FUCKING BLIND PANIC! Help please !!!

[Comrad]

First time this has happened.

A dude, who just has a huge Venom (spiderman villan) tattoo on his calf muscle swung by to see me quick this evening over concerns of how it was healing.

The tatto 60% of it looked fine, healing well. On some other parts the scab had raised quite thick and on one part about 8mm x 8mm the scab has come off after creaming.

where the scab used to be is a glistening of plasma and raw skin which went about a millimeter deep...this shit me up.

what made it worse is the foot of the character looked to be doing the same.

However the skin underneath looks healthy and shows more signs of being overworked than infected, no puss - but the scab when pushed (Bearing in mind most of the scab is soft from the cream which happens to be Berpanhem) is weeping ink which is from the underside of the scab which the air hasn't dried out, no puss from what I can see.

It sounds worse than it looks.

Before I get ripped apart from you lot I may start by stating I have read a million times the posts in regards to overworking the skin and asked a million stupid questions.

Now for one, when this is over and done with im hanging up my machines, Should I ever EVER involve damagings someones leg or ink - im out of it, done and dusted.

What i want to know is.

1>How can I look out for infection.

2>How can this heal is the best possible way for the client.

3> I have told him to compress with a warm damp cloth to draw out any excess ink or puss if it starts to form and stop using the cream - is this correct.

Im tearing my fucking hair out here and my stomachs in knots, any help even a virtual slap round the back of my head is going to help.

[Comrad]

Ive told him to go to the doctor to be safe.

[Bubba]

sounds to me to be a combination of both overworking and infection. Usually when skin is overworked and not taken care of properly, infection follows. Best thing to do is let it heal for a long time, then evaluate how to fix it.

[Comrad]

Cheers bud.

About 5 minutes ago I got a call from him coming out of hospital. Definatley not infected no soreness or puss etc, they gave him the all clear.

The doctor did say a wierd thing, whilst attempting to put a few plasters on the tattoo ?!?!? they said the scab needed to come off completely and attempted to pull some off!

however the nurse was promptly told to leave it alone.

he called me, i told him to let the scab dry to firm it up, use some vitamin cream or small vaseline, compress it once with a warm flannel to clean it then repeat until healed.

I expect a small amount of scarring on the area but give that a month or so and fix it up.

Needless to say Ive calmed down abit, cool and calm in front of the client when he left it was a different story lol.

Learn somin new everyday, just shows no matter how much preperation something always slaps you sideways.

i must state, my hygene is paramount.

[L_Pease]

Got any pics? Could be a number of things. Have you grilled the customer on what he has come into contact with since getting the tattoo? Often a person will apply ointment without washing their hands. Also, you mentioned that parts are fine and parts are problematic...ask if the customer has had any contact with any chemicals or fluids such as hydraulic fluids or coolants. There are many things that if the slightest contact is made with a fresh tattoo, could cause similar reactions. A picture would help greatly.

[Warlock]

A lot of things can factor in... overworked areas, too much ointment has been used (some people think more is better regardless of the fact they've been told to put on a very Thin coat... thus clogging the pores and big time delaying healing and causing scabbing... not to mention a nasty reaction if they've been out in the sun with too much ointment on) exposure to sun, rain, chemicals etc.

I wouldn't hang up my machines just yet and give up on the whole thing tho... live and learn from it and practice practice practice more. Sure it could be all your fault for overworking it but then again he might not be telling you everything. I've cought people I've tattooed swimming too soon afterwards, picking at them, scrubbing them, letting them get dirty and not immediately washing etc etc.

[Inkspressit]

too much ointment has been used (some people think more is better regardless of the fact they've been told to put on a very Thin coat... thus clogging the pores and big time delaying healing and causing scabbing... not to mention a nasty reaction if they've been out in the sun with too much ointment on)


Im picking probably a mixture of Pease's comments and the Quote above Bepanthen is a great healer and after care cream...if used correctly, If applied too thick or too often it Will without question lead to some pretty similar occurences you have stated, ink comming out (kinda looks like the ink is thick adn gooey??) if your seeing that there has been way to much put on...you could also find with too much on and potential sweating/rubbing this has also irrated the area.. Pics would be good.
Aftercare is sometimes not given the creedance it deserves by many clients. You can easily tell as well cared for piece to a piece that was given lip service aftercare (especially the pickers!!!...lol)

[inipi67]

You know?? This may not have anything to do with shit here, but........you said it was on the calf ......made a thought pop in my head.........back years ago my wife decided to switch to a generic brand of bleach to save a few pennies, well, I wear steel-toe boots ALL the time and when I was still fabricating, I was pretty picky about good thick socks, wore two pair most times....anyway, from my feet up to the top of where the sock went (8inch boots) broke out bad, we're talkin' little blisters and everything.......ends up ,I had an allergic reaction to the bleach she used!! Nothin' but CLOROX brand for me LOL, I pulled a 50 hour weekend ,doing a whole room change out in a poultry processing plant with blistered feet........not fun!! LOL
Anyway , just a brain fart.......the area being in the sock region made me think of it......lol.
If his family is preparing to scatter his ashes........hang up tattooing!!!
Otherwise,......lesson learned.



Peace Brothers R.:cool:

[lastmansta]

My Opinion, don't use anything on a tattoo during the application or during the healing process. Just make sure for the first few days to wash it on a regular basis. Works awsome. It it's not red or infected why put medicine on it that will draw out the ink?

