wierd skin rash in tattoo

[tatrobyrd]

for about 6 months now i have had this itchy spot on my upper right arm within my tattoo. once i start scratching it gets worse and i have to stop myself or else ill bleed.once i started scratching the first spot it has now turned into 5. there is one now that is not on the tattoo. i have had this tattoo for over 7 years without a problem. its seems to itch once or twice a day and doesnt go away even if i cover it with creams and bandaids. ive researched it but cant seem to figure out what it is and now im worried becouse it seems to be spreading but only on the skin in and around my tattoo. these spots look like if you had a mosquito bite that you never stopped scratching. my skin around it seems to feel a little thicker and kind of numb. they are flat and not bumpy. anyone have anything like this or any idea about it. im stumped

[Vicharris]

Has anyone found the answer to the problem? I have a tattoo that is over 10 years old, and out of no where two raised blister like bumps have a appeared. Some times theyll itch and look like a dry patch if I dont put some kind of moisturizer on it. What is it?

[Bkhurricane]

I got a huge forearm sleeve and weeks later it broke out in a huge rash. My advice to you guys is go to a dermatologist and they will most likely prescribe clobetasol. It is very pricey but it works. You can Find coupons for it on line though might cost you like 35-48 bucks with coupon. 90-200 bucks without. It works, its the only thing that works. But you need a prescription.

[melankford]

I got a tattoo on the lower part of my back about 10 years ago and now for the past 6 months I have a rash that is only in the area of the tattoo.  looks like a lot of raised bumps that itch like crazy.  These bumps don't appear to be filled with any kind of liquid.  My tattoo is primarily made up of a bluish color with some black.  It is absolutely driving me crazy.

[MelisendeB]

I did my 6th tattoo last week and I have a lot of red dots and fluid-filled rashes, but not on the tattoo - only around it. And it itches like crazy! Thing is, my tattoo artist (one of the best in Sweden) told me to heal the tattoo with wrap on it for the first 3-4 days (plastic) and I think this might have done something.

I've tried to find what it is but no luck. I don't even know if the thing you get is the same - my rashes are not on the tattoo at all. This is the second time I've had color in the tattoo but my first only has very little red and blue. This one has blue, brown, yellow, green, red and orange.

I don't know what's happening and I've never had a bad reaction to tattoos before. So I think maybe this wrapping thing's really ruined it for me. I just hope my leg isn't ruined...

[opie649957]

I have dealt with this in the past one year on from having a tattoo on my forearm itchy bumps all over it. eventually cleared up on its own after approx 6 months ( sorry i know 6 months isnt what you want to hear ) that was around 10 years ago and never had problems with that tat again. Anyway now started again on a recent tattoo approx 1 year old itching like crazy, heres to another 6 months of annoyance.

[janajobear]

Matty I too have a tattoo on my right forearm and the whole background is done in the light teal blue color, and that is where mine bumps are.  Specifically on the edges of it. It is about a year old and I did not notice anything different about its healing until a month or so later, then the bumps started rising up and the itchy really got my attention. I also have other tattoos on my body and never had any problem with them either.  I asked my artist and his opinion is that besides the skin on the forearm is very much different than anywhere else on the body and therefore takes ink very different from anywhere else on the body, but he believes my body is rejecting some pigments in the ink. Why only this tattoo, I don't know. Why only this "blue" color on this tattoo, another I don't know.  I sure wish I did.

[optimistic2day]

I have had this tattoo on my sternum for approximately 12 years or so and about a year and half ago I had it touched up and last week Wednesday or Thursday after sleeping on my belly for awhile (cant sleep long on belly anymore) the next day I had this rash and bumps only on a portion of the tattoo.  strange - I did start using Goatmilk cream  - so not sure what it could be. yes very itchy and bumpy sort of like poison ivy - I've been pretty good about not scratching it but i have moments... I am using hydrocortizone cream but so afraid of it peeling off yikes...and leaving a hideous scar.

[jordana13]

I got a tattoo about 2 weeks ago, and about a week later had a major allergic reaction to what I think was the red butterfly I got (I have 13 other tattoos but none with red ink they were all green, blue, purple, pink...ect..) anyway I broke out in hives that ITCHED like crazy, went to the doctor they put me on Prednisone for 10 days, so the rash stopped itching and went away around my tattoo, BUT now I have a rash of small bumps all over my underarm (same arm of tattoo) chest, and forehead, it doesn't itch at all, just looks like I am breaking out, is this the same thing, does it spread, when will it go away?! please help! I don't want any more of the Prednisone it affected me too... blurry vision, feeling very very loopy... any suggestions are welcome please help!

[Jonge8574]

This seems to be something a lot of us have dealt with and that none of us have a ton of answers to. I'm not even sure we're all battling against the same thing even though we've all got remarkably similar symptoms, in the grand scheme of things an persistent itchy rash isn't so rare a symptom all things considered.

