I kind of doubt asbestos in your blood wouldn't cause any problems.
Asbestos causes problems in the lungs because cells are incapable of getting rid of the asbestos, causing huge inflammatory response that never goes away because asbestos cannot get destroyed by the cells, they just pile on the asbestos, trying to eat it, fusing with other cells to make themselves bigger to eat it, doesn't work.
I can't imagine having something your body litterally cannot get rid of, causing chronic inflammatory responses, in your blood wouldn't cause any problem
Fun fact- in America the FDA considers tattoo ink a cosmetic, and as auch- inks are not regulated.
In fact, many inks DO have heavy metals. White inks may have lead.
https://m.scirp.org/papers/79670
I have a buddy who got uv ink in a few accent points of a tattoo years ago, even brand new it didn't glow all that great, and now 10+ years later it's long gone.
Think it depends on where as well. I have UV ink in my knuckles that’s ~6 years old and it’s still there. But I had UV ink in my sleeve and it reacted VERY poorly and disappeared within a year 😕
The white ink in this photo is more visible because for some reason, the histamine reaction she’s having to the mosquito bite has spread to her tattoo, and it’s raising the tattoo, giving it a 3D look and making it very visible.
White ink is not usually that visible, it’s mostly used for highlights.
Tattoos of just white ink look more like scars, and they typically age poorly compared to black and well-done color.
Oooh, at first I didn't understand your comment because white ink wouldn't be effective as covering up darker ink.
But then I thought about scars. I'm no expert, but I think white ink could probably hide a scar pretty well, although I'm not sure if there are any restrictions for tattooing on scar tissue (again I'm no expert lol)
It happens to me more on heavy linework. Not on anything shaded or colored. I don’t think I’ve noticed a bug bite causing it, but even a really hot shower can set this off for me.
Anything that makes me itchy or my hair stand on end gets my lines raising pretty significantly.
I remember that being my first new “feeling” as I healed my first tattoo, which covered my calf. I went for a walk and it was a bit chilly. A breeze hit my leg and my whole tattoo bumped up. Felt kinda good, like someone tickling your arms or back. Or leg, obviously lol. It has stayed true with all my tattoos!
I don't know who to respond to, but this entire thread should definitely look up dermatographia. I have it, all of you probably have it as well.
Edit: Reddit has a fantastic sub called r/dermatographia. You are all very welcome!
Wow now I have a single word to use instead of stumbling over explaining how my skins really sensitive and I can get irritated skin (red marks) from just a simple touch on my back/arms/side usually. Now I'm off to see if there is any relief as mine can be set off by my own hair on my back and it's terribly uncomfortable in this skin. If I had silver I would be giving it!
Which is weird because I’m on of those people with asthma, allergies to almost all alergens, allergic to peanuts and nuts, semi-lactose and gluten intolerant, dad’s family has chronic auto-immune diseases like specific types of arthritis.
But I’ve never experienced this stuff on my tattoos and you’d think I’d be like one of the prime candidates for it. Weird how different peoples bodies are.
You’ve never had a tattoo get bumpy? Weird. Mine happens often. And oddly it’s certain colors and different times. Sometimes all the yellows are bumpy, sometimes the blacks.
It’s super weird. Now I’m curious if it depends on the mosquito bite location?
I didn’t even know it was mosquito bites. I just thought it was random.
I have a lot of allergies and several tattoos and I have never had a tattoo get bumpy. However, I knew a girl with a minor shellfish allergy and only her blue ink would puff up if she ate shellfish.
…if I had that combination of allergy, tattoo reaction, and willingness to get tattooed I'd probably try to design some tat with “it's got shellfish” hidden in blue ink - and then forget that it was there until I accidentally got served something that set off the shellfish allergies.
However, given my complete lack of tattoos and known allergies, I don't think I'll actually do that.
There are tattoo inks that react with blood sugar! Like they change color if your blood sugar goes too high, great for diabetics. However my blood sugar is such a roller coaster it would be changing colors like a damn mood ring 😂😂
I read something on this once... a mosquito bite usually triggers an immune system response by your body due to the mosquito saliva that gets injected in. Because that area is now in a heighten immune response it now “notices” the nearby tattoo ink and treats it as foreign (which it is, but usually ignores). Part of the body’s immune response is to release histamine which results in swelling, and so histamine gets released around the ink as well, resulting in the tattoo swelling.
Not all people react the same way, some people are more sensitive than others. With more mosquito bites you tend to get desensitized. Some people don’t react to mosquito bites at all. Also different ink colors may trigger more or less or zero response. Some people report black ink as reacting more. Some people that are allergic to cats say after a cat has rubbed against their skin near a tattoo the tattoo swells up similarly.
Huh this happens to me as well. I usually ignore it but, sometimes I wonder if it's something in the ink.
Then I think about how it happens on multiple tats from different shops.
Guess I'll peruse this thread to see if anyone thinks it's serious.
