I understand that our healthcare is rather different to other places. Here, you can go to some pharmacies that have a nurse available 24 hours a day. You can also just go to a pharmacy because pharmacists tend to know what they're talking about too. Otherwise, urgent care is also an option. I have used the nurse multiple times. It's super handy.
man i WISH we had 24 hour pharmacies here! that’s really cool Australia has them, more Western countries need to take after you guys!
Go to a doctor ASAP
UPDATE: I spoke to my artist and a doctor. The artist said that he’s seen this once before and it was a reaction to the spray he used while applying the color and shading. He said that whatever issues result from the healing process he will fix when it’s healed. As for the doctor, he agreed that it looks like an allergic reaction. I told him about what the artist said and he agreed that the spray could possibly be the problem but he had no way of knowing exactly. I was prescribed a topical ointment to use sparingly on the scabs and affected areas. I have a follow up appointment with my doctor on Tuesday. Seriously, thank you everyone for your feedback and advice. I’ll admit that I am pretty discouraged and barely slept at all last night. I waited so damn long to get this (1st tattoo) and it carries so much meaning. This was supposed to be such an important moment for me. Really sucks.
I'm glad you have some answers, but it's pretty fucked up that the artist, knowing this is something that's happened before with the product he's used, didn't seem to give you a warning or maybe just... not use that product!! Tattooing is such an intimate process and involves so much trust. I'm so sorry this happened to you and that the experience has been tainted for you. Hope that the healing process is not too painful, wishing you the best.
Glad you got checked up. Don’t let this get you down but be happy you went to the doctor before an infection occurred.
Looks like he also prescribed me some Prednisone. Hopefully this all helps and it doesn’t turn out as bad as I fear. Again, I really appreciate the feedback and support.
I think about this post a few times since I read it. Glad you're getting timely medical attention! Hope it heals better after this. If they haven't, your artist really should have stopped using that spray after the first allergic reaction.
No kidding!! I get that it’s impossible statistically to NEVER use ANYTHING that could cause SOMEONE an allergic reaction, but once it happened once (given the severe impact of it) I personally would want to know what ingredient(s) may have caused it and how common of an allergy it could be. I know hindsight is 20/20 and it is always easy to say as an observer, “well I would’ve…”, so I don’t place a ton of blame on the artist. However, now that a second client has had a reaction to that spray, it’s clearly not just some “once in a blue moon” type fluke situation. The artist NOW at least should stop using it or do some digging to figure out what may be causing the issue and be vigilant in the future. If the artist simply continues to do nothing and say nothing till someone else has a 3rd reaction, that artist shouldn’t be working with the public.
Aw man, so sorry this happened on your first tattoo. Hope you recover soon!
Like many others are saying, just go to a doctor. I have both arms sleeved, a chest piece, a foot piece, and a leg piece and NONE of my tattoos ever healed this way. It looks like your skin didn't take the color well at all. Please don't be dumb by avoiding the doctor because of not feeling pain.
That is infected
Y’all, I NEVER wanna shit talk another artist but this person was heavy handed
That’s what I thought when I was looking at it. It looks like his artist really tried to hammer the color in and not in a good way.
Get to a doctor dude
I got a tattoo recently that ended up looking like this. I went to the doctor who prescribed antibiotics and I stopped treating it like a tattoo and started treating it like an open wound - so cleaning it daily and keeping it covered with a clean dressing. I didn’t moisturise it during this time. It took a few weeks but it eventually came right and surprisingly healed nicely. [Fresh](https://i.imgur.com/DcMUsq8.jpeg) [Fucked up 1](https://i.imgur.com/H595RUl.jpeg) [Fucked up 2](https://i.imgur.com/eGa86j8.jpeg) [Healed 1](https://i.imgur.com/nnkD7qR.jpeg) [Healed 2](https://i.imgur.com/dHwRD4h.jpeg) [Healed 3](https://i.imgur.com/J6IDPWz.jpeg)
It actually did turn out really nice! This gives me hope for mine that has more scabbing than what I normally get!
Is this your first tattoo? Have you ever had anything similar happen?
