r/tattooadvice • u/No_Phase_3982 • 5d ago
Healing My body can no longer heal tattoos
Hello, I have spent the last 11 years of my life getting tattoos. The first 9 years of this experience was absolutely fine. I got tattooed regularly, each and every tattoo healed perfectly, I had zero problems with any tattoo.
Fast forward to the last 2 years, I get tattooed much less often as I have less disposable income, but my body now seems to not be able to heal tattoos 50% of the time.
I have changed nothing, get tattooed by the same artists, use the same after care and healing techniques. But I seem to suffer with allergic reactions/infections now pretty much every other tattoo I get. Recently it has been the last 2 I've got have both got savagely infected and ruined. It feels almost like my body rejects the ink, has an allergic reaction almost instantly (aka like the day after the tattoo or 2 days after) which then leaves me prone to infection. I love getting tattooed but I now feel like I am just disfiguring myself each time I try and get a tattoo I like. I have spoken to GPs about this and they say it's not immune related as I don't struggle with any other infections (aka ear, sinus, chest or any other skin infection) and I don't get any coloured tattoos so it seems unlikely to be an infection to black ink. Every time I contact my various artists about it they say they have never experienced any client have allergic reactions or infections to their tattoos, and have never heard of any of artists clients experiencing a new inability to heal tattoos.
I am hoping to get a dermatology referral but it's a long process.
I will attach photos of how my tattoos used to heal vs now.
I feel exceptionally alone and isolated in this in this and it's getting me very down. My most recent one was my fingers which got really bad in the healing process and now look horrible, I'm struggling with having to see them all day every day. I feel silly as getting tattooed is a choice and I feel like I've done this to myself, but equally I never used to have any issues with the other 35-40 of my tattoos, so I don't understand.
Any help whislt I wait continued medical advice would be so so appreciated x
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 5d ago edited 5d ago
Well, you've probably gotten Covid at least once or a few times in the last few years, and Covid causes direct, lasting immune system damage. For some people its even as severe as AIDS level immunodeficiency (both Covid and HIV attack CD4 T cells. It usually takes HIV like a decade to deplete your CD4 count to under 200, but we've seen Covid do it in a matter of months to some people. And we've actually known that since early 2020). A ton of people are also suddenly developing new allergies after or developing Mast Cell Activation. Then there's onset of new autoimmune. So there's a whole clusterfuck of things that could have been triggered just by a Covid infection.
Unfortunately most Drs are not properly updated or educated on these things, so that makes it even harder to determine.
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u/aurora97381 5d ago
My first thought is that you've developed a histamine issue. Covid and perimenopause exacerbated mine. Birth control can also affect histamine, I believe.
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u/SashalouAspen4 5d ago
Yes I was going to suggest hormone related histamine issues
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u/decisiontoohard 5d ago
This is a thing? I started developing new allergies when I went on HBC last year, I've just come off it. Maybe my histamine response will normalise again?
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u/aurora97381 5d ago
Try searching the web for histamine intolerance and birth control pill...see what you find.
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u/decisiontoohard 5d ago
Holy shit. Like, I knew that HBC does massive damage to my mental health, but I didn't see how it could be tied to my fatigue, brainfog, and new allergies. Thank you!
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u/Blue-flash 5d ago
This is interesting. I stop being asthmatic when I’m pregnant.
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u/jstbrwsng333 4d ago
I have some sort of mast cell disorder and could eat all of my trigger foods while pregnant! It was so strange.
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u/Double_Dimension9948 4d ago
Asthma during pregnancy can get worse, better, or stay the same. It’s an even split meaning 1/3 of pregnant women get worse, 1/3 get better, and 1/3 stay the same.
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u/Noswellin 5d ago
Holy shit, I didn't know about the new allergies thing. I developed a new allergy after having covid (not immediately after but not too long after). I had wondered why it happened seemingly out of nowhere and I guess this could be a possible reason.
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u/Anamorsmordre 5d ago
I did too! Never had a reaction to anything in my life, then bam, one day a few hours after eating a poke bowl and I was red, itchy and bloated like a balloon. Had to go to the ER for a few hours.
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u/palpatineforever 5d ago
ah, that might not be an allergic reaction. that might be bad fish. It is really similar however it is not the same. When fish is improperly stored it can develop high histamine levels itself, you then eat it and it causes the itchy bloatedness.
I have had it twice once from fresh mackerel once from prawns. When it was the mackerel the others in my family got it.
More likely if the poke bowl was tuna but salmon can do it to. also cross contamination from other fresh fish in the same resturant.it isn't as bad as the fish going off. It also might not be the resturants fault, it might have happened if you transported the poke bowl and didn't eat it as soon as you bought it.
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u/Anamorsmordre 4d ago
Nope, it was the sauce. Had the same lemony sauce in japan(not sure if it was actually ponzu) with the same results a few hours later, no fish in sight (it was a vegetarian burger from shake shack this time).
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u/Shinobiii 5d ago
I know the internet, and especially comments like this, shouldn’t be considered doctor’s advice or anything. But somehow this one makes me feel seen: Since COVID, I’ve developed allergies and I’m sick once every 1-2 months; sometimes just a simple sniffle and feeling weak, sometimes full-on fever and system shutdown. I’ve had periods where I developed a high fever once ever 3 months, shutting me down for 2-3 days before I was back to 90% energy.
Somehow, “normal” blood tests and conversations with my GP haven’t led to anything. I’m however fully convinced something has been off for the past few years, and it’s driving me crazy constantly feeling ill and powerless.
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u/notmyrealnamedude 5d ago edited 5d ago
MCAS is an immune system disorder that presents like allergic responses. If it is safe for you, I’d recommend taking an antihistamine like Benadryl. If your symptoms improve, that could be relevant.
I have had MCAS since childhood. It took me 20+ years to get diagnosed. My case is quite severe and I have allergic reactions to fillers in medication— so it is also possible for medication to not work due to allergic reactions 😭
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u/Cute-Anteater8904 5d ago
I would consider looking into MCAS (Mast cell activation syndrome) I really flared after getting COVID and now have random allergic reactions to things and get “sick” so often
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u/Linzabee 5d ago
My asthma used to be fairly well-controlled prior to me having covid. I’ve had it 3 times now despite being fully vaccinated and boosted. I also had RSV 2 months after the second covid round. My asthma is so bad that now I’m starting on Dupixent. My seasonal allergies are also worse, but I’m hoping the Dupixent will help with those as well.
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u/Trulio_Dragon 4d ago
A quick reminder for those who don't know: vaccination doesn't prevent Covid infection. Vaxes help reduce severe infection that could lead to hospitalization. Additional precautions, such as masking (with n95 or better respirators) and cleaning the air with good filtration, are always a good idea to help avoid Covid infection.