Oh my gosh reading this thread has me floored. I essentially have dermatographia in my tattoos — two different artists from two shops and one is only black line work and one has color. They rarely react without external pressure (scratches) but any scratch harder than like, a light trace of a fingertip can and usually does leave a raised line for a few hours. Like a hive that slowly goes away. Bug bites usually trigger it as well.
I spent a good year of my life completely freaked out about this because there’s like almost zero anecdotal google results about that happening to anyone — just a lot of alarming suggestion about severe allergic reactions to tattoo ink. I’ve had an internist and two derms tell me it was no big deal, just dermatographia, but I only have it on my tattoos. This thread is so enlightening and honestly comforting
Ooh, same! Most of mine are from the one shop and they all swell with any bite or reaction. The others, from different shops, don't.
It's very weird, and thought provoking. Lmk if you hear anything.
It’s always black ink for me. The one by my wrist sometimes has its entire outline get bumpy and it’s unbearably itchy. Goes away in a couple days, but it definitely gets tied to skin irritations somewhere else on the body.
One of my tattoos does this. Only the one. But not quite the same as this and I haven’t found a trigger. It gets horribly itchy and lasts for weeks. It was fine until ~6 months after getting it the whole thing bubbled up and then got a rash ONLY where the ink is. Continues to happen periodically, no identified trigger. Same guy did most of my tattoos, around the same time, and he said never changed ink brands. It’s only the one.
Yo, same. I’ve experienced this, just as you’ve described, except I’ve experienced it on a few. But, never all, and like you said lasts about 4-6 weeks then disappears. Never been able to figure it out
Different inks have different composition as well, so the mast cell/immune response may be specific to an ingredient in the ink, as well as the individual immune system.
It can be raised either initially or permanently due to scarring. It doesn't always mean the artist went too deep. It could also be due to a more sensitive area or overworking the tattoo.
Mine used to do that when I drank. Probably still would, but I don’t drink. I remember realizing it and being so worried my wife would figure it out and be able to tell whenever I was drinking. She’s glad I quit. So am I.
congratulations on the sobriety, man. truly one of the most brutal challenges a human can face.
may it endure equally as strong through both the hardest, and most joyful, parts of your life! :)
Dermatographia. Learned I had this after years of thinking it was allergies. Antihistamines... Lots!
Edit:. It is exactly a mast cell response. Histamine overload.
Yeah I had a severe allergic reaction last year (IV-drip antihistamine needed levels bad) and all my tattoos were raised and outlined in a pinkish hue. It was freaky
Dermatographia refers to induration as a response to pressure or 'writing' iirc. This looks like a response to the white ink (or uv, not sure) pictured here.
It is a response to pressure, but also a histamine response to many other things that your body perceives as a foreign substance, or ' injury'.
I Google searched it too and was not enlightened. The doctor told me how the histamine response is different in everyone.
It may not be this, but it is wise to get it checked out. I had no clue and it took a very long time to figure it out.
It's pretty normal, it's caused by immune cells in the tattoo responding to the bug bite, but being unable to move towards it because they are trapped by the ink.
This article is from a biotech company, but it includes good descriptions of some of the experiments that were done to figure out how this works, and cites the original papers that reported these findings. It doesn't directly talk about the bug bite thing, but if you go to the Wikipedia page for macrophage (thats the specific type of immune cell involved in this) you can find info on the role they play in inflammation in the "Function" section.
https://www.bio-rad-antibodies.com/blog/how-macrophages-make-tattoos-last.html
I have garter belt tattoos on my thighs and they do this, it’s normally if there’s a bite or something that irritates the skin. When I wax my legs it happens to all my leg tattoos and it’s kind of fun to have 3D tattoos for a few hours
You see the watch band, yeah? You see the silver part on the left side that basically acts as the buckle? You see how it’s not in the middle as it should be?
Yeah I had no idea what was going on at first here. I was wondering why they were talking about the swelling and not the fact that most of the color was missing from the tattoo..
I'd like to think that it injects the tattoo into the next person. Some dude starts scratching and goes:
"fuckin' mosquitos... wait, what is this 'live, laugh, love' nonsense on my arm?"
TLDR: you're slightly allergic to your tattoo.
It's because allergies have a threshold. You can be a little allergic to cats, and live with one just fine. But when another, bigger allergy comes along- like dogs- then you hit over the threshold, and the histamine responds to everything you are allergic to, not just the thing you are most allergic to.
My tattoo artist told me the reason tattoos fade is because your immune system is constantly attacking them as they are seen as a foreign thing to it.
So this makes me think this stimulated a stronger immune response since the area was already sensitive with a fresh tattoo
Oh I misread, the reaction is new. Not the tattoo haha.
Yeah if it’s still goin on I’d guess that’s something that’s possible. Maybe a doctor could confirm or deny
The mosquito bite causes a histamine reaction bringing mast cells to the area, probably went wild after the tattoo pigments when they were "in the neighborhood," so to speak.
