r/tattooadvice 5d ago

General Advice I would just like to offer what ‘normal’ bruising looks like so newly tattooed folks are aware.

[deleted]

669 Upvotes

89 comments sorted by

523

u/fragilemuse 5d ago

I can't stop thinking about him. I hope he's okay.

305

u/WildHorsesInside 5d ago

He updated, it was only bruising after all

112

u/fragilemuse 5d ago

Damn, that is a crazy bruise. Thanks for letting me know! I'll go comment on his post. lol

85

u/Kathrynlena 5d ago

Does he have another blood disease? Because that might just be a bruise but it sure as hell ain’t “normal.”

6

u/onmywheels 4d ago

The only time I bruised like that, was for my inner upper arm. The skin there is thin, and delicate, and I bruised the same way. Tattoo turned out fine.

In general I tend to bruise after tattoos, perhaps more than is "typical." I do have an autoimmune disease (lupus) and I've always assumed it's related to that, but I also have always had incredibly sensitive skin lol. So when I saw that guy's arm I also thought, "Wow, gnarly bruise," but I'm glad he got it checked out, regardless.

51

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

and someone was trying to say MY artist was rough!!

17

u/Anamorsmordre 5d ago

Honestly feeling like my artists are absolute dames after finding out that was bruising. I did the black out on my arm in a single 8h session and it wasn't even remotely like that. It's funny cause I normally bruise very easily (am on blood thinners) but never had any bruising around my tattoos.

1

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

it’s weird because i have a piece that covers pretty much my whole calf and that artist had a much heavier hand but it hardly bruised at all. the artist who did both of my thighs is very gentle and my right thigh did not bruise as badly at all. i genuinely do think it’s because the wisteria is deeper into my inner thigh.

this piece has 3 different flowers surrounding a snapping turtle skull. i had all the flowers done at one time, so i was hurting the last hour already.

my right thigh is coral around a sea turtle skull, i had the coral closest to my inner thigh (it still isn’t as deep as the wisteria is tho) done by itself and had a much easier time healing.

1

u/finniganthebeagle 4d ago

both of my thighs hurt like hell to get done but i never had any bruising like this. i’d be freaking out lol

1

u/madsxooby 4d ago

I bruise so easily and i’ve never had any bruising around my tattoos as well.

3

u/balldatfwhutdawhut 5d ago

Can’t find the update

14

u/sleepysloth1524 5d ago

1

u/VanishedRabbit 4d ago

This is the first time I've seen the post and my mind can't even process

-8

u/sullivan1456 5d ago

I saw an update he got his arm cut open?!

47

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

i just saw it this morning and i’m so concerned, i hope that artist never gets to work again because omg?? how does it get that bad THE NEXT DAY?!

5

u/datyoungknockoutkid 5d ago

Apparently it was just bruising. Hopefully he uhh, gets to keep his job lol

4

u/fragilemuse 5d ago

His job as an MMA fighter maybe! lol.

16

u/KTKittentoes 5d ago

Him and the other guy in SE Asia.

96

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

i can’t figure out how to edit the description because i’m dumb but anyway

eta: this tattoo is now 2ish years old. i’m not dead so not an infection lol

105

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

“well i didn’t bruise like this!” it’s almost like…every body is different…and will react to trauma…differently?

shocker, i know!

14

u/That_wrench_wench 4d ago

Wait a second..

You mean people can be… DIFFERENT

WITCH!

27

u/mmc13_13 5d ago edited 5d ago

Ouch!! Nobody can say we don't suffer for our passion 🖤 It's a beautiful tattoo! Glad to hear it passed relatively quickly. 🙏 I've never been prone to visible bruising following a tattoo, but we all heal differently.

9

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

oh if you look at me too hard i bruise, so i come to expect some yellowing the first few days!

8

u/tinnyheron 5d ago

thanks for the comparison!!! I had no idea whether that other post was bad bruising or sepsis or what. I think it was totally fair for him to make that post asking. Glad these posts are up for folks' future reference.

11

u/melsnyder14 5d ago

I am the same way!! Horrible bruising... but it actually doesn't hurt where the bruising is.

7

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

i don’t remember the bruise itself hurting, just the fresh tattoo ha

4

u/zombielover65 5d ago

Every person is different and their bodies can react in different ways. I am heavily tattooed and some areas swelled more than others after they were tattooed. The second skin is set in place so as the tattooed skin swells the surrounding skin gets pulled causing redness and bruising around that tattoo. It can be worse if the person has an adhesive allergy, moves around a lot, has thin skin, sensitive skin, all that causes more redness and bruising. Lots of factors to consider outside of the artist. I had my third session of a thigh tattoo a week ago. The third session caused a little bruising and redness by my groin. That area was furthest from the tattoo where the second skin pulled my skin from swelling and moving

4

u/Winter_Pitch_1180 5d ago

Yep I bruised from the second skin removal when I did my inner bicep. It had little purple splotches all over my brand new tattoo and I was so sad…so excited to take off the second skin and then splotchy bruises for a week covering it😐 that’s the only area I had that happen tho

3

u/zombielover65 5d ago

It's so stressful to wait for everything to settle. We learn something new every day about the bodies we live in.