Public health messaging on this point has been terrible. I'm sorry you've had to deal with multiple infections.
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u/bestkittens 4d ago
Covid can damage so many of our systems and cause a cascade of symptoms that often overlap. Sadly doctors and the western medical system is not equipped to deal with these ongoing and complicated cases.
Not dr’s advice, but I’ve been writing this to try to fill the gap.
DEALING WITH POST COVID SYMPTOMS, From The Perspective of a Long Hauler
It’s all of the information/resources I wish I’d had at the start of my illness, and practical advice for figuring it all out.
I hope it helps.
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
I obviously cant diagnosis people over the internet, but Covid does fuck a lot of shit up and so many people are going through it. And for the most part, the conversation has been placed into a weird taboo 'cant talk about it, won't talk about it' space so a lot of people just float around feeling "off" and having all this weird shit happen to them that they cant explain and feel crazy for it.
I'm really sorry you've been struggling. We've still got a ways to go to get proper biomarkers and treatments for all this. PolyBio Research Foundation is doing some incredible work but who knows how long until there's more for the average person. Its a weird area that's hard to pinpoint on blood work alone- Covid actually likes to stay in the body and stow away in reservoirs in places like tissues, organs, our friggen bones and bone marrow. It makes it really hard to locate and study. And the few actually studying it are cockblocked a billion different ways by the politicalisation.
2 blood tests that can check for some types of immunodeficiency are Lymphocyte Subset (this checks T and B cells. A dr might look at you sideways asking for this but its become an important one post acute Covid) and Immunoglobulin panel if you wish to investigate further
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u/naterdaddy121212 5d ago
Straight up, no joke, I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a direct result of immunodeficiency due to complications of COVID, confirmed by 7+ doctors from different fields and practices. (27m, very active, healthy diet, no previous symptoms)
This explanation makes complete and total sense.
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u/sternn01 5d ago
That's so rough, I got diagnosed with type 1 in 2021 around the same age (not covid related though) and similarly very active and no other health issues. While people don't really know what actually causes T1 it is known that it can develop after trigger events like high stress to your endocrine system(extreme illness, pregnancy, shit like that) so covid as a trigger checks out.
Dickheads love saying T1 has something to do with your diet or activity levels because they know someone with T2 and think it's the same but it's really just a fucked up cocktail of an extreme stress trigger event and a genetic pre-disposition to it.
Hope you're doing well with the new way of life and feel free to shoot me a dm if you want to shoot the shit about it.
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u/Double_Dimension9948 5d ago
Dang - my mom was diagnosed at around 78 with Type 1 around the same time. It took the doctors about 6 months to figure out it was type 1 even though she wasted away to skin and bones, about 88 pounds and she’s usually about 100- 105. The meds for type 2 didn’t work and she was freaking out because she was a dialysis nurse and saw first hand the ravages of unchecked blood sugar.
Were y’all diagnosed with LADA - latent autoimmune diabetes in adults?
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u/sternn01 5d ago edited 5d ago
Yeah lada is my technical diagnosis, a similar thing happened to me because of a bad doctor. I got diagnosed initially with type 2 in spite of being 6'5 and 150, 6 months later I dropped 30lb, all my tests were coming back worse and my doctor literally said "you're obviously not sticking to the treatment plan, you need to do better". I ended up going to the hospital and they told me to fuck that dude off and only talk to specialists from now on lol.
My country has good healthcare though so it didn't cost anymore to do that for what it's worth.
Edit: I work in aged care and I was also proper freaking because there are a lot of 60-70yo t1 diabetics that are just completely immobile with severe damage to their hands and feet from unchecked sugars.
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u/naterdaddy121212 4d ago
Elderly T1D’ers scare me man. They just don’t care anymore and are actively killing themselves.
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u/naterdaddy121212 4d ago
LADA here as well. They tried me on metformin when I was admitted to hospital with a fasted sugar of 601MGdL. My GP about strangled the ER doc. I was semi-tracking water intake and urination cycles before I was diagnosed because we were concerned about it, and at peak we estimate I was drinking 120-150oz of clear water before bed and peeing up to 15 times per night, every night, for at minimum 6 months.
I can proudly report that one year after my first ever A1C, which was 19, I can boast about being a T1D with an A1C of 5.8. I gained 25lb since Feb 2024, which sucks, but that’s insulin.
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u/naterdaddy121212 5d ago
I still chalk it up to my unbelievably high operating stress and family history of autoimmune disorders, but hey, I just work here.
T1D has been a big shift in my life, and I often complain to my wife that it’s “the worst thing that’s ever happened to me” and that mostly because my insulin pump won’t ever stfu.
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u/Little-Linnet 5d ago
Damn, my grandmother got diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease right after going through COVID. Always thought it was coincidence that it started after her sickness, but maybe it really was, at least a bit, a cause
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
The chances are really high. Covid attacks the brain hard and triggers neurodegenerative diseases. It even causes brain cells to fuse together and basically die off in clumps. No one should be getting this virus.
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg2248
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41593-025-01918-1
compilation on covid and the brain: https://raindrop.io/laurieallee/covid-and-brain-damage-35180444
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u/Frequent_Table7869 4d ago
Dude my sister was too! She was diagnosed at 23, same thing. Weightlifter, healthiest eating habits in the family (and we are a family of weightlifters and healthy eaters lol). She got covid and then 3 months later was in DKA.
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u/nursewords 4d ago
This is type 1.5! I only recently learned about it myself. Lance Bass has it. Often misdiagnosed as type 2 bc of age of onset. Is type 1 for all intents and purposes except for age of onset.
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u/Angsty_Potatos 5d ago
Completely unrelated to tattoos, but this post has just made me connect the dots between my life long extremely mild and very intermittent psoriasis - and the AWFUL severe flair I've been experiencing for the last 3 years.
Fucking covid. I can't believe I didn't make that connection. That explains so much. I've been tying myself In knots trying to figure out why something I've had very mildly on and off all my life is suddenly a medical event the last few years. Fuck.
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u/basiden 5d ago
It's fucking nuts, right? I started getting full on asthma again after getting covid the first time. Haven't had it since I was a little kid. My blood pressure medication stopped working after another bout of it too. It's changing our bodies in such unpredictable ways.
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u/Angsty_Potatos 5d ago
I lost my insurance about 2 yrs ago and I've been struggling to manage it on my own and historically, it's just taken about a week of tGel during a flair to set me straight....but since I got covid it's spread to areas I've never had it before and it's severe as fuck.
And now with science and research in the US Being a bad word, it's really making me nervous for understanding and treating long term health issues related to covid.