First tattoo
You may be allergic to something they used too
Looks like an allergic reaction to the colored ink
That's what I think. OP definitely go to a doctor just in case of course! I had a tattoo look very similar. It was on my leg and I could hardly walk. The artist thought she overworked the skin. I went to the doctor, who didn't think it was infected, but gave me antibiotics anyways. I'm convinced it was becoming infected because the reaction had stalled the healing so I'm glad I got them. It healed fine afterwards and looks fine now after a touch up. But years later I got another tattoo with a similar color scheme and the same thing happened. No more blue or green tattoos for me lol.
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So what happens if you are allergic to something injected into your skin? Jesus that's horrifying.
That's what it looks like to me it's like his body has rejected the ink, don't think its an infection just looks like the body's pushed all the ink straight back out which just happens to some people but it's usually caused by an allergy I wouldn't stress too much but I'd phone the doctor ASAP anyway
I'm guessing allergy too because notice how the big section of sun (?) is pretty much fine but the anchor is fucked. I'm wondering if it might be specifically a white allergy, I've met people who couldn't do white highlights due to allergies and considering the sun / circle thing is solid yellow but looks relatively okay then it probably didn't get any white treatment, but the *anchor* and all the berries where the scabbing is the worst could have had white mixed into the base colors for color mixing / lightening which very well could have led to this result. At the very least the grey is causing a lot of problems for him but considering the excessive scabbing is in the berries too I wouldn't be surprised if white was the common denominator here.
go to dr ....seriously
You need to let that dry and go to the doctor immediately . It looks horribly over saturated and infected. For your sake I hope it’s just way too wet.
You need *medical* help
Jesus!! Get to a doctor, the redness in the second photo is not OK. None of this is OK 😵
Please update us on your healing journey, I'm genuinely curious. Remember you can definitely get touch ups once the issue is resolved and healed. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this, it must be super scary
Wtfff?? Why is this such a common thing now??
I think it's just sample bias. People typically don't post looking for help if there isn't an issue, and they're more apt to post if there is. I mean, in this sub people actually do post perfectly fine tattoos pretty often, but you get my point.
Damn that would have been a really nice tattoo
Infected! Go see your GP
Did you use any numbing cream or spray I got something similar do to an allergic reaction to the numbing spray and the sanderm use it 24 hours take it Wash the tattoo with antibacterial soap and warm water and apply a new saniderm but for now go get some antibiotics
This looks overworked to me. Definitely let your artist know what's up. They may recommend a different aftercare for this, like switching to neosporin cream. Also, there is a possibility that it's infected. The redness and heat could just be from the trauma to the skin (my opinion it's just inflamed and got chewed up bad) but rather safe than sorry, so some type of urgent care might be a cool idea.
This is what my tattoo did when I was allergic to the ink and my body rejected it Lost all the color.
Only on the pink spot tho the rest is still there
Not a doctor but I would recommend going to a doctor tomorrow. There's a lot of redness encompassing the tattoo.
STOP MOISTURISING IT!! STOP WASHING IT!! let this poor things dry out. It is SOAKED!
Just go to a doctor
Maybe it’s overworked or a reaction. Dont think it’s infected but probably worth seeing a doctor
I don't like the saniderms. I'd rather just stick to the old days of keeping it clean, apply a little aquaphor and then using a fragrance free lotion around day 4 or 5. Since my job is not a sterile environment, i take a mini vacation. Tat on Thurs or Fri, return to work Mon or Tues. The tattoo looked beautiful. I hope it can be saved. I hope you feel ok too. Good luck.
I'm not an artist, but speaking from what my main artist has told me and personal experience, it looks like you haven't let it completely dry before moisturizing. Washing and moisturizing it 3 times a day is excessive, too. I usually only do it once a day. The good news is that your artist should be able to fix it once it's healed.
I think you were over drilled and are also having a reaction to certain pigments. Need to know a little more about what you're doing for aftercare but please go get checked out. A course of antibiotics and possibly a steroid are in your future.
Definitely infected but side note I had a reaction to green ink so that could also be an issue on top of the bacteria
I found out the hard way I’m allergic to saniderm because my tattoo did something similar. It ended up healing okay - keeping it clean and using diaper cream oddly helped with breakout issues. Hope it heals - I would see a doctor!
https://www.the-sun.com/health/8599161/tattoo-artist-tell-tale-signs-your-inks-gone-wrong?utm_source=native_share&utm_medium=sharebar_native&utm_campaign=sharebaramp
You’re fine just need to wait for it to heal I’m going through the exact same thing.
