Tattoo infection

Frank Bullitt

Sorry for making a bucket of threads the past few days, but I trust opinions around here.

Basically sat for almost 10 hours on Monday to get my tattoo finished (see show me yours thread)

The area around my wrist has a lotus flower in it and was quite swollen just after the sitting, its a nasty spot to get done.

Yesterday it was leaking pretty bad from under the cling film, a clear liquid etc which im told is normal. Today there is a greeny colored film on top of it that won't budge when I wash it, it looks like the goo that was put on the tattoo after the sitting on Monday, it's not leaking anymore but its still quite tender, he went all over my wrist, you can see it in the image in the thread.

I'm not sure if it is infected or if it is still just healing up etc, but just seeing what advice people have on it here.

Thanks again.

niallam

Gintonious wrote: »

Sorry for making a bucket of threads the past few days, but I trust opinions around here.

Basically sat for almost 10 hours on Monday to get my tattoo finished (see show me yours thread)

The area around my wrist has a lotus flower in it and was quite swollen just after the sitting, its a nasty spot to get done.

Yesterday it was leaking pretty bad from under the cling film, a clear liquid etc which im told is normal. Today there is a greeny colored film on top of it that won't budge when I wash it, it looks like the goo that was put on the tattoo after the sitting on Monday, it's not leaking anymore but its still quite tender, he went all over my wrist, you can see it in the image in the thread.

I'm not sure if it is infected or if it is still just healing up etc, but just seeing what advice people have on it here.

Thanks again.

Nothing to worry about.
What way you letting it heal up? What's your plan or what were you instructed to do by your artist?
Every artist has a different way I've found, most common way I think though is cling film and bepanthan at first then a moisturizer after till heeled.
The goo is normal and sometimes hard to wash off.

Frank Bullitt

niallam wrote: »

Nothing to worry about.
What way you letting it heal up? What's your plan or what were you instructed to do by your artist?
Every artist has a different way I've found, most common way I think though is cling film and bepanthan at first then a moisturizer after till heeled.
The goo is normal and sometimes hard to wash off.

Thanks for the reply.

Im doing the bepanthan and cling film for 3 days then it's E45, its not "leaking anymore but that area is still quite sore, along with the elbow it was the most uncomfortable place. I really do not want an infection on my new sleeve!!!!

Marty McFly

Cling film for three days? Is that not a bit excessive? I never leave the cling film on to long a few hours then thats it, I was always under the impression it was best to let the tattoo breathe which cling film wont allow it to do.

Melion

Jesus, why are people leaving cling film on tattoos for days? 2 hours is enough, jesus christ its a breeding ground for bacteria.

Frank Bullitt

Melion wrote: »

Jesus, why are people leaving cling film on tattoos for days? 2 hours is enough, jesus christ its a breeding ground for bacteria.

That's what I was told, I change it 2/3 times a day, it's also a large tattoo so it's good to keep the irritation away from it.

When I got the outline and shading done it healed very quick, and its what was told up in the studio to do it as well.

Melion

Gintonious wrote: »

That's what I was told, I change it 2/3 times a day, it's also a large tattoo so it's good to keep the irritation away from it.

When I got the outline and shading done it healed very quick, and its what was told up in the studio to do it as well.

Take the cling film off it, it doesnt matter how many times you change it. Imagine how much sweat, bacteria etc are just sitting festering under that film right now.

Frank Bullitt

Melion wrote: »

Gintonious wrote: »

That's what I was told, I change it 2/3 times a day, it's also a large tattoo so it's good to keep the irritation away from it.

When I got the outline and shading done it healed very quick, and its what was told up in the studio to do it as well.

Take the cling film off it, it doesnt matter how many times you change it. Imagine how much sweat, bacteria etc are just sitting festering under that film right now.

I'm heading to my friends studio tomorrow for him to look at it, he said it sounds normal enough and that the wrist can be problematic when healing because you are moving it all the time etc.

It seems to be a 50/50 split on keeping it covered or not!!!