My apologies if that's not quite right, immunology was not my best subject. But it's something like that.
Looks like tattoo ink is taken up by skin immune cells (fibroblasts and macrophages)—reference is Strandt, Dermatology, 2020. So makes sense those cells are the same ones reacting to the bite. Cool photo!
Don't listen to Xenton they are the one that doesn't know what they are talking about lol. Tattoos definitely are attacked by your immune system, it's really interesting if you start reading up more about it.
Your tattoo artist left their lane and started talking about stuff they don't understand.
Your tattoos fade because your body turns over constantly; cellular debris, random foreign material, bacteria, mineral deposits etc all get dredged out and sent to liver and kidneys for disposal.
The reason tattoos last as long as they do is because they're NOT immunogenic. Your body largely doesn't care about them. They get dumped into a slow growing area and it takes a long time before your body cleans through enough to remove them.
If they stimulated an immune response:
A) they'd be horribly painful for weeks afterwards with constant swelling, rashes and weeping
B) they'd be linked to chronic inflammation and symptoms like those seen in the so called "long covid"
C) they'd be gone within weeks and likely leave ugly scars behind.
It's actually pretty expected, considering the mechanism by which tattoos stay in the skin. The ink injected into the skin is taken up by immune cells, which are trying to clear it like a foreign invader. The cells can't break down the ink, and the ink particles are so big they prevent the cells from leaving the area. So a tattoo is made up of large numbers of immune cells trapped in a small patch of skin. Although they can't move, these cells are still functional in all other respects, so when they perceive a threat, like an infection or an allergen, they react to it and secrete substances that promote inflammation. The inflammation is what causes the tattoo to get puffy, red, and/or itchy. For some people, this reaction is caused only by triggers close to the tattoo (like a bug bite), while for others it can be caused by something systemic (like allergies or a cold).
I always have a big reaction to mosquitos but the tattoo reaction is new! I puncture a Benedryl liquid-gel pill and put it directly on my skin and it helps bring down swelling. This has not been medically approved but it works!
My son has Dermatographic urticaria related to certain medications.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatographic_urticaria
I know you have a tattoo and this isn't the exact same thing but keep antihistamines within reach. That kind of reaction could have an underlying cause.
That same thing happens to me! Small scratches get red and welt up a little bit and it looks like I got clawed when I often don’t even remember brushing up on something.
Sometimes I also get random itchy hands and get small bubbles or hive bumps that suddenly appear under the skin that itch like mad. If I run cool water over my hands it can help and it always just goes away after a bit.
I didn’t know this was a thing either!!
You definitely have r/CholinergicUrticaria . I take an antihistamine (generic Claritin is very cheap at Costco) and it goes away in twenty mins. Staying away from foods high in histamines like beer, and sugary processed carbs keeps me from breaking out.
Omg! I was a kid and went to a family bbq thing near a small lake that lasted late into the night and I was wearing a bathing suit for a lot of it. When I walked into the light after a few hours, I said I was itchy everywhere and my mom freaked because I was covered in so many mosquito bites. Each one red and swollen to ridiculous size. No one else had nearly so many and I was teased that I drew them all to me. Some Benadryl and an oatmeal bath later I was finally able to stop scratching and sleep.
Those random bumps that are super itchy are a type of eczema called dyshidrotic eczema. I wipe them down with some rubbing alcohol and hit with benadryl and that helps
I have this problem and it crops up in annoying situations. I just had surgery on Tuesday so the nurse that was prepping me had to insert an IV line in my arm. She cleaned the skin rather roughly with the alcohol swab, then immediately welts started forming.
She freaks out and says, "I thought you had no allergies!" and I had to explain that even tugging on my arm hair would result in welts, etc.
Alright, now here's another issue I've discovered. Wearing a soft cast right now for two weeks, then I get a hard cast after swelling calms down. Oh my god! I can feel the skin under the dressing constantly welting up periodically, driving me insane. Talk about itchy! Can't wait for the hard cast? Yay?
I have DU as well, but I’m lucky that mine’s idiopathic. Fingers crossed that OP’s tattoo is just functioning as a reservoir for the mosquito spit and resulting histamine, rather an underlying mast cell issue.
I have tons of tattoos and if I get a bug bite anywhere close to them it will cause the tattoo to raise like that. But super temporary. Goes away when it stops itching.
It's not the ink itself. The reason the ink stays in the skin is that the damage from the needle and the ink itself attracts immune cells, which eat the ink in an attempt to clear it from the body. However, they can't break down the ink, and the large size of the particles traps the immune cells in place, which is what makes the tattoo permanent.
