silentspring

Hey Folks,
Just wanted to share my experience from a few years ago dealing with contact dermatitis after a new tattoo. Back in late 2011, I had started a thigh piece on my left thigh which covered basically almost the entire front and side of the left thigh. After a couple of days, I developed a bunch of red spots on the back of my thigh, all outside of the tattoo itself. It wasn't a localized rash as it ran up and down the length of thigh and was in random areas but nothing on the ink itself. My artist unfortunately was just doing a guest spot locally and returned to his country. Best I could do was send me him pictures and even he was puzzled to the point where he recommended I see a doctor.
But before seeing a doctor, I luckily had the benefit of three very good friends to contact. These were old college friends, all of whom were pharmacists and have encountered all types of ailments. One was even tattooed, so I called her first. She hit the nail on the head with her initial diagnosis. She asked if the spots were small and if any had popped and oozing clear serum. When I confirmed, she knew it was contact dermatitis. It basically happened because my skin is normally sensitive and was subjected to the trauma of tattooing. Add to the fact I normally wear briefs and switched to boxers to be comfortable and let the tattoo breathe but by doing so, added new cloth material contacting an area that was already irritated. Plus the shaving and the tape holding the saran wrap in place didn't help either. The fix? Good old Benedryl, both in pill and topical cream format in over the counter form. Within a couple of days, all the spots cleared up.
More info on contact dermatitis from WebMD: Contact Dermatitis Causes, Symptoms, Treatments, & More
I know everyone wants their tattoos to heal up without any issues and try to be diligent about aftercare. I know I do and sometimes verge on madness since it is a permanent investment in my eyes. I did myself a huge favor by getting to know my own body and what works with it. There's no one true formula or cure all that's ideal for everyone. Speak to your artist and the shop management about their recommendations for aftercare and then turn it into your own personal regime that suits you. Ideally, if at all possible, share your experience with the tattoo community so that others can benefit from your experience. Cheers.

Technically everything you have personally consumed or been near is now linked to cancer. It is an extremely unfortunate situation and I'm sorry you are going through it. Also it is a lovely tattoo and the scar will only add to it's beauty.

Here is a link to a paper on squamous cell carcinoma arising in a red tattoo. The brand this unlucky guy used was eternal
http:// http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4174140/

Nepok,
How are you hanging?
I hope well.
My co-worker had the same reaction to red. Her body eventually rejected the ink completely and healed without no red in it.
She is now looking to do a cover up.
Keep up with your moisturizer and your doc.
Take care and good luck.
Edit: Old thread revived by bump... :)

Yes. Artist says allergic reaction to something in the ink. Dermatologist agrees.
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Coconut oil is no miracle of any kind. Its a moisturizer, anti bacterial, non pore clogger.

Thanks. Cant beleive this crap.
Well, it happens. Will keep on researching.
People, do not get a tattoo without a color test.

Oh my... Considering that the black portion of tattoo is perfect, it looks like a fierce allergic reaction to red ink.
I have found this:
"Cinnabar (mercuric sulfide) used in red tattoo inks can lead to allergic reactions and scarring. Tsuruta et al. reported a case of a 40-year-old Japanese man with a red tattoo who developed a whole-body rash after eating 250 g of raw swordfish and alfonsino.19 In this case the mercuric tattoo pigments caused the initial sensitization to mercury in the patient, producing a delayed hypersensitivity reaction."
Did you visit a doctor???
I had a contact dermatitis. After aprox 7 days, but it doesn't look like that.
Still it could have been triggered by black ink.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/73768496/IMG_7719.JPG
It was itchy. After 4 days of "Betametasona Loratadina" and antistaminics, it started to fade.
All this allergic matter is really underestimated.
If I’ll go trough other tattoo sessions I’ll surely ask for an ink patch test.