Black Sheep

I wouldn't recommend keeping clingfilm on past about 24 hours either. Its purpose is to cover an open wound on your way home, and possibly overnight in order that you don't cover your bedsheets with lymph, ink and blood. After that, best to go onto a normal aftercare routine: Clean it a couple of times a day and apply a product like bepanthen. Keep it covered and don't soak or scub it (but equally, it's not going to rub off like crayon either... Don't worry too much, as long as you're not getting scraped, nicked or cut it should hold up OK).

When you apply bepanthen correctly (i.e a thin layer) you are creating a breathable barrier that will provide the protection the tattoo needs. Personally I would use bep for more than 3 days, FWIW, I'd use it right up to a week if you aren't slathering it on and blocking pores.

One point I would also make is that sometimes less is more in terms of worrying, handling etc. I've seen people with new tattoos obsessively apply product, wash, re-apply, poke, prod, examine etc. A hands-off approach is better.

Frank Bullitt

Im going to a studio today to get it looked at anyway, its just the wrist that is problematic, but I've been told to not worry and relax.

It's a little swollen today and there is a slight green film on it, still a bit sore but hopefully nothing too mad.

Fingers crossed.

Frank Bullitt

Had it looked at, was told it's good to keep it covered for 3 days then the E45, also said to keep cleaning it 3-4 times a day and it should clear up.

Melion

Baffling

Frank Bullitt

Melion wrote: »

Baffling

How so?

Adiboo

Gintonious wrote: »

How so?

Baffling because it's just plain bad advice to keep it covered.

Frank Bullitt

On what basis though? Iv been told now by 3 different studios to keep it covered for a few days, then on here the consensus is to not cover it.

I'm not trying to start an argument here BTW, just curious.

Adiboo

As Melion said above, it's a breeding ground for bacteria. A tattoo is a wound, and wounds need air to heal.

Just Like Heaven

I have been told by 2/3 studios not to keep the cling film on for more than a few hours.

Frank Bullitt

Adiboo wrote: »

As Melion said above, it's a breeding ground for bacteria. A tattoo is a wound, and wounds need air to heal.

If the area is clean and is covered then bacteria would not breed, no?

There doesn't seem to be a definitive answer as everyone here has been told different things.

maximoose

Gintonious wrote: »

On what basis though? Iv been told now by 3 different studios to keep it covered for a few days, then on here the consensus is to not cover it.

I'm not trying to start an argument here BTW, just curious.

Advice seems to be all over the place tbh

antocann

any studio iv been to , told keep covered 2 hours max , and even with big tattoo's sleeve , back etc.... was told the same , just try avoid irritation ,

as other posters on here have said with sweat ,its a breeding ground for bacteria ,the cling film shouldnt be on it for more than a few hours , usualy should be kept off it when you get home and clean it

Star Lord

When I've been tattooed, I've kept the tattoo uncovered (by anything) where possible, but when I'm in work, or somewhere I know it could get irritated easily, I cover it with cling-film, and change the cling-film every 2-3 hours or so, each time washing gently with mild anti-bacterial soap, applying a fine layer of bepanthen and recovering. But when I'm at home, leaving it uncovered.

maximoose

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

When I've been tattooed, I've kept the tattoo uncovered (by anything) where possible, but when I'm in work, or somewhere I know it could get irritated easily, I cover it with cling-film, and change the cling-film every 2-3 hours or so, each time washing gently with mild anti-bacterial soap, applying a fine layer of bepanthen and recovering. But when I'm at home, leaving it uncovered.

This is the same for me. Work shirts and a fresh tattoo do not go well. For maybe 2-3 days at the very most.

Frank Bullitt

I guess it's about getting a happy medium, am at home now and have bepanthan on it but no cling film, might cover it before bed then its E45 tomorrow.

Just on my wrist. The icky film covering it seems to be clearing, there is a little bit of pink on untattooed skin, but was told that the wrist takes longer to heal as the blood flow is richer in it and take a while to properly heal. will keep an eye on it anyway.

