Bad skin around tattoo

Officer999

Hi, this probably has been asked before, but I couldn't find a thread on it, so I'll ask here.

I got a tattoo on the left side of my chest 8 days ago. The tattoo is fine now, but the skin around the tattoo has really dried up and gone red looking and wrinkly. It's difficult to describe but it looks like the skin was burned. This developed probably 3 days after getting the tattoo. It seems to have come from masking tape I was using to keep the cling film in place over the tattoo.

I'm really worried as it doesn't seem to be getting better. Have people had this problem before? I know people will say, it's natural for the tattoo to peel, be itchy etc, but this is not the tattoo, rather the skin next to it.

Esoteric_

Wait, how long were you leaving the cling film on for, and why were you using masking take?

The cling film should be taken off after 2-3 hours, and LEFT off after that. Sounds like it could be a reaction to the masking tape, rather than anything caused by the tattoo.

jenizzle

It sounds like you've reacted to the masking tape. Keep the area clean and moisturised, maybe head into a chemist to see if they have anything that would help clear it up - just be sure to not get any ointments on the tattoo itself.

Ms. Koi

Sounds like a reaction to the tape as the ladies have said. My skin is incredibly sensitive and I would have a reaction similar to that if I put masking tape on.

Try hydrocortisol cream, fairly cheap and it's great for minor irritations and it might help a bit with the irritated feeling

Officer999

Thanks for the replies everyone.

It was in fact a reaction to the masking tape. Thankfully it has almost healed now, thanks to the advice of using mosturiser on it. I left the cling film on too long (still swear the woman that did the tattoo said 3 days). Anyway I guess I will know the next time

thebostoncrab

Officer999 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies everyone.

It was in fact a reaction to the masking tape. Thankfully it has almost healed now, thanks to the advice of using mosturiser on it. I left the cling film on too long (still swear the woman that did the tattoo said 3 days). Anyway I guess I will know the next time

Some places still tell people to leave it for 3 days so she may told you so, but it is not the best advice. My old artist told me to do this and the healing process took a lot longer then my more recent tattoos, which I only covered for the journey home. You really notice the difference in both healing time and the quality of the tattoo

Esoteric_

If a place tells you to leave it on, ignore that. The cling film is a breeding ground for bacteria!