Is this normal?

I just got a new tattoo a few days ago on my hip. I woke up the next day and had the ink coloring leaking down my hip. It is starting to heal now but the tattoo itself has very little colour and the lines are completely blurred. Have any of you seen this before?

Believe it or not, it does sound normal. Just keep utilizing the aftercare that your artist gave you. During the healing process, sometimes new tattoos can look quite funny, but once they're completely healed, it's a different story. Some of my best tattoos looked horrible during the healing process. Just remember to keep doing what your artist told you to do as far as taking care of it, and if you have any problems after it's done healing such as loss of color, your artist will most likely take care of the situation.

Thanks alot!! It is my first, I was a little freaked out.

Did you take the bandage off in two hours like you were supposed to? A lot of times people don't wanna mess up their sheets so they leave the bandage on overnight not realizing that that is a very,very bad thing to do. You'll "smother" the tattoo and lots of things could start going wrong. hope it's better now.

Bullshit .....I tell my people (and have for years) If ya need to you can reapply some plastic wrap to keep from leakin on yer sheets tonight as long as ya wash it well before and as soon as ya get up. And same goes if ya work in a dirty or dusty environment...cover that sucker with wrap!! Sure its much better for it to get air but not everyone has that luxury!...I would much rather see a tattoo over wrapped than to see someone get a bad infection!!...If ya pull off 6 inches of plastic wrap from the roll then use the NEXT section it is perfectly safe!!...TAz

funny..hmmm..... A wound that doesnt need oxygen to heal.....must be a bunch of super heroes you're tattin up there tazzy. and as long as antibacterial is applied frequently no infection...bing

Oh come on! why are you deliberately twisting my words...I did not in any way imply to keep the plastic on for weeks or days...simply a few hours...and I made sure to say to let it get air as soon as possible...the first 36 hours of a tattoos life are the most crucial...any barrier against bacteria and germs is good...just to let the skin seal itself which it does in (usually) 24-36 hours....I think 35 years of experience allows me to make that suggestion...I was using plastic wrap as a cross contam barrier before hospitals!! Done a lot of trial and error in those 35 years sonny....Think about it!!...............................OLD TAz

didnt mean to offend you i apologize

No NO NO NO!!! ya did NOT offend man ..I'm just sayin what I do ....there are thousands of artists and every one has a different method...I'm just tellin ya mine...see now ya made me feel bad ya little shit! Now I gotta go let one of the girls whack the crap out of me with a clip chord!!..LOL!...TAz

Ive had people keeping it under cling film for the first night for 3 years now. Been HUGE threads on pro and cons at Tattooz over this in the past. I actually believe it PROMOTES healing. Plus keeps the tattoos off the sheets,,,also holds ink better. I have NEVER seen a bad reaction to this. Every artist has his OWN aftercare suggestions and it should be followed.

ya i do the plastic wrap at night and recently switched to H2Ocean during the days this meathod seems to work best for me (cept for my foot going for a 3rd pass at it grrrr hopefully it'll finally stay) but gabe breaks out from the plastic wrap after the first night so like most things in life different strokes different folks i imagine most first timers should listen to exactly what their artist (or Taz) has to say on the subject but once you've put days under the needle you probably know whats right for your own body/skin type

Taz will use any excuse to have the girls whip him with the clip cord *big smile*

Taz will use any excuse to have the girls whip him with the clip cord *big smile*

Is it ok to talk healing in here? We know the client should always listen to their artist, but I would think its ok to talk about all the different ways we heal... Of course what we say on here is going to run contrary to what lots of artists recommend, but ack!!! So, do we let loose with our success stories or keep mum and let the artists heal their clients tattoos?

I would say ABSOLUTELY Gabe. I think this is one of the MOST important non-technical issues that should be shared in the public eye. Its funny how so many will still desregard the artists instructions in favor a a friend who's knows-it all suggestions lead to all kinds of problems, like ink loss, infections etc. ( Things like taking the bandage off and letting the dog lick.) Have heard that one several times now. No artists likes to see a customer come back with a staff infection saying....look what you did to me.

I had some work done at NY Adorned a couple of days ago by Kaz (who rocks btw) and he instructed me to keep the bandage on overnight. This has been the protocol issued by most artists I have come into contact with over the years. After removing the bandage in the morning, I washed the goop off with a tiny bit of mild liquid soap and then i have been applying a pea-sized dab of A&D (as per NYA's instructions) twice a day. I even will dab it after that if it looks shiny. After today i will switch to curel. I remember my shoulder blade did not seem to heal as quickly. It is a black tribal piece and it looks good for having been done in '93, but up close the lines look slightly blurred and a significant area of the tattoo is raised (only discernible by touch, however). I'm not sure to attribute that to my healing propensities or perhaps naively slathering it over-liberally with whatever ointment i used at the time. I certainly went to a reputable artist (John Shaw) and paid a fairly steep price for it, so perhaps the slight blurring seen up close is due to over-moisturizing and simple age.

Hey Lisa- without seeing the tattoo that Jonathan Shaw did on you, I have to say the most likely reason that it's a little blurry at the edges close up is because the tattoo is 13 years old. As the skin ages, so does the tattoo. Were the lines nice and crisp for a few years at least? It sounds like a normal aging tattoo to me. I betcha that was a fun day getting tattooed by him, I heard stories about NYC back during the underground days.

I did keep the plasctic wrap on for about 2 hours then washed and aired it out for a few hours. I then applied my ointment and allowed that to dry as well. It is hard to allow it to air dry as I can't really go to work with no pants on. I have tried to wear as loose fitting clothes as possible so it doesn't rub too much, but even that is a little hard, I don't really own a lot of really loose pants (they just don't look as good!) Is is possible that the color just didn't take properly to my skin? Does that ever happen?

Krystof those were both bad and good days all at once ...we worked basically by word of mouth waitin for people to call our "secret" numbers and make clandestine appointments to come to our "secret" studios.....It was a magic time for tattoos in the CITY.One that we will never see again....Its sad......TAz

Ahhh...yes...it was an interesting experience..everything was oh-so-secretive indeed-- i made an appointment a few months in advance but on the eve of the tat had *no idea* where the studio was located, and in fact had to call him from a payphone when i got to a restaurant on Avenue A. He then showed up and escorted me there (it was previously stipulated that i had to come alone). Another fairly famous artist/persona type was there--the name "Spider" (???)and visions of long sideburns come to mind. I was on the LE side with a thousand dollars crammed into my purse and getting my first tat--memories! My picture was taken that evening and later showed up in an issue of Jonathan's magazine. Unfortunately, i have forgotten which particular issue the photo appeared in. I'd love to have a copy again.

Aaaah, Good 'Ole Spider Webb- did he try to convince you to get an "X" tattooed on you? He plays a mean Electric Crutch!

I stil have Spider Webs mark on my body...and no I don't mean a tattoo....the fugger BIT ME!!!...FOR REAL!!!!!...Ever since if its a full moon I get this weird craving for raw meat and feel the need to run around outside in the dark an howl at the moon!!!

NEKKID!!!