Black Sheep

There are medical studies (not specific to tattooing, usually more to do with cross-contamination in doctoring, dentistry etc) that pretty much sum up that clingfilm can be an adequate barrier to prevent infection in the short term, although it's acknowledged that if the clingfilm itself is dirty then it becomes a vehicle for infection the same way your hand would be if it wasn't clean when you applied it.

The rationale between covering new tattoos with clingfilm is based on the fact that its a cheap and readily available form of barrier which is easy to apply. It's a helpful extra that it saves your sheets from newly expelled ink, blood and lymph. Actually there is already a better alternative to clingfilm, in the form of modern burns dressings like Tegoderm which are breathable, can be cut to shape and are an equally good form of barrier. The downside is that they are prohibitively expensive compared to clingfilm and not so readily available.

If, and I say if you have an infected tattoo (to be honest it's probably just a reaction to a particular ink or something innocuous), it's hard to see what possible benefit there would be in re-applying clingfilm onto the suspect area. If it's already infected applying a barrier is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. The warm, moist climate created under the clingfilm will arguably provide an even better environment for the infection, so actually it would appear to me to be totally counter-intuitive to re-cover it.

You could go to ten different forums and ten Irish tattoo studios and get wildly different pieces of advice on this. A lot of it will be terrible advice. Eventually you have to try and figure things out for yourself based on what appears sensible to you. I have heard awful aftercare advice from really good tattooists, and best practice aftercare advice from pretty bog-standard tattooists. Caveat emptor (or... Or listener beware... You know what i mean).

Mansized Wreath

As the majority have said,cling film for days on tattoos is bad advice. Keep it clean and use tiny bit of bepatham for approx 5 days,then e45.

CuriousG

I also had my wrist done over a year ago, and the more air that was let at it, the better it healed. The more I kept cling film on, the worse it was to heal.

Frank Bullitt

Black Sheep wrote: »

If, and I say if you have an infected tattoo (to be honest it's probably just a reaction to a particular ink or something innocuous), it's hard to see what possible benefit there would be in re-applying clingfilm onto the suspect area. If it's already infected applying a barrier is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. The warm, moist climate created under the clingfilm will arguably provide an even better environment for the infection, so actually it would appear to me to be totally counter-intuitive to re-cover it.

I think that is the case, have seen on a few places and from some friends it does take longer to heal, so will just keep it cleaned and keep an eye on it, hopefully is goes down soon enough.

Hellrazer

Black Sheep wrote: »

There are medical studies (not specific to tattooing, usually more to do with cross-contamination in doctoring, dentistry etc) that pretty much sum up that clingfilm can be an adequate barrier to prevent infection in the short term, although it's acknowledged that if the clingfilm itself is dirty then it becomes a vehicle for infection the same way your hand would be if it wasn't clean when you applied it.

The rationale between covering new tattoos with clingfilm is based on the fact that its a cheap and readily available form of barrier which is easy to apply. It's a helpful extra that it saves your sheets from newly expelled ink, blood and lymph. Actually there is already a better alternative to clingfilm, in the form of modern burns dressings like Tegoderm which are breathable, can be cut to shape and are an equally good form of barrier. The downside is that they are prohibitively expensive compared to clingfilm and not so readily available.

If, and I say if you have an infected tattoo (to be honest it's probably just a reaction to a particular ink or something innocuous), it's hard to see what possible benefit there would be in re-applying clingfilm onto the suspect area. If it's already infected applying a barrier is like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted. The warm, moist climate created under the clingfilm will arguably provide an even better environment for the infection, so actually it would appear to me to be totally counter-intuitive to re-cover it.

You could go to ten different forums and ten Irish tattoo studios and get wildly different pieces of advice on this. A lot of it will be terrible advice. Eventually you have to try and figure things out for yourself based on what appears sensible to you. I have heard awful aftercare advice from really good tattooists, and best practice aftercare advice from pretty bog-standard tattooists. Caveat emptor (or... Or listener beware... You know what i mean).

Ive replied on Gintonious `s other thread but I feel a reply is warranted here.

With regards to cling film I really cant see the reasoning behind it.