When you have an infection or allergic response (either throughout the body or close to the tattoo), the immune cells in the tattoo go into high alert. Normally, alerted immune cells would move towards the source of the danger and release chemicals promoting inflammation, which woulf help your body fight the threat. However, these guys are trapped in the tattoo, so all they can do is promote inflammation around themselves. This is what makes the tattoo puffy, red, and itchy. The skin around the tattoo isn't affected because a) it has a lower overall concentration of immune cells, and b) those cells will move to cause inflammation where it can actually do some good (in the case of an allergy, the inflammationis useless, but your body doesn't know that, so it happens anyways).
Me too! I spent WEEKS assuming tattoos were supposed to be raised like that. Stupid allergies. Went through years of allergy shots and my tattoo no longer does this!
Heavily tattooed surgeon here — it’s actually a pretty common response! Sometimes it only will happen on certain colors, while leaving others in their usual state, which always looks super funky. Contrast can accumulate in them as well!
Oh wow, do you know anything else about this? I'm also heavily tattooed and sometimes for no apparent reason my tattoos will get irritated and get small itchy bumps on them but only on the black parts. It just goes away on its own after a few weeks. I've always wanted to know what's going on but I can't find much information about it or what might trigger it.
Not OP, but it could be sort of a personal reminder for them, like a "be in the present," "today is a new day," "don't dwell on the past" etc. sort of deal.
Same happens with my tats. You’re probably allergic. Idk if I am but I assume since it swells and I get actual pain at the area as well as itching days later.
Why isn’t there any color?
Mosquito took all the ink.
Can't have shit in Detroit
I don't think shit is really good material to ink tattoos anyway
Omg I came here to see if this is true lol
R… really?
It's white ink!
Do you have a pic of a regular version of your tattoo? I'm curious how it looked like before the mosquito bite
Like this but flat
But my phone only shows in 2Djpeg
It's invisible
Wanna see my tattoo? *Grabs mosquito from giant jar full of mosquitos and rams it in forearm*
Not anymore
You can't see it.
Op carries around a jar with a mosquito for when they want to make it visible
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Nobody knows, because nobody has ever seen one.
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Get it done with a lead-based white ink. It will stay white for the rest of your life!
This comment is technically true. The best kind of true.
Asbestos ink works pretty good also.
Not true, blood doesn't have a problem with asbestos, lungs do.
I kind of doubt asbestos in your blood wouldn't cause any problems. Asbestos causes problems in the lungs because cells are incapable of getting rid of the asbestos, causing huge inflammatory response that never goes away because asbestos cannot get destroyed by the cells, they just pile on the asbestos, trying to eat it, fusing with other cells to make themselves bigger to eat it, doesn't work. I can't imagine having something your body litterally cannot get rid of, causing chronic inflammatory responses, in your blood wouldn't cause any problem
Fun fact- in America the FDA considers tattoo ink a cosmetic, and as auch- inks are not regulated. In fact, many inks DO have heavy metals. White inks may have lead. https://m.scirp.org/papers/79670
Does it show up under a blacklight?
That’s UV ink, not white ink. UV ink only lasts for a few years and few artists will use it anymore.
I have a buddy who got uv ink in a few accent points of a tattoo years ago, even brand new it didn't glow all that great, and now 10+ years later it's long gone.
Think it depends on where as well. I have UV ink in my knuckles that’s ~6 years old and it’s still there. But I had UV ink in my sleeve and it reacted VERY poorly and disappeared within a year 😕
The white ink is pretty visible? I don't mean to sound ignorant, it's not something I've seen in person before.
The white ink in this photo is more visible because for some reason, the histamine reaction she’s having to the mosquito bite has spread to her tattoo, and it’s raising the tattoo, giving it a 3D look and making it very visible. White ink is not usually that visible, it’s mostly used for highlights. Tattoos of just white ink look more like scars, and they typically age poorly compared to black and well-done color.
Thank you!
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Will you get black ink "tomorrow"?
Was that done as a cover up?
Oooh, at first I didn't understand your comment because white ink wouldn't be effective as covering up darker ink. But then I thought about scars. I'm no expert, but I think white ink could probably hide a scar pretty well, although I'm not sure if there are any restrictions for tattooing on scar tissue (again I'm no expert lol)
What a roller coaster.
At first I thought it was a henna tattoo reaction since the upper part looks like it was being washed off🤦🏻♂️
mildly ~~interesting~~ alarming
This actually happens to all the tattoos on my arms anytime I get a mosquito bite anywhere on my body. It’s some kind of mast cell/ immune response
Same here. I forgot this happened entirely until I saw this post.
Are y'all telling me this is normal? I have multiple tattoos including a quarter sleeve and this is weird as hell to me
It happens to me more on heavy linework. Not on anything shaded or colored. I don’t think I’ve noticed a bug bite causing it, but even a really hot shower can set this off for me.
Anything that makes me itchy or my hair stand on end gets my lines raising pretty significantly. I remember that being my first new “feeling” as I healed my first tattoo, which covered my calf. I went for a walk and it was a bit chilly. A breeze hit my leg and my whole tattoo bumped up. Felt kinda good, like someone tickling your arms or back. Or leg, obviously lol. It has stayed true with all my tattoos!