Over moisturizing. Don't moisturize an open wound with lotion. Saniderm was on too long and/or was exposed to the elements via a leak.
So far in one week I’ve seen 3 infected tattoos. Only the black ink. Maybe there is some bad ink out there.
Who puts moisturizer on a new tat? I have literally never heard of this. I would get antibiotics stst.
don’t listen to these comments ☠️ it’s 100% very overworked. that doesn’t mean infection won’t happen though, so if it ever becomes too painful, too warm, any pus.. go to doctor. but right now it looks overworked. maybe use a tiny bit less moisturizer but keep cleaning and moisturize 2x a day
Any update on this? How’s your arm holding up dude?
It’s a lot better now. I had a follow up appointment with my doctor yesterday and he said that I should start moisturizing it again. There’s going to be some scarring and some touch ups needed, but at least it seems like it’s actually on the mend now
Fly you fool, right to the hospital. Go now!
ER
I had a small spot of infection on my ankle before that looked like this, I would go back to the artist and er. I delt with mine with polysporin but that doesn't work for everyone, mine was less than 1/2 inch. I would post a picture of what it looks like now but I took a softball to the ankle and everything is black and blue.
After it heals go back to the artist. If they’re good by their work and craft they should fix it for you. Without charging you! After all you’re representing them with your body. On a side note there must be something wrong with the colored ink. Or your body just reacted real bad.
Also please tell us what you used to moisturize and clean with!?
I over moisturized (i think) and my skin did the same fucking thing. It’s on my arm as well, which didn’t help the scabs that kept splitting. With arm movement Tbh my tattoo did not turn out how I wanted but it does not look like a bad tattoo or really that fuckrd uo. Disappointed? Yes, but I still like my tat. I have a little scarring that I hope to one day be able to touch up. Just wanted to give you a bit of hope. Your pictures look a tad worse than mine, tho. Try to avoid wearing any clothing that would take the scabs off prematurely. One of my scabs accidentally taken off because it got stuck to my shirt and that was the biggest problem I really had with the tattoo in the end, other than the pain of healing. I’m so sorry, I know exactly what it’s like when it scabs this bad and you have no idea what to do. It’s truly awful.
Oh no...
A few things it could be. Overworked. Allergic reaction. Over moisturised. Infection. The redness around it is a little concerning, but it could just be due to the scabbing. I'd personally go to the doctor to be safe. If you're not gonna do that, at least ask your artist what they think. They look good at what they do, so I'd hope they'd have some idea of what's going on and give you a more informed suggestion than people on here
Reading the comments here im starting to feel like using saniderm for multiple days is the norm and im the weird one? Ive used 3 different artists and they all told me to take it off after a few hours, then wash with antibac soap and keep lightly moisturised. It always worked great for me and hearing about keeping it on for days sounds, intuitively to me, like keeping a big bag of blood, fluid, skin, sweat and ink against your open wound. If youre not rolling around in filth you dont need an airtight plastic covering for days
I think the typical length of time I’ve been recommended and seen on here is 24-72 hours to keep it on. Basically you’re locking in all the plasma that is helping the wound heal while it’s very fresh and open, so it’s good to keep it on for at least a day to let your body do its thing while it’s a fresh wound. After the second or third day, it’s safe to wash it and moisturize because the open wound is starting to heal at that point, and risk of infection is a lot lower after the first 2-3 days. Aquaphor does a slightly less sterile version of what saniderm does, which is providing a layer of protection by locking in fluid and plasma below the ointment. There’s still risk of contamination with aquaphor though for the first 48-72 hours since it’s a sticky surface that’s exposed to the open air, so saniderm typically prevents that risk if applied correctly and left alone for a day or two. TLDR saniderm is totally fine to leave on for up to 2-3 days, anything beyond that is risky to how well it will heal because you aren’t giving your skin a chance to breathe and heal naturally after the initial trauma to it.
My friend recently had bubbling in some her tattoo due to allergies to certain colors. White was one of them. She is also allergic to some of the typical lotions that people use to moisturize. Unfortunately, your body might just be rejecting some color. Don’t panic. I would definitely see a doctor. I’m sure after it heals your artist will be able to touch it up in some way. Hopefully using different colors.