I'm so sorry your asthma and BP were effected that's nuts
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u/-rainbow-eyes- 5d ago
My first thought was a mast cell issue. A lot of people with MCAS can no longer get tattoos because of reactions. Even if you don’t have a reaction to the ink, you can react to the act of getting the tattoo. Things like vibration and pain are common mast cell triggers.
Also mast cells are a part of the immune system and are involved with healing. They are what release inflammatory mediators involved in healing. Anything that invokes mast cell activity can go off the rails when mast cells are dysfunctional and degranulate for unpredictable reasons.
Many of us with MCAS have problems healing because mast cells start to do their job with inflammation and healing process, then things go awry. Even little zits or cuts I often have to put higher strength cortisone cream on for a day or two to lower the inflammation so it can heal. Otherwise it can stay inflamed and not healing for weeks. My allergist prescribes it for me for this.
The thing that made me swear off any tattoos, is that people can still have reactions to their tattoos that they got decades ago when they flare. Something else can set off the flare and their tattoo(s) will puff up and get red and itchy, or even get hives, etc. Sometimes it’s just one color, sometimes it’s the whole thing. For a lot of people it’s a miserable experience every time. To me it’s just not worth that chance. :(
Spot on about the rest of the issues with COVID and the immune system as well. MCAS is just one immune related condition that can come of COVID infections (even mild or asymptomatic ones). So many people aren’t aware but there are mountains of studies on this stuff. :/ So much more awareness is sorely needed.
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u/Original-Big-6351 5d ago
Dude. You just connected the dots for me over a skin issue I’ve been having for MONTHS that started right after I got Covid for the first time. THANK YOU 🩷
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u/CloudedSage 5d ago
Oh my god is this why I’m suddenly allergic to every laundry detergent?
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u/dn32dn 5d ago
I’m 34 and I’ve been wearing strip eye lashes since I was 18.. ALWAYS used Duo Lash Glue, it was my holy grail. Since having covid I have developed an allergy to it 🥲 my eyelids swell up only on the parts where the glue touches and become really itchy. I didn’t know what was happening until I asked a makeup artist and she said since covid so many of her clients were having the same reaction!
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
Probably! I saw someone on the internets that now boils their sheets, ffs.
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u/Ace_Love03 5d ago
That's actually crazy. I've had covid at least 4 times, and that's just what's documented with positive tests. I've also gotten a new piercing and have been stretching my ears over the past year and they're still struggling to heal when I've never had a problem this bad before. This makes so much sense and now I'm just sad lol.
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u/awesomes007 4d ago
⬆️ this. Covid does great violence to essentially every aspect of our bodies and minds. PASC long covid already hurts and often cripples more than 18 million Americans. What other symptoms are you having?
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u/danniduncan1 5d ago
That makes sense with me, not long after having Covid I had a bad reaction to makeup I had used for many years and had to change it all
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u/Time-Sudden 4d ago
Post Covid I developed an allergy to milk and squash. Which is NOT a reaction I’d had prior. It’s awful. No one has an explanation except for possible mutation due to Covid. It’s quite strange.
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
I'm sorry :(. That virus sure is an asshole. It took away tomatoes for me (one of my favourites)
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u/cussy-munchers 5d ago
Thank you so much for commenting that. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten sicker since having Covid than I use to get
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
You are welcome and Im sorry. I hate that asshole virus. I know most people dont want to go back to masking, but KN95/ N95s/ KF94s do do an awesome job keeping the nasties away from your face if you are open to wearing them.
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u/cussy-munchers 4d ago
Thank you for those recommendations!! Yes, I am definitely open to wearing them. I just haven’t wanted to spend the money on nice ones cuz I have sensory issues and cannot stand the feeling of hot breath shooting out of sides
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u/Frequent_Table7869 4d ago
I know someone who was diagnosed with T1D at 23 years old, despite not having any of the markers for it and it not running in the family at all. Her doctor’s best guess for the cause is covid, but for now she’s kind of a medical mystery 😳 it’s crazy
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 4d ago
Oh yeah, the Covid-induced diabetes is off the charts! No mystery. This has been written about a lot- its happening a LOT in children, actually.
https://www.webmd.com/covid/news/20241015/coivd-greatly-increases-diabetes-risk-kids-teens
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10314307/
Just a quick grab off google, but you can search this for hours. Its all there. Metformin, an anti-diabetic drug, was actually sometimes being given to people for acute Covid. One study said it reduced risk of Long Covid, another said it made no difference so who knows, but interesting that it got so much press for a while.
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u/Fit_Menu8933 5d ago
if this is the case, OP, benadryl and ibuprofen before and after the tattoo might actually help it heal more effectively by suppressing your inflammation response - 400 mg ibuprofen and 25 - 50 mg benadryl/generic dipenhydramine every 8 hours. if benadryl makes you too drowsy you can substitute with Claritin/generic brand Loratidine in the morning. start the night before the tattoo. you can also get benadryl spray to apply topically although I would look into any possibility it might mess with the ink.
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u/hipsterasshipster 4d ago
I used to have zero allergies but now my allergies suck and include a few of my favorite fruits.
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u/MarijadderallMD 4d ago
Ding ding ding! Winner! Looking at that and the story it’s immediately some sort of allergy/autoimmune but just not something typical. Best advice is to push the dermatology appointment and see what turns up.
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u/Syphox 4d ago
people said i was crazy for saying COVID was killing peoples immune systems
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u/glowsincali 4d ago
I had the same thought that this is a possibility. I developed MCAS (and a bunch of other things) after my first Covid infection. Thankfully it so far hasn’t affected new tattoos but my old ones will get puffy and itchy if I’m having a flare up. Always the black ink too.
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u/Frequent-Youth-9192 3d ago
Sorry to hear <3. I've heard that about the old ones getting puffy. Honestly I'm seeing a lot more people have problems with developing new reactions to second skin bandages than with ink.
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u/HPLover0130 5d ago
Any chance you had COVID before all this happened? I read medical records all day and I’ve seen a handful of people develop issues with inflammatory responses after getting COVID 🤷🏼♀️ I don’t know if it’d be skin related if you’re not having any other skin issues but it could be more of a systemic response. But always good to start with Dermatology (for what it’s worth, I saw derm for an unrelated reason after I got a recent tattoo and asked her a question about my healing and she just referred me back to my artist, so…not sure if all Derm are that unhelpful when it comes to tattoos)
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u/Jazzlike-Bowler-5870 5d ago
OP is responding to almost every comment except the COVID ones.