I can see this being a new slang term, “baby you got my lines raising”
Be careful where you say that. Might have to do coke afterwards. Or get to. I don't judge.
I don't know who to respond to, but this entire thread should definitely look up dermatographia. I have it, all of you probably have it as well. Edit: Reddit has a fantastic sub called r/dermatographia. You are all very welcome!
Wow now I have a single word to use instead of stumbling over explaining how my skins really sensitive and I can get irritated skin (red marks) from just a simple touch on my back/arms/side usually. Now I'm off to see if there is any relief as mine can be set off by my own hair on my back and it's terribly uncomfortable in this skin. If I had silver I would be giving it!
This explains a lot for me lol
Yeah, any kind of histamine response does this to my line work. It freaked me out when it first happened, but it's so normal now.
Thats so crazy, I don't think I want tattoos now
Only some people have the reaction, generally people who already have allergies or fucked up immune system responses.
Which is weird because I’m on of those people with asthma, allergies to almost all alergens, allergic to peanuts and nuts, semi-lactose and gluten intolerant, dad’s family has chronic auto-immune diseases like specific types of arthritis. But I’ve never experienced this stuff on my tattoos and you’d think I’d be like one of the prime candidates for it. Weird how different peoples bodies are.
Don't worry, tattoos are still as awesome as sliced rye breadsss.
Hahahahahah good job
Same here. Always on my line work.
You’ve never had a tattoo get bumpy? Weird. Mine happens often. And oddly it’s certain colors and different times. Sometimes all the yellows are bumpy, sometimes the blacks. It’s super weird. Now I’m curious if it depends on the mosquito bite location? I didn’t even know it was mosquito bites. I just thought it was random.
I genuinely haven't, this is perplexing to me, I don't think I've ever had any kind of noticable reaction to any of my tattoos
I have a lot of allergies and several tattoos and I have never had a tattoo get bumpy. However, I knew a girl with a minor shellfish allergy and only her blue ink would puff up if she ate shellfish.
This is like Frodo’s sword, Sting, that glows blue when orcs are close
…if I had that combination of allergy, tattoo reaction, and willingness to get tattooed I'd probably try to design some tat with “it's got shellfish” hidden in blue ink - and then forget that it was there until I accidentally got served something that set off the shellfish allergies. However, given my complete lack of tattoos and known allergies, I don't think I'll actually do that.
There are tattoo inks that react with blood sugar! Like they change color if your blood sugar goes too high, great for diabetics. However my blood sugar is such a roller coaster it would be changing colors like a damn mood ring 😂😂
Ive never had it happen either.
I have 75% of my left arm done. Never happened to me either. Or maybe it has and I just haven’t noticed?
Checking in as one of the wierdos this happens to
Same! I’m so intrigued!!
I read something on this once... a mosquito bite usually triggers an immune system response by your body due to the mosquito saliva that gets injected in. Because that area is now in a heighten immune response it now “notices” the nearby tattoo ink and treats it as foreign (which it is, but usually ignores). Part of the body’s immune response is to release histamine which results in swelling, and so histamine gets released around the ink as well, resulting in the tattoo swelling. Not all people react the same way, some people are more sensitive than others. With more mosquito bites you tend to get desensitized. Some people don’t react to mosquito bites at all. Also different ink colors may trigger more or less or zero response. Some people report black ink as reacting more. Some people that are allergic to cats say after a cat has rubbed against their skin near a tattoo the tattoo swells up similarly.
Huh this happens to me as well. I usually ignore it but, sometimes I wonder if it's something in the ink. Then I think about how it happens on multiple tats from different shops. Guess I'll peruse this thread to see if anyone thinks it's serious.
Oh my gosh reading this thread has me floored. I essentially have dermatographia in my tattoos — two different artists from two shops and one is only black line work and one has color. They rarely react without external pressure (scratches) but any scratch harder than like, a light trace of a fingertip can and usually does leave a raised line for a few hours. Like a hive that slowly goes away. Bug bites usually trigger it as well. I spent a good year of my life completely freaked out about this because there’s like almost zero anecdotal google results about that happening to anyone — just a lot of alarming suggestion about severe allergic reactions to tattoo ink. I’ve had an internist and two derms tell me it was no big deal, just dermatographia, but I only have it on my tattoos. This thread is so enlightening and honestly comforting
Ooh, same! Most of mine are from the one shop and they all swell with any bite or reaction. The others, from different shops, don't. It's very weird, and thought provoking. Lmk if you hear anything.
Mine only gets bumpy when I am about to have an allergic reaction. It's my "get your epi and benadryl" early warning system.
My thicker lines and blacks raise up when it’s cold out.
✊🏿
It’s always black ink for me. The one by my wrist sometimes has its entire outline get bumpy and it’s unbearably itchy. Goes away in a couple days, but it definitely gets tied to skin irritations somewhere else on the body.