My most recent session on my sleeve (black and grey) was to put color in on the outer forearm. Same artist and ink as the previous sessions. Healed beautifully, about 3 weeks after fully healed is when I got my bumps. Artist suggested an ink allergy but I don't buy it, the whole piece is in the same ink. and only the newest sessions work is showing symptoms and only on the outer and inner forearms where I would put the area under pressure more often. The work on the triceps and elbow are both as smooth as any other part or my body.

I wanted to go to see a dermatologist but I currently live in an Asian country where "Dermatologist" really means "skin tightener and whitener". Hundreds of dermatology clinics near by, but all of the "spa" variety and can't afford to get into an international hospital to have it looked at. Bought a corticosteroid called Betnovate-N (.5% Neomycin Sulphate BP and .1% Betamethasone valerate BP in the event that brand name doesn't pop).

Immediately stopped the spreading of the bumps, knocked the itching down a ton and what' still there is beginning to shrink down and fade away. It's only been 3 days. It's not back to smooth and I don't know if it will get there, I was told not to use the cream longer than 7 days, but at least it's progress instead of worsening and I'm not so afraid to finish up my sleeve either. Has definitely given me reservations about future work but not enough to make me want to the pull the plug on my sleeve 2 sessions short of finished.

I know some of you have been trying (and to no effect) corticosteroids for your bumps, but just wanted to share, this is seemingly the only good thread of information on the internet about this issue.

[emmaloulibell]

Ive had a lot of tattoos done over the last few years. Most of them full colour. I have never had any issues with any allergies or anything and have quite a lot of red inks (which are the main culprits apparently).
However I have been under a lot of stress at work lately and developed some crazy rash on the backs of my hands and arms. I had near the time of this, got a new piece tattooed on my arm and after a full colour thigh piece. Both of which seemed to go weird and flaky even when healed. The rash on my hands was diagnosed as Lichen Planus and the doctor said it was triggered by stress. As this Lichen is basically your immune system overworking, it makes it start to attack skin cells, causing the flat topped bumps which are itchy in most cases. They then said as the tattoos were fairly new, the Lichen would be more than likely attacking them more causing them to appear red and very dry (appearing to be an allergy). I dont think it is an allergic reaction, just a side effect to this other horrid stuff which can last 18 months to years! Wheyy! :(
Anyone with these flat topped bumps that look quite dry on the top, get it checked for Lichen Planus. Im now using steroid cream on my tattoo that is efeected but have to be patient and let the other bumps (now all over my legs) go away in time.
It ***** and I am very sad that I may be too scared to get tattooed again. But hey ho! Hope this helps guys.

[Bellarrr]

So this same lumpy, itchy rash has just appeared on my ankle. I did have a lot of sun on the weekend and am curious if many of you have had more sun than usual on your tattoo before it happened ?
Not sure if it is related, but I have also lost my appetite and become quite nauseous over the last couple days, about the same time the rash started !
I put Soov on it, which is an antiseptic pain relief cream. Took away the itching straight away but it came back after a couple hours. I've only been using it for a day, so I'm not sure if it will clear up the rash, but I will also try the tea tree... Hope you're all doing okay ❤️

[shizzzle]

i have this too... mine is mainly in the black ink. and in lesser degree in all  colors. its a series of micro pinpoint bumps ive learned not to scratch. ive noticed its only on the inside of lower arm from wrist to elbow on the tender skin (full sleeve tattoo) the front or outside of arm unaffected. i soak in Bragg organic unfiltered vinegar. and expose to sun light, gold bond foot powder soothes the burn a bit, I switched soaps to dr. bronners pure hemp oil castile soap. .  i believe it to be fungus based. deprive it of oxygen with oils vitimin e oil, pure orange oil, tea tree oil and expose to sunlight... make high acidic vinegar soaks daily. this knocks mine down but you must be continuous and regimented even after it goes away continue for a while like an antibiotic.

[kc962]

Ok, so 4 years later here I am still suffering.

I can shed some light to many unanswered questions.

1. The blood curdling itch on the tattooed area is from cadmium contained in the red ink. It's the body's immune system recognising that the cadmium in the ink is a forgein body and fighting  (hence the rash). My rash started after laser, the drs explanation was the ink reacted with the laser changing the chemical compound in the ink hence the rash.

2. The body rash is a result of the reaction to the red ink, also known by dr as a kinch reaction.

3. Treatment varies; I've been through 2 dermatologists the later being Sydney's best professor....he prescribed steroid based creams, and steroid injections. I've had both treatments...the later only helped for 3 weeks after that the reactions started up again. The skin became so fragile that I've had to stop all steriod treatments.

Then I went back to tattoo artist/removal.  Who suggested I go back for tattoo laser removal. This is my second week after treatment, so far the results look promising. The itch in the tattoo has stopped, the body itch has recently just started up again.