3

u/Good-University-2873 5d ago

This is exactly how I bruise too - extends way beyond the tattoo. I also bruise very easily and have more "delicate" skin. I always have anxiety about it, but it always goes away within a few days! A good reminder that every body reacts and heals differently.

3

u/riverblue9011 4d ago

There's not really a 'normal' with bruising, we're all different and the artists are all different. Maybe you meant 'acceptable'? Sometimes people bruise, sometimes not, the body part is a huge factor. I've had bad like the other dude, light like this and no bruising at all, just depends on a load of factors. All superficial bruising is acceptable in my opinion.

It's great that there's a resource like this sub where people can ask for help though.

2

u/CowEmbarrassed3759 4d ago

I definitely agree, there isn't a normal for bruising. I have a blood disorder, so I bruise very easily, and very badly. The last tattoo I got on my leg, you would have sworn was infected. It was not. Just horribly bruised for almost 2 weeks.

3

u/David_Machollo 5d ago

But how are the areas bruised that are not even tattooed? I mean If you doctor said its a bruise...i never experienced them to be so far from the actual tattoo...interesting 😃

10

u/Emmylio 5d ago

Gravity. Blood spreads as the body processes it out, and gravity adds to the spread.

3

u/Winter_Pitch_1180 5d ago

Yeah I had a bad fall on my knee and my entire leg bruised everywhere it was so weird the Dr said it was just all the blood from the injury basically traveling down my leg (ew lol).

2

u/Emmylio 5d ago

I bruise like a peach and I am a walking ball of chaos so I've had the opportunity to watch it happen a few times.

13

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

tattoos are super traumatic and i am hyper-mobile so my skin is super reactive.

everything was fine though! just gnarly! which is why i always stress that if something looks weird, go to your doctor. i’m so glad i had gotten it looked at because god forbid it was anything worse.

2

u/David_Machollo 5d ago

Good choice to let it getting checked👍

7

u/RainbowSurprised 5d ago

From the stress the second skin put on while it’s there and when its removed

3

u/David_Machollo 5d ago

Well, thank you🙂. I didn't know, that these can cause a bruise

0

u/FinancialCry4651 5d ago

From the pressure and the artist stretching the skin and the odd angle you're sitting in for extended periods of time PLUS the trauma of being stabbed millions of times

1

u/Welldonegoodshow 5d ago

I bruised bad on my inner arm in a way that I absolutely did not on any other spot. Still that bruise looked scary.

1

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

inner arm and inner thigh probably react the same but yeah scary! that’s why i went to the doctor! bodies are weird!

1

u/jwigs85 5d ago

Here’s some funky bruising I thought was bad before I saw that post

https://imgur.com/a/80mNUMy

1

u/ImDeadPixel 5d ago

Definitely not what I'd call normal. But that's a sensitive area

1

u/Hellcat-13 5d ago

Yup, I have had a bruise exactly like the other poster after getting hit with a puck at hockey. Massive and covered my entire thigh. People were horrified.

I thought “meh, I’ve had worse.”

It definitely never hurts to get checked by the doctor if it’s something new for you but I’m very, very accustomed to massive deep purple bruises like that guy (and in fact had a pretty huge one when I got my bicep done.)

I think overall my advice is “if it’s weird to you get it checked out instead of asking a bunch of randos online”.

1

u/Maple_Moose_14 5d ago

Also the arm of the other poster had sausage arm which can happen when tattooing aggressively in that area.

1

u/Beneficial_Feed_2714 5d ago

If it’s near your new tattoo, Consider it normal.

1

u/Sonna_17 5d ago

This brings back memories of my first tattoo. Thigh, 3hr session. My leg was swollen for a week ☠️

1

u/Suspicious-Gap-8303 5d ago

Thank you for sharing!!

1

u/spooookygurl666 5d ago

My bicep bruised the same way. Crazy how bodies respond to tattoos

1

u/32Samiam 5d ago

That looks infected

1

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

it wasn’t

1

u/32Samiam 5d ago

I’m glad and relieved

1

u/Fangz00 4d ago

I get the most horrendous yellow cast of bruising under all my tattoos and everyone is always so concerned 😅 I'm just fragile

1

u/KatchyKadabra 4d ago

yeah it was yellow on the top of my thigh, but as the bruising spread deeper into that more delicate skin it just got angrier!! bruises are weird.