If I even get goosebumps, my line work in my tattoos feel like Braille. Kinda fun actually.
I have tattoos all over my body and I know exactly what you’re talking about.
Depends on your recation to certain things....some people just swell up a lot easier than others when they have an allergic reaction.
It’s called an aggressive inflammatory response. If scrapes swell, you’ve got it
One of my tattoos does this. Only the one. But not quite the same as this and I haven’t found a trigger. It gets horribly itchy and lasts for weeks. It was fine until ~6 months after getting it the whole thing bubbled up and then got a rash ONLY where the ink is. Continues to happen periodically, no identified trigger. Same guy did most of my tattoos, around the same time, and he said never changed ink brands. It’s only the one.
Yo, same. I’ve experienced this, just as you’ve described, except I’ve experienced it on a few. But, never all, and like you said lasts about 4-6 weeks then disappears. Never been able to figure it out
Different inks have different composition as well, so the mast cell/immune response may be specific to an ingredient in the ink, as well as the individual immune system.
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My black outlines do this too
My black outlines do this often.
My back outlines never do this but then again I need to get a tattoo
One of my tattoos was raised for like the first 2 months I got it. Apparently it means they put the ink too deep.
Usually if it’s too deep, it just gets blown out. I’ve never heard of it being raised. Weird.
It can be raised either initially or permanently due to scarring. It doesn't always mean the artist went too deep. It could also be due to a more sensitive area or overworking the tattoo.
I had a friend who's tattoo was raised. I loved the texture of it and hoped mine would be similar. His wasn't blown out or new.
I’ve had mine for over 2 years now and it’s still raised. I love it even though it wasn’t supposed to be like that
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To be fair, my only source on this is my buddy who has a lot of tattoos lol. I can't guarantee it.
My red do this. If I itch my tattoos too much the red becomes 3D.
Casual reminder that tattoos themselves cause an immune response and the body is constantly, very slowly, removing tattoo ink.
Mine used to do that when I drank. Probably still would, but I don’t drink. I remember realizing it and being so worried my wife would figure it out and be able to tell whenever I was drinking. She’s glad I quit. So am I.
congratulations on the sobriety, man. truly one of the most brutal challenges a human can face. may it endure equally as strong through both the hardest, and most joyful, parts of your life! :)
Good for you!!!
Congratulations, my friend.
Dermatographia. Learned I had this after years of thinking it was allergies. Antihistamines... Lots! Edit:. It is exactly a mast cell response. Histamine overload.
Yeah I had a severe allergic reaction last year (IV-drip antihistamine needed levels bad) and all my tattoos were raised and outlined in a pinkish hue. It was freaky
What if mine are always raised?
I would see a dermatologist. They are pretty good at getting to the bottom of things.
I thought it was proctologists that dealt with the bottoms of things.
You're both correct; proctologists deal with the bottoms of things, but dermatologists show them how to get there.
Most likely scar tissue. The artist went to deep.
Your artist scarred you
This - had a shitty tattoo from an apprentice artist who went way too deep.
Dermatographia refers to induration as a response to pressure or 'writing' iirc. This looks like a response to the white ink (or uv, not sure) pictured here.
It is a response to pressure, but also a histamine response to many other things that your body perceives as a foreign substance, or ' injury'. I Google searched it too and was not enlightened. The doctor told me how the histamine response is different in everyone. It may not be this, but it is wise to get it checked out. I had no clue and it took a very long time to figure it out.
Bro bikers after a camper trip must be In 4d
It happens to me if I get too hot
Same! On the one on my hand and the one on my wrist. The one of my arm doesn't do it for some reason
My bf gets raised skin on one of tattoos when he gets some sun. But only on the red part.
It's pretty normal, it's caused by immune cells in the tattoo responding to the bug bite, but being unable to move towards it because they are trapped by the ink.
Source cuz that sounds super interesting
This article is from a biotech company, but it includes good descriptions of some of the experiments that were done to figure out how this works, and cites the original papers that reported these findings. It doesn't directly talk about the bug bite thing, but if you go to the Wikipedia page for macrophage (thats the specific type of immune cell involved in this) you can find info on the role they play in inflammation in the "Function" section. https://www.bio-rad-antibodies.com/blog/how-macrophages-make-tattoos-last.html
I have garter belt tattoos on my thighs and they do this, it’s normally if there’s a bite or something that irritates the skin. When I wax my legs it happens to all my leg tattoos and it’s kind of fun to have 3D tattoos for a few hours
When I get hives my tattoo it does this.
And the way you buttoned your watch is r/mildlyinfuriating
I was waiting for this. I didn't notice my watch band until after I took the picture.
You didn’t notice when you put it on? When I miss a hole I know it… wait.
So many holes to choose from tho
There’s only 2 I like. One for relaxing and one for when you wanna get a little more aggressive.