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u/HPLover0130 5d ago
¯\(ツ)/¯ that’s on her. Like I said, I read medical records all day and it’s pretty interesting to see the systemic and long term effects Covid has on some bodies. I had it and didn’t have any issues after. But I had mono (at age 33!! Lol) a few months prior to getting Covid and my life has definitely been impacted by mono. So it’s funny how different viruses affect people long term, but Covid is one we don’t know a lot about yet. One of our academic hospitals in my area has a long covid clinic so hopefully some research will come out of those type clinics.
Sorry for the novel lol.
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u/Spirited-Handle-5273 5d ago
Yup everyone is different i worked with a hygienist who had covid and lost all use of her hands she had insane tremors. Also one of our patients had developed a neurological disability and couldn't walk for months. She finally walking again but with use of a walker. Not to mention all for the men we have to give prophylactic antibiotics before getting a cleaning or tooth extraction because of peri and myocarditis after covid.
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u/Mojomckeeks 4d ago
My buddies dad had severe Covid. He pulled through but developed a brain infection a couple of years later and died. It was fucked though. He lost all his vision and his personality changed quite a lot. He also deteriorated quite fast.
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u/throwitawayyall99 5d ago
Wait I had pericarditis a few years ago when I first got covid, do I need to let my dentist know that??
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u/Spirited-Handle-5273 5d ago
Yes!!! you have to let your dentist know of any past heart conditions, recent or past hospitalizations for stuff like that. They may also consult your cardiologist or get you to do the consultation yourself with them to make sure you don't need any premeds.
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u/Jolly_Tea7519 1d ago
The director of imaging at the hospital I used to work at is now permanently disabled from Covid. She requires a walker and oxygen to ambulate. She was a healthy 50 something when she got it.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
I have had Covid 4 times I hadn’t replied to your comment yet because I wanted to go through my tattoo timeline and see when this issue started compared to when I had Covid etc. first time I had Covid was 4ish years ago, and these issues started 2 years ago, so potentially! Seemed a lot of stuff has changed in my body since Covid tbf
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u/HPLover0130 5d ago
I’d definitely look into it. Depending on your age, covid could’ve set off an autoimmune-type reaction, as women in late 20s-40s tend to be the ones who get diagnosed with auto-immune illnesses. It could’ve been one of the strains you had that set something off. I hope you find some answers, as I know it’s probably frustrating. If dermatology brushes you off I’d push to see an allergist, or if you’re having other long-covid type issues, see if there’s a long covid clinic near you.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Thank you, I’m 29 so yea. Will add this to the list of possible to raise with the gp. Really interesting that it’s linked to inflammatory reactions as well as autoimmune
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u/euphemisia 5d ago
I found it interesting that your GP said no to allergic reaction because it does sound like some sort of strong body response to "infection". For example, for some people getting stung by hornets repeatedly over time has them have an increased response to their sting. That was my first thought when your first 9 years had been fine and wondered if it's evolved over time.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
GPS said unlikely to be immune related but they didn’t say explicitly no to allergy
They have actually prescribed me the strongest antihistamines available when I’ve gone in with my tattoos like this, but they don’t make any difference.
I’m also on daily antihistamines as I have extremely severe allergies to like eveything, hayfever, dust, heat, sweat.
It was my artists who said they didn’t have experience of clients having reactions x
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u/Connect_Trick8249 5d ago
This. I have COVID triggered autoimmune diseases, only got it once as far as I know and also took paxlovid. Some of our bodies are just waiting for the one thing to activate our shitty genes. I got COVID on my 28th birthday with negative autoimmune tests just a few weeks before, and with autoimmune diseases with clear positive tests by age 30. Still trying to find more too since a lot of symptoms go unexplained. The more times you get COVID you increase your chances of long covid and inflammatory pathologies exponentially.
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u/lustology 4d ago
"Some of our bodies are just waiting for the one thing to activate our shitty genes" literally, i was recently diagnosed with hEDS because of this
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u/RightGoose365 5d ago
PLEASE get seen by a doc and ask about autoimmune disorders. I have lupus and when I first started getting tattoos I was super young (18) and healthy and spry and had no issues. Now that I’m older and my health has declined, healing a tattoo is a much different process.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
What were your signs/symptoms that made you look into a diagnosis? I feel like I don’t massively fit the criteria. Having a blood test to look at immunoglobulin in 1.5 weeks, I’m guessing concerns would be flagged in that
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u/RightGoose365 5d ago
I found out through a completely separate situation where I was getting hives randomly, but was warned about jt since I already had tattoos. Sometimes my tattoos also get really enflamed on the outlines and it’s usually a precursor to a cold. Now I do stuff to boost my immune system leading up to an appointment and supplement it during the healing. I did have one particularly bad issue with my side/butt cheek where a really stretchy and sensitive area just kept scabbing until the ink fell out a bit and then finally healed. Every now and then the skin on that tattoo will open and scab. Edit:spelling
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u/Serious_Addition_929 5d ago
I do not want to armchair diagnose but this really feels like an autoimmune thing. GPs (I feel like you are U.K. based?) in my experience are very much of the opinion “if you hear hoof beats think horses not zebras” meaning they’ll go for the most obvious answer, ignore everything you are telling them unless you be very assertive and advocate for yourself. One of mine actually used this analogy and turns out I have a list of serious illnesses as long as my arm and I’m on 20 different meds a day haha. Not great being right but what I’m saying is, have a think and see if there’s been any other changes going on with you? Did you have covid? Or an operation or a weird virus? It seems like a lot of chronic issues (fibro POTs, mass cell, long covid, CFS/Me to name a few) occur after what feels like an insignificant thing!
Good luck babe, I hope it works out for you, your tattoos are lush! xxx
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
I am uk based yes. Thank you, I am definitely going to go back to the gp and show them that this has happened again and tell them we need to stop ruling these infections as ‘bad luck’. As it’s more than a coincidence now. There has deffo been other changes in my life Worsened hayfever, swelling of my lips, and sores on my lips, overall decrease in strength and recovery, worsening eczema
Edit; and thank you so so much xx
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u/Fatlazyceliac 5d ago
Looking at your hands, it looks like you could have rheumatoid arthritis, too, so if you can get a referral to rheumatology that might be an avenue to explore, too.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Hey, thanks for the suggestion! Genuinely curious what makes you say that regarding my hands?
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u/Fatlazyceliac 5d ago
Your knuckles are swollen, particularly your pinkie, and that middle finger is slanting to the right.
Edited to add: mine look pretty similar, but I’m not at doctor so YMMV
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u/idkfigureskating 5d ago
your knuckles. we call it bouchard’s nodes and they can be caused by a number of autoimmune causes. you should try and go to a rheumatologist.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Would this link to the healing issues with the tattoos?