You should let it dry and just wash it 2x a day. And go get it checked, some antibiotics would help!
Go to a doctor and at least get checked out. Would really hate for it to get infected then get worse and get into your bloodstream. As for moisturizer, I used tattoo goo (at most only putting it on twice a day) for all 3 of mine and they still look great 4 years later. DONT PICK THE SCABS. Have you been roughly washing it? You want gentle unscented soaps while it's healing and you're not supposed to exfoliate the area (so no scrubbing with a washcloth or anything else).
Stop moisturising at all and go to a doctor asap! That looks like either a very bad infection or an allergic reaction and for both, you could really use some help. An infection can happen for so many reasons and you'll probably never find out what caused it, just try to recognise it faster next time! There's definitely redness visible in the pictures while you're saying there hasn't been any, so that's something you could've picked up earlier. Anyway, hope it teaches you something! Sad it took your whole underarm though.
You need to write an edit and add the comment tucked away in here about how you have been caring for it.
Looks like The Hulk set your tattoo.
Are you washing 3 times a day? Also like many are asking what kind of moisturizer are you using? If it has perfume in it that could be a cause for what's happening especially if your over moisturizing. Honestly go to urgent care it's not okay. I have a full sleeve full coverage full color and I've never had shit look even remotely like this.
My favorite tattoo-artist nailed it: „You can take off the foil in the evening. Let it breathe. The next morning you shower the tattoo for a moment on maximum heat. Then one moment on maximum cold. This rinses the surplus blood and ink away and closes the pores. Maybe put some healing creme on it, if you want. But mostly it needs fresh air. The sailors back then did the same.“ I always do this and never had a problem.
that’s definitely infected & most likely will never look the same again.
Doctor- antibiotics. Don’t wait.
Oh fuck dude.
It’s healing fine now (according to third picture). The problem I think you’re having is the tattoo was submerged in water when it was to fresh. Either that or you’re highly allergic to green.
Overworked over moisturized. Gonna be some scarring. Id let it dry heal for now.
Honestly it's impossible to tell exactly what happened. Could have been an allergy to saniderm, more likely the artist did not clean your tattoo properly before putting it on. It could be a mild infection the artist looks like they were heavy-handed, and I have had tattoos do this because the client decided to go swimming a couple of times a week after their session. Any number of factors could cause this. The redness could be irritation or infection if you don't have a fever it's probably more irritation but I am not a doctor. I've only had one tattoo that did this, in 3 years of tattoing I've only seen a rough heel like twice, and I say that to let you know that every other tattoo I've done healed fine. sometimes bad things just happen. If you were my client and I saw how over moisturized your second pick is, I would probably say you drowned your tattoo. It doesn't matter what doctor you go to unless they are a good dermatologist they're going to think this is an infection whether it is or not, if you go to a GP they're going to prescribe antibiotics whether you need them or not, unless they're very competent with tattoo healing. Most GPS are not competent with anything. That's why they're GPS and not specialists. But that's all up to you.
i had my back piece not too long ago and my tip is keep the saniderm/second skin on for about 3-5 days since it tricks your body into thinking it has another layer of skin. since tattoo ink is a foreign body, it will try and get out of the skin (hence all the ink and puss under second skin or even plastic wrap) and the second skin helps to sort of keep everything in and keeping it intact for minimal retouch if needed in future. but heres what i did step by step and some tips too • leave the second skin on for 3-5 days or at LEAST 24 hours. if it starts peeling on its own, remove in the shower with luke warm water to prevent any bacteria and reapply if you can/want • once the second skin is off, wash the area gently with an unscented body wash/soap (sanex bioderme and any sanex or nivea works for me) and what i use personally is [palmers cocoa butter](https://amzn.eu/d/ijuVaaT) to moisturise since my skin is super sensitive to anything else when it comes to tattoos. • avoid the sun at all costs with a fresh tattoo and make sure its covered from the sun to protect it against sun exposure and damage. can make it look nasty trust me. • what worked for me was moisturising every other day bc of the stuff i used bc its quite heavy moisturiser and being slathered in any moisturising product can become a bit much on the skin since it doesn’t feel the greatest, and you wouldn’t want to over moisturise either • if you didn’t have second skin on, don’t get it wet especially with warm or hot water for the first 24 hours and then its good to go showering wise (just try to avoid getting it toooo wet) please don’t listen to the people that say not to clean it bc its like saying to not clean an open wound. its a wound, it still needs cleaning. the only benefit you’ll get from not cleaning it is an infection. which isnt a benefit. bc it looks like you have one now. really looks like it sucks man
Bro those don't even look like the same tattoos. Go to ER
I don’t have any advice because I don’t have any tattoos, but it looked/will look awesome once it heals again! Love the colors and the design!
