A tattoo is like a wound on your body. It can affect how the ink stays on your skin. How you take care of, it can make it heal faster or slower.
Sometimes, your tattoo can itch or swell. You might be allergic to something or have a disease called Sarcoidosis.
Burning or Heat
Your tattoo can feel hot or burn for a few days. You should wash your tattoo with warm water and soap that does not have perfume. Use a paper towel or a special cloth for tattoos to dry it. Then cover it with a bandage or dressing.
You should do this several times a day until your tattoo looks better. You should also use lotion or gel that does not have perfume on your tattoo. It will make it moist and help it heal faster.
Itching
Your tattoo is like a wound, so it can itch when healing. It is normal, but something might be wrong if it itches too much.
Your doctor might give you some cream or medicine to help with that.
Swelling
Your tattoo can be red and swollen for a week. But if your tattoo does not heal well, you should immediately see your doctor or dermatologist. You might have an infection or an allergy because of the ink or something you used on your tattoo.
An infection can make your tattoo look darker, bumpy, rashy, pusy, or sore. It can also hurt a lot.
An infection can be severe and need antibiotics or surgery. It can even cause an abscess, a pocket of pus under your skin. You need to get rid of the abscess as soon as possible.
Infection
You might have an infection if your tattoo itches reddens, swells, inflames, or rashes. You should get medical help right away.
The ink in your tattoo can have bacteria that can cause infections. These infections can be hazardous and make you very sick.
You can avoid infections by following the instructions from your tattoo artist. They will tell you how to clean and care for your tattoo. But if you get an infection anyway, you must treat it quickly. If you don’t, your tattoo could be damaged forever.
Infections are not part of the normal healing process and can be very painful. Some parts of your body are more sensitive than others, like your neck, back of knees, ribs, ankles, wrists, and biceps.