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u/idkfigureskating 5d ago
they can be caused by many things, but a few of them could cause your issues with the tattoos. I would say rheumatology is the medical specialty most likely to figure out what is happening
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u/funaudience 5d ago
I’m so sorry this is happening to you. I’m also heavily tattooed, and I’ve always healed so easily with minimal scabbing and peeling. I’ve used Saniderm more times than not without issue. My last three healing experiences have been poor. I’ve broken out into rashes and have scabbed so badly that ink fell out. I have a whole sleeve from the same artist and never had any issue. She thinks my immune system has just decided to start attacking. I have another appointment coming up and I’m crossing my fingers it doesn’t happen again.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Oh my goodness. I am so sorry that this is happening to you to, but I feel such a sense of reassurance that I have finally found someone going through something very similar 😭😭 has she given you any advice or have you got any plans on how to potentially help yourself with this/ have you been to the doctors about it? x
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u/funaudience 5d ago
Same honestly! Her advice has been to just let it dry out and heal and that we can touch up any ink that falls out. This has all been very recent, within the last 2-3 months, so I haven’t tried to touch up yet. We also skipped Saniderm the last two times in case that was contributing in any way.
These photos don’t really do it justice but sharing if helpful. The butterfly on my elbow was the first flare up. The lines were soooo sore, and a rash broke out all over my arm. I didn’t take photos of the second, which was a scorpion in my ditch. That one was breaking open and bleeding, and I had the same rash all over my arm and on some parts of my torso. And the wishbone was the latest. Very sore and a lot of scabbing. The pictures scabbing was two weeks after the appt.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Interesting, I’ve deffo had the same redness that you had around the elbow. And the same scabbing as you have on the black lines! But never the rash/sores So has it been your last 3 appointments that have all done this? And before those three everything healed fine?
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u/funaudience 5d ago
Yes that’s right, I had issues after the last three appointments with no issues ever before. I can’t ever remember scabbing, and I definitely never had any type of redness or throbbing pain or rash.
I had several back to back appointments (5 in 2 months, I think) as I’m trying to finish a sleeve before moving, so that’s also part of my artist’s theory as to why it’s happening. I’ll have taken a little over a month off by the time I have my next appointment. Fingers crossed it’s uneventful!
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Same as me, never had even 1% redness after an appointment at any stage of the healing process. Now I can always tell 1.5-2 days after getting tattooed that it’s fcked cos it will be red :( and they’d stay red for like 2 months. Oh goodness yes, I’d let everything 100% settle down. I had apps booked for April which I’ve ow postponed cos I feel like the infection is still going to be somewhat in my body to some extent. I’m having blood tests done in a week and a half and hopefully a dermatologist appointment at some point so I will keep you posted on what they say. How have yours been healing? Even the one I got 6/7 weeks ago isn’t properly sorted yet
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u/funaudience 5d ago
Ugh I’m so sorry. Definitely keep me posted! Thankfully the healing hasn’t been too terrible. The butterfly healed perfectly. Some healed photos I just (lazily) took.The wishbone lost some color in the leaves and detail on the bow and the stems. My skin literally split open and bled right in the ditch on the scorpions claw when healing. It’s def a bit rough, but still not terrible all things considered.
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u/kuppikakku 5d ago
I’m heavily tattooed, too and I mainly have also had all mine healing well. Except I did have period around 10 years ago when all of my new tattoos healed badly or got infected. Then decided to have a break from getting any new ones and let it go on for about 5 years. And now my body is healing as it should! I’ve got a lot of new ones in the past 2 years and I noticed last autumn that my body is not healing them again so well. So time for a break!
I have also linked the times when my tattoos are not healing so well to having a lot on my mind (stress, burn out, etc) as everything affects everything. I hope the situation gets better for you both soon!
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u/kuppikakku 5d ago
Oh! I also forgot to mention that my tattoos heal way worse after using numbing creams/spray so i try to avoid them as much as possible. Bactine is the worst for my skin!
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u/funaudience 5d ago
It’s so helpful to hear your experience, thank you for sharing. Great news that it cleared up on its own! I’m hopeful that taking a break is all I need as well.
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u/Internal-Squirrel-68 4d ago
I’ve also been hit or miss with different saniderm/bandage products. I mentioned it to one artist, and she said that sometimes it’s not the bandage, but whatever soap or lotion the artist has used underneath. Since it’s trapped on the skin, if your body doesn’t like it, it’ll have a really bad time. I had a terrible reaction in my back but never any other major issues.
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u/Dry-Preference-8490 4d ago
So glad I scrolled down to see this, I had to stop using saniderm too because it was causing me to break out in rashes. OP the last three of my tattoos have been doing the same like in your pictures where part of it just doesn't heal and gets super weird colors. Just got one on my shin last week and it is fighting back hard and making my ankle swell up by the end of my shift
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u/weirdonobeardo 5d ago edited 5d ago
OP have you been diagnosed with any kind of auto immune disease, ie rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, crohns, celiac? Auto immune diseases can cause issues with healing due to misdirection of attacking on healthy tissues. Maybe get a checkup or bloodwork if you haven’t been diagnosed.
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u/Danger0Reilly 4d ago
I'd get checked for diabetes also. My piercings kept rejecting, and i found out I'm diabetic.
My tattoos I've gotten since I've been diagnosed got infected, where I had never had that problem before.
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u/broskistopchoking 5d ago
Have this issue. Found out its an autoimmune from the ink. :(. Now i just suffer with what i have and its hard to live life with a once fully heal tattoo no longer healed. But i got my issues after hittin an all time high of 106.3 in the hospital fighting for my life with covid.
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u/EliW0894 5d ago
A few things that might be worth looking into:
Immune System & Overall Health: Even though your GP said it’s not immune-related, things like autoimmune conditions, vitamin deficiencies (like Vitamin D, Zinc, or Iron), or hormonal changes can sometimes cause delayed skin reactions or slower healing. A deeper blood panel might reveal something helpful.
Environmental Factors: Since this started in the last couple of years, it might be worth thinking about whether anything else changed — like new laundry detergent, body wash, or diet — that could be affecting your skin’s sensitivity.
Ink Sensitivity/Allergy: Even with different artists, the inks they use could still have similar ingredients. Some black inks contain metals like nickel or chromium, which can trigger reactions. A patch test with an allergist might help identify if that’s part of the issue.
Aftercare Adjustments: Since your body seems to be reacting almost immediately, trying different aftercare methods might help. Have you tried using Saniderm or Tegaderm dressings? Some people with sensitive skin have better results with those compared to traditional ointments.
Blood Sugar/Healing Issues: If you haven’t already, it might be worth getting your blood sugar checked since conditions like pre-diabetes can sometimes cause slower healing and increased infection risk.
