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am i allergic to tattoo ink?

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  • 06-10-2011 6:35pm
    #1
    kellyc
    Registered Users Posts: 26 ✭


    hey

    so i got a tattoo a year ago (1st and only one) down my ribs, all was fine with healing etc etc but every now and again its really itchy and irritating and then it goes - i thought at 1st it was to do with clothing ie maybe bra too tight etc or maybe wash powder but i think im possibly allergic to the tattoo ink? which sucks cos i wanted to get a few more

    but has anyone had this, obviously my body has no choice but to deal with it lol but other than moisturising etc is there anything i should do :confused:

    im a bit gutted if i cant get any more


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    #2
    Raze_them_all
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,477 ✭✭✭✭Raze_them_all


    Ask yer doctor


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    #3
    donnabrenton
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10 ✭donnabrenton


    go to a doctor...:)


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    #4
    sbsquarepants
    Registered Users Posts: 11,812 ✭✭✭✭sbsquarepants


    A friend of mine has the same problem, not to the extent where he's had to visit a doctor or anything, but certainly enough to annoy. The bad news is it can last a long time, i know one quite detailed black and grey piece he got was itchy on and off for probably 2 years! Hasn't stopped him getting more done though. Maybe try some eurax cream? (i think that's what its called anyway)


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    #5
    antocann
    Registered Users Posts: 1,348 ✭✭✭antocann


    you may or may not be allergic to the ink , artisdts use different ink , cheap inks would usualy have this problem but their is no harm going to your local gp to find out


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    #6
    Black Sheep
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 3,092 Mod ✭✭✭✭Black Sheep


    To be honest I'd expect my local G.P, or indeed most doctors, to be fairly clueless on this if it's genuinely a tattoo-related issue. But I'm open to correction.

    If it was an allergic reaction to a particular colour ink I would have expected it to manifest way earlier. Personally I struggle to heal red. It turns out ok in the end, but compared to other colours it feels like my body has to work twice as hard to heal it.

    Itching after a year though, with the OP's tattoo being healed, sounds like a different problem.

    One possibility here that I've experienced (at least, the symptoms matched), and heard of semi-frequently, has to do with ink migrating, sometimes after months, and collecting in lymph nodes. I'm no dermatologist but my understanding is that some ink pigments contain heavy metals or minerals which can move from the tattoo location and accumulate in lymph nodes and solidify. If they're too big they aren't carried away - and this can result in a surprising itch.

    I got it when healing one side of my chest, months after the piece had healed. There was no sign of any inflammation, no redness... It felt like it was well underneath the skin. It persisted for a few weeks on and off and then vanished.


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