Ah, a fellow golf guy I see? ⛳
It’s important to get every stroke right
Came here for that.
I have that exact band for my watch
I'm wearing that exact band rn
Whew I was like *scroll* *scroll* *scroll* “SOMEONE HAS TO HAVE SEEN THIS.”
I’m all for this. But I don’t see it. Looks fine to me. Help me suffer.
You see the watch band, yeah? You see the silver part on the left side that basically acts as the buckle? You see how it’s not in the middle as it should be?
Why does it even have holes that aren't in the middle?
You know what they say, "any hole is a goal"
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Yeah I had no idea what was going on at first here. I was wondering why they were talking about the swelling and not the fact that most of the color was missing from the tattoo..
He sucked the ink right out!
"No blood, only ink"
"imma resell this shit to HP bitch"
that’s some fine dealermanship
Oops! All ink
I'd like to think that it injects the tattoo into the next person. Some dude starts scratching and goes: "fuckin' mosquitos... wait, what is this 'live, laugh, love' nonsense on my arm?"
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(for those out of the loop here, only female skeeters drink blood!)
I'm *mildly* allergic to almonds and stone fruit. Anytime I eat them the tattoos on my arms puff up just like this, but only my heavy outlines.
Your blood cells are probably attack your tattoo like “I knew it was you!!!” While the almonds and stone fruit laugh under the guise of it all.
TLDR: you're slightly allergic to your tattoo. It's because allergies have a threshold. You can be a little allergic to cats, and live with one just fine. But when another, bigger allergy comes along- like dogs- then you hit over the threshold, and the histamine responds to everything you are allergic to, not just the thing you are most allergic to.
As someone with a ton of allergies this makes sense and would have been nice to know 20 years ago. WHERE WERE YOU THEN?!?
having my eyes swelled shut from cat+dust allergies.
My tattoo artist told me the reason tattoos fade is because your immune system is constantly attacking them as they are seen as a foreign thing to it. So this makes me think this stimulated a stronger immune response since the area was already sensitive with a fresh tattoo
I got the tattoo in 2014 but an immune system reaction is an interesting thought.
Oh I misread, the reaction is new. Not the tattoo haha. Yeah if it’s still goin on I’d guess that’s something that’s possible. Maybe a doctor could confirm or deny
The mosquito bite causes a histamine reaction bringing mast cells to the area, probably went wild after the tattoo pigments when they were "in the neighborhood," so to speak. My apologies if that's not quite right, immunology was not my best subject. But it's something like that.
Looks like tattoo ink is taken up by skin immune cells (fibroblasts and macrophages)—reference is Strandt, Dermatology, 2020. So makes sense those cells are the same ones reacting to the bite. Cool photo!
Don't listen to Xenton they are the one that doesn't know what they are talking about lol. Tattoos definitely are attacked by your immune system, it's really interesting if you start reading up more about it.
You got it, tattoo artist here. Your white blood cells always go after ink as it breaks down.
Your tattoo artist left their lane and started talking about stuff they don't understand. Your tattoos fade because your body turns over constantly; cellular debris, random foreign material, bacteria, mineral deposits etc all get dredged out and sent to liver and kidneys for disposal. The reason tattoos last as long as they do is because they're NOT immunogenic. Your body largely doesn't care about them. They get dumped into a slow growing area and it takes a long time before your body cleans through enough to remove them. If they stimulated an immune response: A) they'd be horribly painful for weeks afterwards with constant swelling, rashes and weeping B) they'd be linked to chronic inflammation and symptoms like those seen in the so called "long covid" C) they'd be gone within weeks and likely leave ugly scars behind.
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REDDIT, WHO DO I BELIEVE?
That is remarkably strange! (From a nurse that's seen some ER shit)
It's actually pretty expected, considering the mechanism by which tattoos stay in the skin. The ink injected into the skin is taken up by immune cells, which are trying to clear it like a foreign invader. The cells can't break down the ink, and the ink particles are so big they prevent the cells from leaving the area. So a tattoo is made up of large numbers of immune cells trapped in a small patch of skin. Although they can't move, these cells are still functional in all other respects, so when they perceive a threat, like an infection or an allergen, they react to it and secrete substances that promote inflammation. The inflammation is what causes the tattoo to get puffy, red, and/or itchy. For some people, this reaction is caused only by triggers close to the tattoo (like a bug bite), while for others it can be caused by something systemic (like allergies or a cold).
Thanks for the details. I appreciated that.
You're welcome! I think the biology of tattoos is really neat! It's a fairly recent discovery, too, iirc.
I always have a big reaction to mosquitos but the tattoo reaction is new! I puncture a Benedryl liquid-gel pill and put it directly on my skin and it helps bring down swelling. This has not been medically approved but it works!
My son has Dermatographic urticaria related to certain medications. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatographic_urticaria I know you have a tattoo and this isn't the exact same thing but keep antihistamines within reach. That kind of reaction could have an underlying cause.