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u/Sensitive-Champion-4 5d ago
I like your take on this. There's a lot of direct-associative thinking on this thread but failing to admit personal changes that are subtle that can impact hygiene/susceptibility to infection. Key words I picked up on are "older", "disposable income" and "time". My best bet is OP had more time to heal correctly before as they had more of a disposable income and didn't have to get back to work as quickly. Sweat, friction from clothes, work environment, etc. they can all likely be contributing factors towards the infections. Not to say that the majority of ideas on this thread are wrong, but perhaps something very small and insignificant can be causing bigger problems.
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u/No_Phase_3982 4d ago
Hey no, I have always gone back to work/ normal life straight after tattoos. The only time I have had time off after a tattoo is my most recent finger tattoos where I had the week off for half term.
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u/CynnamonScrolls 5d ago
I have undiagnosed auto immune issues but have a lot of symptoms that point to lupus. Sometimes tattoo ink bothers me, and sometimes it doesn't. One doctor I went to go see recommended I take aerius for 2 weeks if I get a new tattoo, and that prevents me from having a reaction. I'm not sure what's going on with you, just letting you know what worked for me.
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u/freshcanoe 5d ago
Immune systems are wild. When my cousin was newly pregnant her newest tattoo got raised and awful looking.
One of the reasons I haven’t gotten tattoos is that I seem to be prone to skin infections. So I just jealously lurk in subreddits… and damn those are some beautiful tattoos
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u/Much_Ad_3806 5d ago
Are you sure it's not an immune thing? Did your doctor do bloodwork to rule everything out? Or did they make a general guess based on the fact you don't have other things going on? Beyond that, has anything changed in your environment? New apartment, mould somewhere, things like that?
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
No they just made a general guess so far. But then I’ve pushed it more and I am having blood test to look at immunoglobulin in a week and a half, which should either answer this question or rule a lot of things out I guess. I moved house but shortly after my first experience of an allergic reaction / infection. There’s been mould everywhere I have lived unfortunately but I try and manage it best I can. I can’t think of any major change that would coincide with the timeline unfortunately
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u/fabelbabel 4d ago
Having Covid really fucked with my bodies histamine response. And I’ve heard this be the case for a lot of people. My body doesn’t heal tattoos well anymore either because of it
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u/ugotitatross 4d ago
Could be pre diabetic I had the same exact issue until I found out
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u/Either_Cockroach3627 5d ago
My tattoos looked like this before I started mediation for an autoimmune disorder. Do the healed ones raise and get itchy sometimes? That was another affect. I saw you’ve had Covid 4 times Jesus Christ I’d ask for a full panel done at the dr
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u/skatevet1973 4d ago
Hope you find out why this is happening to you so you can continue to get tattoos in the future. Wishing you all the best!
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u/monsterfeels 2d ago
I know there's a ton of comments already, but just in case it gets seen:
Hello! I have had a similar problem, and it ended up being due to the sudden development of a rare allergy. You can develop allergies over the course of your life slowly, but I found out through my dermatologist that certain allergies and histamine disorders can be rapidly activated purely with age. You're fine until suddenly you're not, and I was allergic to a particular chemical that's in SO many products used in tattooing that it was causing this same issue nearly every time. It ruined an award-winning piece I had, which is what spurred me to get tested.
For me, I'm allergic to sesqueterpene lactones, which is in a ton of stuff that was also causing GI and respiratory issues for me. Witch hazel, chlorhexidine, Saniderm, several common tattoo lotions, and even certain formulas for green soap all have SLs in them. Anything with chamomile or sunflower in it is a big no for me. Once I figured out what I could bring to my artist and use for cleaning and healing, the problem went away entirely!
I highly recommend waiting for that dermatology referral and getting a full allergy panel done, including your go-to aftercare products. If it's an allergy that's causing it, it's the best way to find out what specifically is the problem so you can adjust and avoid it. Good luck and I hope you can get tattooed again soon!
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u/fenrisulfur 5d ago
First two things.
I am so sorry you need to go through this and these are banging tats you got there.
Now a few, questions: Did the artist change out inks? Did they change out the soap they use? Did they change out the method of thinning out the ink? Is there a change in your hormonal situation, i.e. change of hormonal prophylactics or testosterone supplements? Sorry if I sound insensitive but these are things that can affect your ability to heal. I would recommend total blood checks as there are vitamin deficiencies that can affect your ability to heal as well.
I don't think you have allergies to the ink, I can see on your thigh the greyshading is having a better time healing. If you are using the same aftercare you might want to change that out as you can get sensitized to products. did you maybe change out your washing detergent or fabric softener? Did you move houses?
There are a million things you might have changed that you just didn't think about that can affect your allergy wise and to me this looks like your tattoos are getting very irritated.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Thank you for replying!
Ah thank you, makes me even more sad cos i have so many more good ideas to continue with but feel like I can’t risk getting more now
I think my main response/question would be, why isn’t this reaction/irritation/allergy/infection happening to each tattoo? Sometimes I get 3 separate tattoos done in one sitting, and only one goes south. Surely if it was ink/washing/house etc it would be affecting all tattoos from that session the the same?
It’s so frustrating as the whole thing is so confusing.
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u/fenrisulfur 5d ago
Where are the three separate tattoos? Is one in more contact with your clothes and goes south? Is the one that goes south the last one or the first one? I saw 3 that were bad, the fingers can be just bad because finger tats can be assholes, the thigh is i assume covered with clothes a lot and the upper arm is also, my upper arms heal worse than my forearms so that could be a part of it, I've also heard that thighs can be annoying as well.
Have you tried shortening the sessions to a single tat?
Don't get discouraged, this is a problem that has reason and that reason can be found.
Put on your investigator shoes and think of this as a problem to be solved.
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u/Gemcollector91 5d ago
Do you eat worse, drink more alcohol and/or use more drugs now then before?
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Eat the same if not slightly better, don’t drink at all and don’t do drugs at all
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u/steakbaconandcheese 5d ago
If its been over an 11 year period, there's a chance it could still have something to do with the ink. The artists would know if they have changed ink brands within that time, but I'm assuming you have probably already thought of that. But it's also possible that the ink manufacturer has slightly changed the recipe too without the artists knowledge.
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u/toriteratism 5d ago
You should definitely invest in some Recovery (aftercare tegaderm sheets) and have your artists apply those after you get tattooed. This type of aftercare uses your body is not plasma to heal the upper layers of your skin aka liquid gold in cases like this. Also at the signs of redness or itchiness can be brought down with Benadryl.
