Infected Tattoo or rejecting ink

I just got my second tattoo of a fairy on a mushroom in the middle of my back, lower down, end of mushroom stem at the tail bone. When i got the tattoo everything was fine, yes it hurt but not really.. Finally he was almost done he just needed to put in the teal on the mushroom then he was done. Once he started it started to burn and really hurt. I thought it was because I was tender from the rest of the tattoo that he had finished. When he was done my tattoo looked great, but i was in a lot of pain. He then wiped it with something that made it burn like crazy and put A&D, then rapped it with plastic and told me to take it off and wash it after 4 to 6 hours.. I did... It was tender to the touch and stung when I took a shower. I then put the A&D on it and went to bed. I woke up stiff as a board and washed it, put A&D rapped it and went to work. By the time i got to work I could barely more. It felt like I was going to crack or split open. It was so bad that I had to wait to get home because the saran wrap I put on was stuck to it. So when I got home I took a shower (still stings) and put more A&D on it. I went out and bought even more A&D. It has been over a week now and it blisters there is a silky, sticky ooes when I wash. and now it looks like my skin is coming off (Not peeling) but chunks of it. The teal is almost gone. I went to the tattoo place and they said that I was having a allergic reaction to the brand and that they will touch it up. Is there anything I can do to stop the swelling, redness, skin removal, burning, and painfully cracking. Or do I need to go to the doctors? Can u also please CONFIRM that all I am having is an allergic reaction to the brand. My first one was easy all there was was peeling a little and that was it. Lasted maybe a week at most.

ok first off you should have NEVER RE WRAPPED WITH ANY PLASTIC! you inavertandetly traped germs in there! from your post it sounds like you have severly oversaturated the tattoo with ointment.this is a BIG BIG problem here.almost everyone does this! god what a pain in the ass it is! now with the area you got the tattoo you are rubbing it constantly,couch, car seat,officechair, bed sheets,ect. MICRO DUST BUNNIES! they can and will cause hell in a tattoo.i suggest you wash tattoo with mild soap in shower,pat dry tattoo DONT RUB! and do not use a wash rag to wash! let the tattoo air dry for 10 to 15 minutes after shower. then apply A VERY SMALL AMOUNT of ointment.the size of a BB should suffice. Note make sure person applying ointment has CLEAN hands.wash this tattoo 3 xs a day morning noon and about a hour before bed time.do this for 3 to 4 days and then switch to a NON SCENTED LOTION apply 3 to 4 times a day to keep moist.now with what you are describing this is not going to be a real fun heal. you will probably scab,and loose some color.DONT PICK AT IT DONT SCRATCH IT! this dosent really sound like a allergic reaction but im not saying it is not one either.keep it clean and let us know how you are doing in the next day or so.i live in fort collins area so im fairly close.and absolutely no none what so ever any sexual action while this is healing! try different positions but ya dont want to rub those micro bunnies in there by doing such.keep us posted and good luck!

I would have to agree with elrich. However I dont think anyone could tell if you were having a reaction to a brand of ink without knowing if with any previous tattoo you have had the same reaction. You said that it started with the teal color, do you have any other areas that have teal in them?

Wow, I am going through the exact same thing with my new tat. Got it done sun 4/18 and have had tats in the past and never a reaction of any kind. Never had the plastic wrap til this one so I guess my others are pretty old. Looked great til tues. Had a nasty job to do at work, didn't want to get infected so I wrapped it up. Course the job was in a really hot place so the plastic hardly stuck. Ended up taking it off and leaving a thin layer of ointment. Somethin's better than nothin I guess. Had to do the job again wed and thats when hell broke loose. Didn't wrap it, just a layer of ointment which I applied 3 times throughout the day since my work pants rubbed it all off. (tat is on upper right thigh) By the time I got home it was all kinds of red, bumpy and sore. Took a shower, did not scrub it but washed with my hands. Applied a little ointment, Put plastic on just so I could get my running done but didnt tape it on. Got home, wiped off the ointment and let it breathe. Looked online the next morning cuz it had started seeping, found everyone saying do not wrap it, stop with the ointment, so I did both. So, today is friday. Still swelled, bumpy, sore. Seeping stopped. Had a few itchy moments and looked up whether I could put hydrocortizone on it, had the go ahead so I put just enough on to stop the majority of itching. It is getting better. So, can anyone tell me just why we are putting saran wrap on them now? Can I just do like I have always done and put a little ointment for the first 3-4 days and leave it alone? This is crazy! And I have to do the same job tomorrow at work and I am thinking that will be a very bad thing!

ok saran wrap is to only be used after the tattoo has just been applied and during the first 24 hours. there are arguments over to use or not use saran wrap.i say if a surgeon and hospital use it to cover wounds and such then its ok with me and i have used it for over 10 years. part of the reason s.wrap is used is so the tattoo is visible to the friends and public to show off and it also promts the client to keep a bandage on and not throw it on the ground right outside the shop.another reason is to promote healing and decrease scabbing and such. s wrap is excellent on keeping out air borne spore,dirt,and general contact spores and such. so youre doing the same job tomorrow? ok i would NOT recomend plastic wrap. instead take a paper towel place it over the tattoo and tape it on to keep in place. paper towel will allow it to breathe and such. there should be no need for ointment but if youre using the anti itch use that and apply a thin layer and place paper towel and tape in place.

Decided to stay home just one more day to give the skin just a little longer to heal. It is definitely less red this morning. Took a shower last nite, no soap, pat dry and waited bout a half hour before I put a small amount of lubriderm (unscented) lotion on it. No burning, no itching. Went to sleep and when I got up this morning it was a shade less red and was itching so I did another thin layer of lubriderm. Seems like I'm on the right road. Thanks so much for the advice, I appreciate it! Next tat, I know what to do.

sounds great good luck keep using the lotion like you are glad to hear its getting better.

Went to the doc yesterday just to be sure i was going at this problem the right way and the doc had NO idea what was going on with the tat. gave me a $45 cream (lotrizone- which is an antifungal/steroidal) Put some on and it started itching even worse so I washed that off and haven't put anything on. Got a get outta work slip til this heals up so I am just keeping an eye on it but it seems like leaving it alone is the best bet. Tat itself still looks great. Lesson learned: no new tats til I go on vacation! Thanks for all the tips...