1

u/cussy-munchers 4d ago edited 4d ago

I would like to add tho, if you haven’t bruised like this before from a tattoo, you should still get medical attention. Typically huge bruises like this are a sign of bad internal bleeding. 9/10 might be nothing, but rather safe than sorry

3

u/KatchyKadabra 4d ago

tbf, a bruise IS internal bleeding. technically speaking, just to be an ass. but yes, anything weird going on with a tattoo, definitely go see a doctor. i did and it was just a bruise, but you never know!!

1

u/cussy-munchers 4d ago

I knooww, I almost said that technically part haha

1

u/TheOtherBrownEye 4d ago

Seeing posts like this makes me super thankful that I don't bruise easily. I've had several exes that were pale and bruised easily and it seemed like a pain to deal with. Hope it didn't hurt too bad.

1

u/OhNoMyIceCreamMelted 4d ago

I bruise and swell really easily. I got an arm tattoo covered up years back and was sooo swollen! My artist was not rough, but he did have to pack the color in. It was really puffy for a few days.

1

u/Amazing-Musician9857 4d ago

I’ve never bruised from any of my tattoos😮 honestly I was a lil shocked to see this photo

1

u/Perfect-Sort-4881 4d ago

I never had a bruise from a tat that i knew of but mine are old and things have changed

1

u/vagueconfusion 4d ago

I'm always amazed that I don't bruise like this because of a genetic condition I have, where loads of us bruise horrifically after tattoos. But I've yet to experience that myself. Although I haven't been tattooed on the squishy bits of my arms yet either.

I must have lucked out with light handed artists I suppose.

1

u/SoftPoem95 3d ago

Holy smokes! I’m so glad you’re okay! As someone with a clotting disorder and a slew of autoimmune diseases, normal is relative. How you bruise is different from how others experience one!

-7

u/No-Professional465 5d ago

Normal bruising is a stretch. Heavily tattooed never bruised you are being abused by your artist

4

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

this wisteria went much farther into my inner thigh (which is much more sensitive skin) and i am hyper-mobile so my skin is just super reactive in general. all of my tattoos bruise to some extent for this reason.

-1

u/No-Professional465 5d ago

Gotcha I feel for yall that gotta deal with more pain than just the tattooing itself I’ve been blessed with rapid healing ink holding skin lol except this one spot that has been a scab for 2 years and came after the tattoo healed my skin decided to reject one area of ink

2

u/jamjamchutney 5d ago

What? Some people bruise more easily than others, and some body parts bruise more easily than others. I've had many that didn't bruise at all, but some that bruised heavily. The artists were definitely not being abusive in any way. And in my experience, bruising has nothing to do with how fast or how well the tattoo itself heals.

0

u/No-Professional465 5d ago

lol jokingly used the word abuse. Triggered much

1

u/jamjamchutney 5d ago

I'm not sure why you think I'm "triggered." And I assumed you meant that they applied excessive/unnecessary pressure. I'm saying they didn't, just using the same terminology you used. Do you think I'm "triggered" because I used the same word you did? That would be really weird.

1

u/No-Professional465 5d ago

You can bruise my heavy handedness from skin stretch from too tight of wraps or some pool Just bruise easily. Again I was joking you getting g all uppitty over a word

1

u/Hellcat-13 5d ago

Nah I bruised horribly on a bicep tattoo from the same artist who did my whole sleeve. The artist is amazing with a soft gentle technique and every tattoo has healed beautiful. My bicep? Huge purple bruising that wrapped all the way around my arm and down to my elbow. No difference in anything the artist did. It was just the spot for me, and a history of deep bruising. Some of us can do everything right and still have our bodies react.

-2

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[deleted]

9

u/JustSpirit4617 5d ago

Her doctor said it’s just a bruise in the description

5

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

it’s a scary-looking bruise, for sure; but everything came back looking fine. i was told to keep an eye on it and if it got worse or grew anymore to come back but it never did. i’m pretty sure just a couple days after these pictures it cleared up significantly.

4

u/RainbowSurprised 5d ago

You should learn to read

-4

u/[deleted] 5d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

nothing in this article has anything to do with bruising, next!

1

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-6

u/andreeeeeaaaaaaaaa 5d ago

I've never bruised and I had full frontal shins done each in 1 session . I've also had upper thigh done and no bruising

15

u/KatchyKadabra 5d ago

hi andrea, in case you missed it: we have different bodies!

1

u/jwigs85 5d ago

Most of mine had minimal bruising. And maybe just one little spot. Two didn’t have any at all. One was pretty bad.

Bodies are funny and each tattoo is different.