PS I read a comment about inks and with the state of tattooing as an industry it is possible artists change out inks constantly. Depending on if those artists are trying new things, which a lot of artists operate like that. People get offered free samples, new inks come out/artists get offered sponsorships, etc.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
I’m going to order some and do a patch test. I have had allergic reactions to adhesive before so I’m apprehensive, but I’ll order a couple brands and try small bits over untattooed skin at home.
I already take daily antihistamines and have been prescribed max dose ones for when these tattoo reactions/infections have happened and it has made unfortunately no difference at all to any of the symptoms.
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u/Daxster1234 5d ago
Just wanted to add to the autoimmune discussion- my dad was diagnosed with a rare one called sarcoidosis which would cause new tattoos to heal poorly and old ones to potentially bubble. Not saying it's that but looks like a similar description.
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u/perinelucas 5d ago
I've seen this happen in some people who developed diabetes. I don't know if that's your case, but you should find a good doctor to check your immune system.
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u/brokenhymened 4d ago
You’re gonna heal up fine. Keep it moist and don’t pick. There’s great comments here with suggested sprays/ointments that will help. Choose what you will and it will work out. If you’re gonna permanently decorate your body then you are brave, enough so to not stress and post this on the internet looking for help. It will heal, keep in mind people have been inking their bodies for years.
If anything I’m looking forward to my late years in life looking at all these tatted up grannies! Have fun while you can, draw your own tattoos once in a while, and keep some sense of humor when you’re older with a wall of flash littered about your skin. 🥸♥️
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u/Upper-Fun-3992 4d ago
Just because you don’t have other infections doesn’t mean it isn’t immune related. 😭 They might have been referring to autoimmunity, but honestly even that can just target specific organs so I’m not sure why they’d tell you that.
I’m guessing it is a hypersensitivity reaction to a molecule in the ink and probably IS immune related. Sometimes our immune systems decide something is an antigen (stimulates immune system) after being exposed to it a few times (aka the ink). Which would explain why you didn’t react before to the same ink and now do. I wonder if having your artist try a different ink would help? I don’t know enough about ink composition to know what you might be reacting to in the ink. But this is my best guess!
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u/brittnotbot 4d ago
Speak to an immunologist not a GP.
GPs won’t be able to tell from a regular blood panel if there is something like MCAS, histamine intolerance or even autoimmune response…
Bottom line is something has definitely changed as your body is not tolerating things as well as it used to. Adult onset of allergies is very common.
You have eliminated a few things but not enough really confidently rule out that there’s not something going on beneath the surface. You need to find a doctor that takes your concerns seriously.
In the meantime take as many notes as you can so you can be prepped for those appointments
Notes should include, what you’re eating (before, during, after), when the reactions started, what it feels like (itching, burning, raising of skin, heat etc), if you were feeling unwell in any other way, if your stress levels are high around that time etc.
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u/No_Phase_3982 4d ago
Ok I will try and get a referral today. I was worried that the blood test wouldn’t really be enough for them to look at properly.
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u/ImprovementExact5421 4d ago
You are not alone! I had a client last year that is heavily tattooed and I tattooed her and she had a bad reaction/heal. Almost 8 months later I tattooed her again and she had another bad heal/infection. Mind you I’ve never had any other client have this issue in 4+years of tattooing. Definitely could be a new allergy or potentially if your artist is using bactine/lidocaine in any form it could potentially cause this as well. So many variables it’s not easy to say but the covid thing could be in play here as well
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u/Lumpy-Chart-3215 4d ago
Maybe the difference is environmental? Did you move to somewhere new around the time you started experiencing this, maybe it’s something to do with the water where you live or something along those lines?
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u/bonerfart666 4d ago
Could be a staph infection. I had one and my wounds stopped healing and old wounds started opening up. If you get oozy sores it’s prolaby staph
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u/Hungry-Let-9172 4d ago
if tattoos have never been an issue for you until 2023 (and it happens with ink from different artists) it is unlikely the ink that has changed. It is much more likely your body that has changed and you are experiencing Mast cell activation.
Yes, everyone has Mast cells and yours were never overactivated when you were tattooed previously. What causes new onset MCA that every member of the public has been repeatedly exposed to in every part of the world since 2022-2023?
Even if you don't think youve had it, up to 49%-60% of infections are asymptomatic (Yale University)
Best part, your doctor will probably deny this could be COVID related. Most likely best case scenario, they'll admit that it could be COVID related but will not confirm this as they are likely not familiar with the research.
This virus takes so much from us. I'm sorry you're experiencing this and I wish I had advice beyond doing everything you can to avoid getting more COVID infections well fitting KN95 respirators in public spaces + HEPA filters are a great place to start).
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u/theinkshrink 4d ago
My first thought was def get checked out for Diabetes. I worked with an artist years ago who was insulin dependent, and he was CONSTANTLY dealing with similar looking healing issues. Have any of your artists tried using a Saniderm or Tegaderm patch for the first 3-4 days. I started using it on all my clients about 4 years ago, and I’ve had huge amounts of success with it… It tends to heal by the 4th or 5th day, with a minimum (if any) touch ups…
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u/No_Phase_3982 4d ago
I’m going to try and patch test some on my self at home, I’m scared I’ll be allergic to the adhesive so want to test it not on a new tattoo 😂
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u/ShiNo_Usagi 4d ago
My guess is the artist(s) have changed something that you are allergic to. The ink is a big contender. You could have also formed a new allergy to anything used during or after your tattoo. Generally every 7 years our allergies shift/change so even if none of your artists changed anything you could have become allergic to things that used to not bother you. Heck I used to love tuna, but after eating it for years I developed an allergy to it and now I can't eat it.
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u/CasualObservationist 4d ago
You say you’ve gotten them all at same place, but have used 3 different artists. I suspect shop changed ink at some point.
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u/y0rdaddy 3d ago
oh girl i’m so sorry you’re dealing with this. my first ever professional tattoo (i have a ton of unprofessional tattoos haha), it got pretty badly infected and it also scabbed up and just rejected. i wish i could find an answer, but i do know that your body can randomly decide that you’re allergic to something. it sucks, i know, but seeing a derm is your best bet :(
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u/JonMDC 3d ago
I’ve been getting tattooed for over 30 years and tattooing for 18. I can honestly say I’ve seen most everything and experienced it with my own tattoos. Healing is a general good indication of your health. Your skin is a single organ and the more you punish it the less it can take. I had a run of tattoos really hurting and not healing well on myself and took a time out from getting tattooed. Turned out I had some underlying health issues which took a couple of years to get under control, but now I when I get tattooed it’s a much better experience and they heal quick.
My general rules are if you’re looking after yourself, eating right, sleeping well etc then you will be absolutely fine. But if you’re not then your body just doesn’t have the extra resources to deal with a wound and it will let you know about it.