So after trying all remedies from natural to steriod injections. What do I recommend....

Get it removed.  The tattoo area will never heal using any treatments above.
So long as the body's immune system detects the cadmium in the red ink as a foreigner it was never stop trying to fight it.

[shy989]

Omg this explains the same problem that I am having a got a tatoo 5 years ago with a big red rose and now it has a itchy rash in the center of it. I thought it was an allergic reaction so I took benadryl however, the rash is still there :(

[wildflower28]

hey Dreberry i was wondering if u got the name of the cream ur were prescribed because seeing these rash is making be CRAZY lol

[mzcaliblu]

i have been on a clean diet for over a year now and i got the rash also dont think its what we eat

[Carolferrarovaspol]

I have the same problem! The red ink area of my tattoo looks nasty with those huge bumps.. Itches so much.. That's almost orgasmic! Once you start scratching it, good luck trying to stop it.
Like everyone here, i've tried every single thing with no success. I went to My MD and to the best dermatologist in NY area.. After a biopsy i was diagnosed with Lichen Planus. This condition comes and goes with stressful situations in your life.. Well, they prescribed me very expensive ABs, lotions, etc.. No results. Lately i've using oral novacaine gel on the area just to numb it so i stop scratching it.
There is a new infection spreading around NY area, related to grey ink tattoos. Its a very resistant type of mycobacteria. This is related to those cases that the tattoo gets small little bumps.  

It was my very first and also last tattoo.

[tekela]

i have the same problem i have had these tats for years and now i have these bugs on my tat in different spots they itch like hell and the ones on my leg turn to sores! ive scratched my arms so much that the tats are sore! and its not all of them. after you scratch them the top of the bumps come off and makes holes and you can see the ink and sometimes they bleed. iwent to the doctor and he gave me a script for an antibiotic called cephalexin but its not working and its starting to spread around my tat on my leg when i scratch it, it looks dry and flaky do anybody know what this is?

[chachiixo]

I had a Stargazer Lily done on my foot almost two years ago.  After a year the darker purple dots on the petals raised up and itched like mad!  The only thing that has helped is after showering I put coconut oil all over it a couple of times.  I also wash my feet at night and do the same thing.  After doing it for a week straight the bumps went away completely.  Life got a bit hectic for a couple of weeks so I haven't had a chance to keep up with it and they came back.  As long as I keep on top of it they go away.  I read the "red ink" comments and scared myself but the rest of the flower is pink/purple which has red in it and that is totally fine.  At first I thought it was because that was the only place that the artist used one needle but then it clicked that the stamens aren't raised at all.  Weird.  Try coconut oil, If it doesn't work for you then at least you can use it for a bunch of other stuff!

[davispunk]

same hell I'm going through... ugh

[davispunk]

that's happened to me now
I have my dogs paw tatted on me in black ink and I got a really annoying white bumpy rash around the tattoo
then I noticed that I have the same thing on my hand tat
it looks kinda like flea bites but it falls under the same description that everyone else was talking about
I have had my hand tat for 2 years
and my arm tat for about a year and never have had an issue with my tats until now
Did you ever figure out what was wrong?
I know my tattoo artist and I got both done by her at a shop.
Just like you, I know there were no dirty needles used, and the ink was fine

[Blueboy88]

I recently came back from sxsw here in Austin tx. I have had a sleeve of four major big stars for about 6 mons When I came back from the long week of being out in the sun which i did use sunscreen the whole week, yesterday afternoon I was heavily cleaning my car and everything was fine until when I came back from vacuuming my floors, pulling up to my lot I noticed my lower black and turquoise star was raised with bumps and started itching. I'm not an itcher or a scratcher I just have been using oatmeal lotions, benzoyl creame and vita e lotion but it still itches. It's pretty big and swollen and bumpy. What do I do???

[tat2powah]

Its called Contact Dermatitis.Doesn,t matter what colour the ink or area is its caused by the skin being previously scarred & coming into contact with nasty stuff ,like oils,greases,washing powders or liquids etc.I was diagnosed today.I normally get it on my hands after contact with Hydraulic oils & chemicals etc.It seems that since my Tattooing(inside of wrist & finishing a sleeve) was freshish & it got dirty it got the infection instead of my hands.Doc,s prescribed Advantan & Stopped the itch immediately.Sweating inside clothes that have been harshly washed will cause it as well.It,s never gonna completely go away & will reoccur.Gotta change your washing & working habits to avoid it.Hope everybody is feeling better now cause I thought my collection would end with just 2 sleeves but now i can continue my Tattoo Journey.

[beau550]

Use sudocreme it seems to work pretty well I've had the same thing it's driving me nuts, seems to flair up in the warmer weather not all the time just every now and then but it does go away! Good luck and try not to scratch.