Tattoo Healing Problems

Tattoo Healing Problems

There are only a few possible healing problems associated with
tattooing. The first obvious one is infection. In the thirteen years in have been
tattooing I have only seen two real infections. Tattoos can be red or irritated,
but infection is a green or brown discharge. Infections don’t come out of
shops; usually the client has gotten into something they shouldn’t have or just
not taken care of the tattoo. If you see a tattoo that’s infected you should ask
what the client is using for the care. Rubbing alcohol and peroxide will only
make the infection worse. Rubbing alcohol will dry the skin out causing it to
heal harder, and peroxide will eat away the infection and the new skin
growing back. The worse thing you can but on an infected tattoo is any kind of
salve. The salve or ointment will seal in the infection and cause it to get much
worse. You instead, need to dry out the infection. The best thing you can tell
your client is to only wash the tattoo two or three times a day for two days. If
the infection gets better, then keep it up till the tattoo heals completely. If
the infection stays the same or gets worse, then you need to tell then to go to
the hospital where they will flush the wound and put them on antibiotics.
Never diagnose an infection over the phone. Tell your client that they must
come in for you to see the tattoo first hand. If it is already progressed then
you need to tell them to visit there doctor. Most of the time it will just be red
or sore to the touch and people just assume it’s infected. Everyone loves to
panic.
Allergic reactions are common amount the tattoo field. If someone has
an allergic reaction to a tattoo then best bet is that it will not be the
pigment. Again, find out what they are using for aftercare. Most of the time,
the culprit will be lotion with perfume in it or made for tattoo aftercare.
Symptoms of allergic reaction are small red bumps around the tattoo, the
surrounding area of the tattoo can be red in color, the tattoo will be more
painful than usual, and sometimes you will see a clear or white discharge. The
best thing you can do is tell them to discontinue the aftercare they are using
and wash the tattoo in antibacterial soap to kill the bacteria so it doesn’t turn
to infection. If it progresses into infection then follow the instructions above.
I personally don’t tattoo on diabetics unless I know them personally. Diabetics
are more open to infection due to the lack of circulation associated with the
condition. This means the tattoo will heal much slower on top of being higher
risk for infection. Remember that the over all health of your client is infinitely
more important than the outcome of the work. You can always touch up a
tattoo after it heals. Don’t take any risks.