Leah

Well, it's been two months and it had gone down a bit, but not completely. It seems to be shrinking slowly though. Again, that bump was not on the tattoo when it was first done so God only knows what happened. It doesn't bother me though, actually when I do notice it I cant see help but remember what someone on here told me "The panther just scratched deeper there" 

Just remember that less is more when it comes to lotion! Don't overdue it but keep your new tattoo lightly moisturized. It's still a fresh wound. :)

I use fragrance/color free lotion the whole time. I used to use A&D for the first few days but stopped that years ago. 

Im tatted all over the place from neck down, and the only place I ever had the white dots is my inner left bicep.
The only thing different about that tattoo ( besides being the best 1 i have ) is that the artist used dry aftercare.
Instead of A&D, aquaphor or a brand name aftercare, my tattoo was wrapped up dry beneath saran wrap and suffocated for 48 hours. This is the cleanest heal of any tattoo on my body.
About 6-8 weeks later i had the white bumps exactly as described above. I think they went away after about 2-3 weeks.
Funny part is that its a tattoo of a fish and the white bumps looked like "ick", a parasite that appears as white bumps on fish =)

You must be hanging out with some ugly penises.

It looks like you have a very slight blow out in some areas. It looks good though! I wouldn't worry too much about it although you'll probably obsess over it. To my knowledge there is nothing you can do about it. I have a few tattoos that did that too. 

Neither of my upper arms swelled after my tattoos...but we all react differently.

you submerge a fresh tattoo ?  aren't you worried about infection from the tub water ?

It's just me in the tub. 
If it's recommended by Filip Leu, that's good enough for me. I know it's frowned on in the US, but apparently in Japan, it's common practice. I haven't had an issue in four years, so no, I'm not worried. Also, I always take a shower before I get in the tub. I don't see any difference between the tattoos I healed the old way and the tattoos I healed using a bath.

I don't swell much but the more sensitive the skin, the more I swell. After a couple of years of getting tattooed, my artist switched the aftercare to include a soak in a hot tub right after the tattoo and the next day. I not only swell less, but I have much less discomfort. He got it from Filip Leu and I've been using it the last 4 years.

Everyone is going to be different, but in my experience placement matters and I am willing to bet your diet does too. My ditch got super swollen, but I think that was a matter of placement. My bicep didn't at all, but I eat a lot of almonds, ok fine I eat lots of nuts there I said it. Anyway, healthy oils are going to help your body fight inflammation. Plenty of others can cause you to swell more. You could check this article out to get a better idea:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation
I get how new age-y and probably asinine I sound, but lets face it, your body is going to react to situations differently depending on what you put inside it. 

Don't give any more of your money to that artist.  Not for tattoos anyway.  Maybe for drinks, or tapas.

Thank you! I know it’s pretty normal for me to swell this way so I’m not so nervous, more curious about others’ swelling and whether or not they do. Thanks for responding! Cheers. 

When I got my calf tattoos my lower legs--especially my ankles and feet--got swollen. It's just how the body works and isn't uncommon. That's what it looks like is happening with your arm. But we're not doctors. If you're worried always go to the doctor.

Thank you. I have a pretty physical job but as soon as I go up I’ll be sure to ice and elevate it. Was curious if anyone else shared my experience. Thank you!

I have had swelling on my hands, and a little on my bicep along with bruising on my thighs & biceps.
take some OTC anti-inflammatory(Ibuprofen  or naproxen (Aleve) )  and keep it elevated if you can , it will go away.

I have been limiting my red work, small areas are okay, larger areas are a problem. So I'm going more with oranges and burgundies, no more problem!

Quick update. The red is getting better and better. Just small dry bumps now. 

From what I've read, the tiny piece they would do for a color test isn't really a good indicator of potential problems. I know some people take longer to heal some colors, but I don't think that qualifies as an actual allergic reaction; just my two cents. I did a lot of research on documented allergic reactions to tattoos and there is a very small number of medically documented cases.
 

A slightly better image of the one above.

This weekend's Flying Tigers tattoo at one day old. The little skin wrinkles are from the wrap.

And my tattoo has a tiger tattoo on her leg, so that should be included as well!

here is mine ( again because of broken links)
 tattoo by Jess Yen.

Here's my white tiger, in progress.  It represents a dearly departed tiger named Jellybean that I worked with when I volunteered at a local tiger rescue.  My artist had visited Jellybean, so it was a nice connection.  I specifically requested a mellow tiger rather than a fierce tiger.  My sleeve of special animals is taking shape.  By the way, the work in the ditch hurt like a sonofabitch!   It was worth it, of course.  😀

Didn't feel like much of anything, really.  Again, I'd strongly suggest cutting out the lotion/cream/etc. for a few weeks and just allow the tattoo to breathe and the skin to heal itself before adding more to it.  After that, I strongly endorse a drop or two of vitamin E oil (as I've seen suggested by a few others on here for weird heals).

I most definitely feel your pain right now...
I was tattooed 3 times this past week on three different body parts (my entire right arm, my right upper thigh, and the side of my left calf). Needless to say, sleeping, walking, sitting, standing, and lying down have all been a pain as a result. I'm itching and flaking all over the place!
Thankfully it's all worth it for getting a bunch of cool tattoos, but I still can't wait until everything is all healed up.

@Leah3 weeks is still plenty early as far as healing goes, I'd skip the ointment and wait at least 3 more weeks before starting something else...
I meant to update this thread sooner, but here's the latest on my red ink saga: 
The benadryl cream didn't do a whole hell of a lot for me, other than some short-term relief.  The next suggestion was witch hazel, which I applied probably daily for several months.  Things got better, but only to a point.  Granted, I was told to have some applied with a tattoo machine and needle to get it under the skin, but topical application seemed to help.  I then visited my local shop, got a new tattoo, and asked this artist if he would do as the first artist (who had a guest spot but lives too far away for me to conveniently follow up with, besides the point but still) suggested and actually tattoo the spot with witch hazel.  He graciously obliged, which sparked a conversation with another artist who had a client with a similar problem and suggested rubbing vitamin E oil on the red ink.
The witch hazel tattoo helped a lot right away, and once that felt "healed" I began applying vitamin E oil twice a day, then daily, and now every few days.  Now, there are still some small spots that are a bit raised/hard, but nothing remotely like it was before.  The whole experience has honestly soured my feelings about the tattoo - nothing against the artist or the design, but I can't help but associate it with this 15+ month long healing process...
Sorry for the ramble, and hope it didn't come off as too much of a rant.  Tattoos!