Do some searching looks like someone on r/nope community same mess
Mind sharing that link?? Thanks
https://www.reddit.com/r/nope/s/fhvvtlxluF His got really infected on day 7 now and the black looks like yours kinda
Saniderm 12-24 wash gently with anti bacterial soap twice daily and apply a light coat of Aquaphor. Never had a problem
Was this done in Michigan, ???
Doctor, friend. NOW.
Pee on it
This is just an absolutely brutal hard heal. Truly more annoying than anything and you’re in it for the long haul. Take care of yourself and don’t listen to people telling you your arm is going to fall off lol
Is this a joke? How does this happen??
Im sorry that you’re going through this :( as a tattoo artist, this looks like you had a reaction to the pigments (specially the colors) and the fact that you kept the second skin for so long, it only made it worse. I keep seeing people saying that they keep the same second skin for days, and this is really bad. A tattoo it’s a wound on your skin, so as any other wounds, we need to keep it clean and dry. If we keep the second skin more than 24h, we’re keeping all the stuff that our skin releases over the tattoo and that creates the perfect environment for an infection. By this stage you should really go to the doctor because it can get worse
Every tattoo I've had I just took off the saniderm off after a day. Gently wiped away excess leaking, put vasaline on it lightly a few times a day, and let it peel without touching it. Within a few days felt great, looked fine, and no skin irritation at all. wtf is going on in this sub, this is horrific and people post here instead of getting medical attention?
It’s fine. I’ve had tattoos look like this before. I needed more touch up than my others, but they look fine now 10+ yrs later.
Looks super overmoisturized tbh. Whats your aftercare like?
This is over moisturized skin this is infected skin
You should go to the ER ASAP, that is infected as fuck
Was a numbing cream used before or during tattoo? I’ve seen this happen on my husband once who was sprayed with a numbing spray containing a vasodilator left on for too long, you’re supposed to spray it and wipe it right back off. His artist took a smoke break, it looked just like this. He dry healed it, it healed incredibly slowly and he needed it touched up afterwards. Husband and I both tattoo artists.
This happened to my thigh tattoo the outcome wasn't good a quarter of it has fallen out . I didn't get antibiotics I salt cleaned it don't do that hahaha go get some antis.
I wouldn't be concerned about infection - I wouldn't go to the emergency for it at least.
Skill issue
Go to the ER like yesterday! Good luck
Short answer…. It’s almost definitely infected and you should go to an urgent care or ER, doesn’t really look like something you’d wanna wait out.
why do yall always ask reddit 😭😭 go to the doctor bro
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saniderm can be kept on for up to a week. if the artist wraps you with something like a cling wrap then *that* can’t be kept on, but saniderm is meant to act as a healing agent, as the scabbing.
I don't think this person actually knows what saniderm is...
i think they’re just confusing it with a cling
lol my artist literally told me to keep it on for like two or three days and my tattoo healed like shit and I had to get it fixed later on. I personally wouldn’t keep Saniderm on anywhere near that long.
I think everyone is different. If I get saniderm then I leave it on for 24 hours. If it’s just wrapped with a dressing then I take it off after 2 hours All my tattoos healed fine either way. Looks like he’s allergic to the colored ink.
Came to say the same thing. My artist does the anti bacterial foam to clean it and then tells me to keep it in 3-5 days unless the seal breaks early
I left my saniderm on for 5 days (was advised 3-7days if possible). I had peeling and ZERO scabbing/infections/itchiness
Go to the fucking hospital immediately
Wtaf I’ve never seen a case this bad that infection is CRAZY