Is It Normal For Ink To Come Off When A Tattoo Is Healing?
Getting that first tattoo is always a nerve-wracking experience. The tattoo novice cannot help but worry about the quality and longevity of the work. Thus, it can be very disconcerting when they see that their new tat is losing ink. Whether it happens in the shower, during a workout, or at any other time, it is normal for some ink to come off while a tattoo is healing.
Why Does This Happen?
All tattoos will lose some of their ink during the healing process. Hopefully, it won’t be enough to ruin the appearance of the work, but it all depends on the skill of the artist.
It’s important to understand that tattooing creates a multitude of tiny wounds in your skin. As the body tries to heal those wounds, there will often be peeling, scabbing, and a little soreness. This happens because that patch of skin is dead and it naturally wants to shed itself. As it sheds and scabs, some of the ink is taken away as well.
Common Mistakes That Lead To Ink Loss
A good tattoo artist requires years of training, and this is because of the subtleties involved. If the artist embeds the needle too deeply (or not deeply enough), there will be problems with the ink.
If they have gone too deep, the ink will tend to bleed and seep into the surrounding area. If they didn’t go deep enough, most of the ink will be lost during the healing process. Incidentally, you can always tell if the artist has gone too deep because the tattoo will be raised like the big scar that it has become.
You can also end up with ink loss problems if your artist simply didn’t use enough ink. If you’ve ever watched a master tattoo artist at work, it may have seemed that they were using more ink than necessary. However, this is done for good reason. A good artist will try to get as much ink in there as possible because they know your skin is going to reject a certain amount.
Should You Be Concerned?
In most cases, a little bit of ink loss is no big deal. You can simply go back to your artist and request a touch-up. In many cases, they will do this at no additional charge (provided that you have already paid for the original work). It is perfectly normal for tattoos to require multiple touch-up sessions, especially if it is a large piece.
However, there are two things that you should consider. First, you should consider whether or not your artist has done a good job. If you end up losing a whole lot of ink, your artist definitely did something wrong. Either that or you failed to care for the new tat properly (more on that later). Substandard work should not be tolerated, so don’t keep going back to that same artist who already botched the job.
Secondly, you need to consider the possibility of infection. Infection can cause a lot of ink loss and it can even ruin the tattoo entirely. Needless to say, when you are sporting a whole bunch of tiny skin punctures, each one of them can potentially harbor infection. If your tatted area is red, swollen, overly sensitive, oozing pus, and/or refusing to heal, you might have an infection. If that happens, see a doctor immediately.
Caring For A New Tattoo
If you want to minimize ink loss (as well as the risk of infection), proper tattoo aftercare is the key. Those instructions from your artist are meant to be followed completely, so don’t try to skimp. This is not one of those times where you can skirt the boundaries and come out okay. On the contrary, aftercare is almost as important as the quality of the work itself.
To understand this matter more completely, let’s turn to a study that surveyed aftercare methods and instructions from a number of different artists. The first noteworthy fact is this: About 12% of artists will present their clients with no written aftercare instructions. Instead, they will only give verbal instructions which the client may or may not remember. So, make sure you get those aftercare instructions in writing!
The most common methods involve antibacterial soap and unscented moisturizing lotion/ointment, which should be applied 2-3 times per day. This lotion or ointment will usually be something petroleum-based (like Vaseline, for instance). Some artists will recommend “dry healing” (AKA no moisturizer), but this will often increase the likelihood of ink loss. In any case, don’t remove that initial bandage until the recommended time has elapsed.
As for dressing the wound, most artists recommend open-air healing. This means that you do not cover the tattoo with bandages or clothing. If you must wear clothing over a fresh tat, it should at least be something nice and loose. If your artist should deviate from these methods, do remember that there is always more than one way to skin a cat.
Some Ointments Will Cause Ink Loss
If your tattoo has undergone significant fading, you might want to think about any products that you may have used. There are some moisturizers/ointments on the market that will actually pull ink from your new tat. Anything that contains rubbing alcohol is best avoided, and there are a number of other ingredients with similar effects.
Conclusion
As you can see from the information above, it is very important to choose the right tattoo artist. Ink loss will always be more likely to happen when you employ substandard artists, to say nothing of the other risks like a staph infection. That’s why you should call Oracle Tattoo Gallery at 215-638-1601 today. If you are looking for competent Philadelphia tattoo shops, there is no need to waste time asking yourself “hey, what are the best local tattoo shops near me?” You’ve already found the answer, and we are eager to prove that we are the best.