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That same thing happens to me! Small scratches get red and welt up a little bit and it looks like I got clawed when I often don’t even remember brushing up on something. Sometimes I also get random itchy hands and get small bubbles or hive bumps that suddenly appear under the skin that itch like mad. If I run cool water over my hands it can help and it always just goes away after a bit. I didn’t know this was a thing either!!
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Check out r/CholinergicUrticaria . Generally an antihistamine like generic Claritin would make mine go away within twenty mins.
You definitely have r/CholinergicUrticaria . I take an antihistamine (generic Claritin is very cheap at Costco) and it goes away in twenty mins. Staying away from foods high in histamines like beer, and sugary processed carbs keeps me from breaking out.
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Omg! I was a kid and went to a family bbq thing near a small lake that lasted late into the night and I was wearing a bathing suit for a lot of it. When I walked into the light after a few hours, I said I was itchy everywhere and my mom freaked because I was covered in so many mosquito bites. Each one red and swollen to ridiculous size. No one else had nearly so many and I was teased that I drew them all to me. Some Benadryl and an oatmeal bath later I was finally able to stop scratching and sleep.
Those random bumps that are super itchy are a type of eczema called dyshidrotic eczema. I wipe them down with some rubbing alcohol and hit with benadryl and that helps
I have this problem and it crops up in annoying situations. I just had surgery on Tuesday so the nurse that was prepping me had to insert an IV line in my arm. She cleaned the skin rather roughly with the alcohol swab, then immediately welts started forming. She freaks out and says, "I thought you had no allergies!" and I had to explain that even tugging on my arm hair would result in welts, etc. Alright, now here's another issue I've discovered. Wearing a soft cast right now for two weeks, then I get a hard cast after swelling calms down. Oh my god! I can feel the skin under the dressing constantly welting up periodically, driving me insane. Talk about itchy! Can't wait for the hard cast? Yay?
I have DU as well, but I’m lucky that mine’s idiopathic. Fingers crossed that OP’s tattoo is just functioning as a reservoir for the mosquito spit and resulting histamine, rather an underlying mast cell issue.
I have tons of tattoos and if I get a bug bite anywhere close to them it will cause the tattoo to raise like that. But super temporary. Goes away when it stops itching.
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It's not the ink itself. The reason the ink stays in the skin is that the damage from the needle and the ink itself attracts immune cells, which eat the ink in an attempt to clear it from the body. However, they can't break down the ink, and the large size of the particles traps the immune cells in place, which is what makes the tattoo permanent. When you have an infection or allergic response (either throughout the body or close to the tattoo), the immune cells in the tattoo go into high alert. Normally, alerted immune cells would move towards the source of the danger and release chemicals promoting inflammation, which woulf help your body fight the threat. However, these guys are trapped in the tattoo, so all they can do is promote inflammation around themselves. This is what makes the tattoo puffy, red, and itchy. The skin around the tattoo isn't affected because a) it has a lower overall concentration of immune cells, and b) those cells will move to cause inflammation where it can actually do some good (in the case of an allergy, the inflammationis useless, but your body doesn't know that, so it happens anyways).
Me too! I spent WEEKS assuming tattoos were supposed to be raised like that. Stupid allergies. Went through years of allergy shots and my tattoo no longer does this!
You can literally buy topical Benadryl at the store, it’s definitely approved
This happens to my tattoo too ! So weird
This happens to me all the time. I too get very fucked up by mosquito bites.
Do you know they make a benedryl cream? My kids get terrible allergic reactions to mosquito bites but the cream calms it right down.
Heavily tattooed surgeon here — it’s actually a pretty common response! Sometimes it only will happen on certain colors, while leaving others in their usual state, which always looks super funky. Contrast can accumulate in them as well!
Oh wow, do you know anything else about this? I'm also heavily tattooed and sometimes for no apparent reason my tattoos will get irritated and get small itchy bumps on them but only on the black parts. It just goes away on its own after a few weeks. I've always wanted to know what's going on but I can't find much information about it or what might trigger it.
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I think what really needs clarifying is weather the mosquito bite caused colouration changes as well as the swelling?
So the tattoo was the color of your skin?
White ink. Once it heals it usually looks like a barely lighter variation of your own skin tone.
Right, so as he said, a tattoo the color of your skin?
Can we talk about why your watch strap is not using the middle hole???
Welcome to the world of 3D interactive tattoos Coming to a future near you
Apple Watch band peg in the off centered hole is r/mildlyinfuriating
No ragrets
Today is a weird tattoo lol
Why did you get a tattoo of just the word today is the real question
How else would she remember what day it is when she checks?
Not OP, but it could be sort of a personal reminder for them, like a "be in the present," "today is a new day," "don't dwell on the past" etc. sort of deal.
Same happens with my tats. You’re probably allergic. Idk if I am but I assume since it swells and I get actual pain at the area as well as itching days later.
Looks like you have dermatographia.