Why not use another cheap alternative dressing like a breathable bandage??The very first tattoo I ever got was covered initially with a cotton bandage.The advice was to leave it on for a couple of hours and then leave no dressing on it unless you wanted to keep clothes clean in which case to reapply the same kind of bandage.Yes it was harder to remove but nothing that hot water didnt help with.
This makes more sense.The bandage can absorb the gooey lymph and blood and is breathable to allow the wound to heal.
Also Cling film is not sterile--a bandage from a package usually is.


Im absolutely 100% convinced that clingfilm left on a tattoo too long could cause an infection and or cause it to need more touch ups than if it was left to heal openly.

The warm moist environment is a breeding ground for bacteria never mind if it has already gotten infected.

Btw tattoo infections are very unusual to have.I have seen tattoos that are lets say "angry" looking but true infections are really very rare.

Frank Bullitt

Iv heard that infection is very rare at the best of times unless you completely disregard the tattoo, and I havent been.

Its not as sore now anyway, there is a bit of pink on the untattooed area and a slight film on the are of a yellowy color, again I'll keep an eye on it, keep it clean with antibacterial soap etc.

Will keep you all updated.

TO ARTHUR!

Frank Bullitt

Much better today, no cling film and just using E45, its peeling like a ****er but it will pass soon.

Still a bit of pain but its nothing as bad as before.

bodice ripper

maximoose wrote: »

Advice seems to be all over the place tbh

it is. there are a number of schools of thought on the subject, and the various aspects of them cannot be mixed and matched without disaster.


When in doubt, do what your tattoo artist recommends. you have trusted this person to change your appearance for life, you should probably have faith in their aftercare instructions.

bodice ripper

also, infections in tattoos are surprisingly rare. while tattooing does a lot of damage, it does so with very tiny holes that shut pretty quickly. I have had one infection in all the tattooing I have had done personally, and I have terrible ****ing skin.

Most of the time when someone comes into the shop thinking they have an infection, they are having a reaction to the clingfilm/bepanthen, shaving rash or plain old swelling from a long sit.

Hellrazer

bodice ripper wrote: »

it is. there are a number of schools of thought on the subject, and the various aspects of them cannot be mixed and matched without disaster.


When in doubt, do what your tattoo artist recommends. you have trusted this person to change your appearance for life, you should probably have faith in their aftercare instructions.

Not to argue with you since you have a lot more experience in this than me but what if that advice is wrong-ok maybe wrong being too harsh but what if that advice is something youre not happy with ?

For example the first time I was advised to use cling film something just didnt sit right with me...I was never happy with the amount of crap that leeches out of a tattoo when covered in cling film.

Ive also always had reactions to bepanthen,savlon always dried my skin out and vaseline always never sat right with me either....I did actually follow these instructions since they were from a "reputable" artist.

Some of the recommendations Ive had over the years from reputable artists are :

1.Clingfilm for upwards of 3 days.Cahnged every 3-4 hours.
2.Vaseline for healing.
3.Sudocreme for healing.
4.Savlon for healing.
5.Bepanthen for healing.
6.Tattoo goo.
7.Aloe vera.



None of these Ive been completely happy with and Im merely pointing out something that has worked for me and that I use all the time now based on the fact that a wound needs two things to heal :
1: to be able to breath to heal and not smothered in clingfilm or some cream that may or may not have any benefits.
and
2.To be kept clean.

Theres way too much conflicting advice out there regarding healing and I agree with following the artists advice but if you find you get a reaction to that advice then try something else until you find a method that works for you.

maximoose

Hellrazer wrote: »

1.Clingfilm for upwards of 3 days.Cahnged every 3-4 hours.

This is what I've been told by 2 of the 3 studios I've been to. Got tattoed sat and this time around I kept it wrapped Sat evening/night, left it open for majority of Sunday and only wrapped it again going to bed, and has been open again since then. Washing every 3-4 hours with hot water and fragrance free anti-bacterial soap, and a thin film of bepanthen. Will move on to e45 tomorrow I'd imagine. Healing well