Re- Colouring?

Shelly23

Hey Guys,

I got a pretty large floral tattoo on my shoulder about this time last year and i'm so in love with it but the colouring has gone crazy. the ink was done in pink and purple with some white accents but now the ink has faded to less than a watermark its awful.
i know you should get the ink topped up every few years but is less than two years normal?
i want to get it re-coloured in darker shades but i think the original has faded so much the detail will be lost, and i cant find the original i sketched.

any suggestions on a re-colour or where best to talk to an artist about it? i don't want black as the design is really feminine and i think black would ruin it. originally got it in dublin city centre.

Star Lord

It sounds like either the tattoo was not done deeply enough (which would be understandable if you had wanted the colours to look delicate rather than bold) or that your body simply didn't hold the ink well for whatever reason.

As for suggesting an artist, it's very difficuly when we don't have a picture, suggestion or style to work from. A photo of the tattoo if possible would be best imho

Shelly23

i didnt go in with the intention of it being delicate, he asked if i wanted black, i sed no and he showed me pink and purple. i mean more delicate as in its floral and has tendrils n swirls, nothing masculine at all

i'll try grab a pic later, it being on my back might be a bit tricky

Star Lord

Know what you mean, mine are on my back too, it's really difficult aiming a camera in a mirror over your shoulder

Lilliput69

would u consider going back to the guy that did the original tat, i know my guy tht does mine will touch up any he has done free of charge, talk to the guy that did it and see what he says,

something to consider, were u away on holidays and exposed ur tat to alot of sun with out proper sunblock, if so this can cause the ink to fade quicker.

keep us posted on how ya get on

Shelly23

Sorry for the huge delay. got my tattoo re-coloured with the same guy as you suggested and it looks alot better!
only problem is i got it done last saturday and i woke up this morning and its all one big flaky scab and i'm terrified all the ink is going to fall out?! its so itchy its annoying. i dont rememeber it being this way at all the first time round, there was minimal ( if any) scabbing.
i had it covered for the first two/ three days and i've been cleaning it with lukewarm and applying prep H twice a day.. not sure what else to do!
should i recover it to stop the scab catching and falling off? its on my shoulder so my clothes obviously rub off it..
HELP!

Hellrazer

Id recover it with clingfilm and use Bepanthen daily and hopefully you wont lose too much of the scab.

Shelly23

whats the diff between bepanthen and prep H? i'm stuck in work until tonight so i'll have to handle it later.. n try not touch it till then!

Star Lord

They are both for healing irritated skin, preparation h smells, bepanthen doesn't.

Shelly23

well i took a run down to Boots there and they had no Bepanthen. as i was walking out a lady came up to me with a handful of samples of it- so i'm sorted. won't be able to cover it though?

when should i start to panic about it all falling out??

Star Lord

It's almost a week old, I wouldn't worry too much to be honest. Just keep moisturising it with either the bepanthen or Prep. H and cleaning it every morning and night. I wouldn't cover it anymore at this stage unless you are going to have something that would aggrivate it by rubbing against it roughly.

It's only natural that it goes a little "scabby" at this stage, but it should be more the skin just flaking off than a scab like you would get from a cut... It's your body healing itself.

Hellrazer

DamoElDiablo wrote: »

It's almost a week old, I wouldn't worry too much to be honest. Just keep moisturising it with either the bepanthen or Prep. H and cleaning it every morning and night. I wouldn't cover it anymore at this stage unless you are going to have something that would aggrivate it by rubbing against it roughly.

It's only natural that it goes a little "scabby" at this stage, but it should be more the skin just flaking off than a scab like you would get from a cut... It's your body healing itself.

You could even use Vitamin E cream on it to keep it moisturised.Its all about trying to get as little scabbing as possible while its healing and keeping it moist cuts down on the scabbing.

Ive even had a good bit of success using Aloe Vera creams for healing and although I wouldnt recommend it for anyone else(until I do some more testing) I use it on my self.

Lilliput69

i use babyoil shower gel and keep it moisturised, don't scratch at all