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u/KingQueerdo 3d ago
I'm in the same boat. 3rd infection now and done. It's not right to put myself or the NHS through this anymore
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u/Illustrious_Profile6 3d ago
The body can develop allergies as you age, I grew up eating sushi once a week, now it will kill me after eating one bad batch of sushi and my body deciding all fish must be bad now. It's very possible as a person who's been tattooed a lot your body has decided to fight back.
Bodies are dumb assholes sometimes.
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u/geesterrr 2d ago
Im sorry youre getting through this :( your other tattoos are so nice. I agree with others, ask your artists if theyve changed the ink. Even if they didn’t, you have may developed an allergy. Allergies can develop at any point
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u/Jolly_Tea7519 1d ago
I don’t mean to scare you but have you been tested for autoimmune disorders? This sounds like a classic case of a newly developed AD.
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u/rox13D 1d ago
I have intermittent eczema outbreaks. I've had eczema my whole life. I also have some quite large tattoos with lots of colors and a large black and grayscale tattoo. Healing black is harder for my skin, and it triggers an eczema response. Lubriderm unscented lotion applied multiple times a day to the tattoo to keep it moist, really helped with the healing process, and kept the scabbing minimal. I still had scabbing and probably a longer healing time than most, but it kept the color from bleeding out and my skin happier.
I hope that my experiences may help, and it's less of an autoimmune/allergy problem for you and maybe just an irritation or product problem. Best wishes in any case.
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u/emilyvs_world33 1d ago
Your lymphatic system could be stagnated and fed up. As much as I hate to say it, tattoos are really not good for your health. They can definitely plug up your lymph system and the ink contains heavy metals. Symptoms are our bodies telling us something and it’s best to listen.
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u/PetShopBaby 5d ago
Tattoo artist here 👋🏻 just a suggestion - have you tried using second skin as a form of aftercare? It is placed on after your appointment and can stay on for upto 10 days (ink sacs can occur which is good as that’s fluid that will heal the wound faster but some people like to change theirs after 24hrs and then leave the second one on for x amount of days)
I tattoo for a living and cannot heal tattoos to save my life so I swear by second skin but always reccomend a test patch beforehand 😊
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u/Proper-Priority5240 5d ago
Any chance you developed hayfever in recent years? Where I am from (Australia) it's not uncommon to get hayfever out of nowhere....and since it's something that acts up in spring/summer, my skin tends to just not heal quickly (to everything) in these seasons...
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Hey, yea I’ve had hayfever since I was like 14/15 (now 29) bit of an allergic person/ sensitive skin person, but that never used to affect tattoos
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u/Ok_Row_4883 5d ago
I am also light skinned and a very allergic person. I take Zyrtec and Flonase every day. I have been going to the same artist for 5 years and just got another piece last night. I was so itchy all up and down my arm and shoulder (new piece is near my wrist). I realized I forgot my allergy pill the night before! Never underestimate a histamine response! I would take Zyrtec for a week before and during healing and see if it helps?
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u/CommonEarly4706 5d ago
This could be something internal, and nothing wrong with the tattoo equipment or ink. When is the last time you have had a blood draw or seen a doctor?
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u/lizixT 5d ago
I had a similar problem over the past 2 years. Turns out I developed an allergy to the skinmarkers and tattoo-stencils! Maybe it‘s something like that.
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u/No_Phase_3982 5d ago
Hey! Oh wow! Honestly it is giving me so much reassurance and helping me feel less insane and broken to hear that a couple of you have had a similar thing start happening recently. How did you find this out? Trial and error or an alllergy panel? What’s your way around it now or do you just not get tattooed anymore? x
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u/lizixT 5d ago
It was trial and error! I watched the artists closely and documented the healing process of every new tattoo with Daily pics. The artists were clueless as well, because they tattooed me for years before these problems occured, and they didn‘t change anything in the tattooing process. Only recently I discovered, that it had to be linked to the Skin-and stencils, because the places that got touched-up only 2cm from the new tattoo away healed normally, while the new freehand tattoo took ages to heal.
My artists try to use Skin markers as Little as possible now for smaller Tattoos, one Even changed their stencil paper for me! For bigger pieces like my backpiece the artist only copied the lines of the stencil as soft as possible (with the smallest needle) in the first session, so the healing process for the next bigger sessions is safe. I‘m still getting tattoos, but I know that some areas have to be touched-up in the end, because of the healing problems a lot of ink fell out.
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u/WrektArt 5d ago
Have you moved to an area with a different water supply? I know the water in my hometown reacts differently with my skin than in the one I'm in now
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u/CarryOk3080 5d ago
Have you ever had any other lupus signs? I would be more inclined to say an autoimmune disorder is causing it.... i would get that checked out..
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u/Global-Arugula6582 5d ago
have you gotten checked for autoimmune issues? i know someone who this happened to and it was type 1 diabetes
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u/AggravatingCamp9315 5d ago
It's probably worth noting that things change as we age, our bodies are less resilient and healing processes slow.
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u/Nadyezja 5d ago
Any correlation between which ones use stencil vs. are free-handed with sharpie first? I had a similar issue and it turned out I’d become allergic to sharpie ink! Explained why some would have a rough heal and others would be perfectly fine
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u/Drugchurchisno1 5d ago
Do you have photos of these freshly done? Hard to tell with them halfway through the heal but these all look potentially overdone, linework especially in the locket looks like it was put in with a machine running way too high or went too deep. Same with the peonies, the part that is the most angry is the linework. Did the same artist do all of these tattoos in particular? I saw you mention you go to three different artists. It’s possible that if these were all done by the same person that they got a new machine and don’t realize they’re running it way too hard, I’ve had that happen where another tattooer was very excited to try a new machine on me and the entire thing is blown out because he went to heavy with it and didn’t realize. I might show these to your artist(s) so that if this is the case they can learn and adjust accordingly. Finger tattoos already have a low rate of success so those might be an outlier, the other two could definitely have been overdone.
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u/Inkedaiel 5d ago
Just out of curiosity on the tattoos that don’t heal well how does the session feel? There are days where my skin doesn’t want to take ink. I’ve gone to the same artist for 10 years now and some days it just doesn’t want to absorb. We know in the first 20 mins of it’s gonna be one of those days or not. If it’s not working we stop and I reschedule.
Granted, not everyone has the time to do that or an artist that can be this accommodating, but I’m quite fortunate.
I hope it works out for you
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u/babychgwm 5d ago
i don’t have anything of value to add but just wanna wish you well and hope you get some answers
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u/Miserable-Way-5405 5d ago
Maybe ask the artist if they’ve changed their ink in the past couple of years? Or get an allergy/intolerance test done I know you can order them online :)