Yes. That's Fantasia Ink.
Fantasia Tattoo Inks
Looking up ingredients now.
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Here is some info.
http://info.painfulpleasures.com/help-center/tattoo-information/top-brands-golden-age-tattoo-inks#Fantasia%20Tattoo%20Inks
Will find more on actual ingredients later...
Though be ware that it seems that most company's tend to keep the ingredients list close to their chest...
You can find "generic" info around forums from ink chemist and company owners.
Worst case scenario, I have a friends at Rice University who can help me figure this out.....
I will just need to get my hands in one of their bottles...
Ill keep you posted,

Welcome from a fellow kiwi. Good luck for the results, I hope everything is OK.

I could help if you know the brand of the ink used? Keep us posted!

Hoping that the news is good for you. And that is some tidy stitching! I hope it heals well.

Well I am fairly impressed with the result when you consider the amount of tissue I had removed. Now I have to wait for pathology and hope for clear margins!

Here's to your surgeon being a gifted stich-er.
Best of luck

Best of luck. Cancer worries me as it runs on both sides of my family. My Mother's father died of lung cancer that spread to his brain and lymph nodes. My Father's mother had breast cancer and survived a double masectomy. I have a lot of odd shaped and colored moles, which I have had checked. I plan on getting close to full coverage on my body and always wondered if tattoos would hide any problematic moles and make me miss them until it was too late. Again good luck in your fight.

I'm sorry to hear about how your tattoo has turned out. Hoping for all the best for you.
Take care.
Hillary

Ouch.
I hope all turns out well.
Good luck.

Good luck with your recovery. Hoping you have clear pathology report.

Wow - what a story. I hope it all turns out ok and you have a speedy recovery. I bet someone could rework the tattoo if you wanted but maybe it will heal up with a minimal scar. Looks like he did a nice job. Good luck and let us know.

silentspring,
Wish you the best of luck and a fast recovery.
Stay positive. All will be well!

@silentspring - wishing you a speedy recovery. Your tattoo does indeed look pretty impressive given the circumstances! I doubt any of us can advise what to do about it, but I will say that there is a local old timer who has a faded old chest eagle that has a huge scar from his pacemaker right in the middle of it. It looks tough as shit. So see how it all heals and then decide if you want to rework it or not!
And crossing my fingers for a clean report from pathology.

Welcome and I'm really sorry that happened to you. Wishing you all the best.

Sorry to hear about your leg, ya so far i just had my first appointment so black ink only. My main concern is if the product my dermatologist prescribed is going to be for my tattoo. My next appointment is like a week away and i don't wanna go in there with an active skin problem. The allergic reaction is only on the back and inside of my tricep and i had the whole arm done. I wasn't planning on using red on my tattoo anywhere but thanks for the heads up. It might have been the ink i had a reaction to, but if it was would it only be on one spot ?

@Tuchaka I wouldn't hesitate talk to call up your tattoo artist before your appointment and see what s/he thinks about both the prescribed product and the condition itself. EDIT: Just read your first post again and saw you already did that. D'oh!
Also for anyone who has had a reaction to a certain color before, bring it up to your future tattoo artists as well. I have 3 tattoos with red in them but I've only had a reaction with the first one, different ink will have different ingredients and your tattoo artist can work with you to avoid the issue in the future.

Hi
I also have really sensitive skin and developed an allergic reaction to something in the red ink which was used in my tattoo in December last year. None of the red areas healed properly but one really festered... I had it tested and it had turned cancerous. I've had surgery to remove it today and they took a big chunk from my leg. There are a number of small studies looking into allergic contact dermatitis from red ink. My advice would be if your skin is sensitive to stay away from red. My case is rare but it also really sucks! There's more info in my intro post from yesterday.
My dermatologist has prescribed dermol cream to use on the remaining red areas, he said it may fade the red but that this should also reduce the allergic response.
All the best
SS

Well I am fairly impressed with the result when you consider the amount of tissue I had removed. Now I have to wait for pathology and hope for clear margins!