[Inkspressit]

My Opinion, don't use anything on a tattoo during the application or during the healing process. Just make sure for the first few days to wash it on a regular basis. Works awsome. It it's not red or infected why put medicine on it that will draw out the ink?

OK, now that was an opinion worth keeping to yourself.
Not intending to flame here, but the purpose of putting a barrier / healing balm on is just that, to assist in the healing process and prevent possible infection. It still needs washed and with the proper applcation of suitable agents the healing process will be assisted.... washing inappropriately can be worse than misapplied creams.

[lastmansta]

OK, now that was an opinion worth keeping to yourself.
Not intending to flame here, but the purpose of putting a barrier / healing balm on is just that, to assist in the healing process and prevent possible infection. It still needs washed and with the proper applcation of suitable agents the healing process will be assisted.... washing inappropriately can be worse than misapplied creams.

Dude what the hell are you talking about? Half the shit you people are telling people to put on there work will do more damage then good. Do some research before you shoot your mouth. The best way to assist in the healing process is keeping it clean and anything else that touches it clean too. Thats also how you prevent infection. Not by putting ink pulling chemicals on it.

[jjbbuzz]

Dude what the hell are you talking about? Half the shit you people are telling people to put on there work will do more damage then good. Do some research before you shoot your mouth. The best way to assist in the healing process is keeping it clean and anything else that touches it clean too. Thats also how you prevent infection. Not by putting ink pulling chemicals on it.

mate now thats shite right there, im with inkpressit on this... my opinion....!

[junkyman]

I have to agree

[undercover art]

healing agents can greatly aid in healing a tattoo, when applied in the proper amounts and done so cleanly.....Plain un-scented lotion seems to work best imo....Curel or Keri....Now the kind of damage you explained was in that tattoo sounds like a combo of overworking a little and bad aftercare (just guessing by the description), I've seen it before, they get their tattoo too wet too often, don't dry it well, and put too much goo on it (I hate tattoo goo) thus not letting the healing skin breathe....Good clean aftercare practice can heal overworked skin fine (if done right)

[Comrad]

Cheers gents,

I would agree with some overworking and too much after care cream. The grey goo described earlier sounds 100% correct, thats the reason I sent him to the doctors as I thought it was early signs of infection. Turns out its too much Bepanthem.

Overwhelmed with joy when it wasn't infected.

Hes did a few warm flannel compressions thats now stopped, I told him then to let the scab air and dry out, once done a thin smearing of his regular cream as bepathem was a switch for him.

The raw skin area has started to scab, I told him one to use a small tiny amount of anti bacterial and then from there on in go back to healing as described above.

I don't see any reason why it won't heal up perfectly but I do think its a given that a lot of ink is going to fade and come out.

[hotdiggitydawg]

My Opinion, don't use anything on a tattoo during the application or during the healing process. Just make sure for the first few days to wash it on a regular basis. Works awsome. It it's not red or infected why put medicine on it that will draw out the ink?

Your having a laugh.... aren't ya!

[hotdiggitydawg]

Turns out its too much Bepanthem.



"Bepanthen" is the shit! but only put on enough to make it as shiny as your nose, a little goes a long way...

[junkyman]

We always say to massage it into the skin, not to leave a residue. Too much is as bad as not enough!

[L_Pease]

My Opinion, don't use anything on a tattoo during the application or during the healing process. Just make sure for the first few days to wash it on a regular basis. Works awsome. It it's not red or infected why put medicine on it that will draw out the ink?not trying to pile on you, but I would guess your customers are suffering a pretty uncomfortable experience. Aftercare is a matter of choice, but during application not using anything is just plain dumb. By dry wiping you are causing unnecessary damage to the new tattoo. Use of an ointment during application is not meant for medicating the tattoo. It is a LUBRICANT. In a nutshell it keeps the ink from sticking directly to the skin and facilitates wiping. You can get into the physics of it and there are several reasons for it's use, but the wiping is the key.

I don't know about you guys, but I will never dry-heal any of my personal tattoos simply for comfort and healing time.

For my customers it's the same. The majority of my work peels within three days and does not scab. Scabbing is a signal... kinda' like pain. It means that something has gone wrong.

[Inkslngr]

Thanks Lonnie saved me some typing there

[Inkspressit]

Dude what the hell are you talking about? Half the shit you people are telling people to put on there work will do more damage then good. Do some research before you shoot your mouth. The best way to assist in the healing process is keeping it clean and anything else that touches it clean too. Thats also how you prevent infection. Not by putting ink pulling chemicals on it.


Ok i am going to respond to that in a realatively calm and collected manner:

(1) If you did not comprehend my reply then you should have read it again and taken in what I have said before posting.
(2) If you read my responce it did not talk about what to put on (a previous post stated Bepanthen...i stick by that)
(3) My post was rather balanced and talked of appropriate use, appropriate application.
(4) I've been around since 1989......... 19years of knowledge and experience, what is it i need to research?
(5) If i shot my mouth off you would be under no misapprhension that I did so, I did not.
(6) Bepanthen is not an ink pulling chemical, used correctly it will not pull ink
(7) You will have noted i stated improper washing.... this during healing can lead to a number of issues, soap not rinsed off properly, overwashing saftening up the surface.....drying....with????

In all my response was based on knowledge and experience, You have 2 choices, take it in or forget it.

Frankly I will not be personally replying to any posts made by yourself in relation to anything for some time.
I have over the years shared information willingly with many, I will given recent occurences choose where to depart some of this...

2 years from now, you will undoubtedly know more than the collective knowledge and experience of this site, you will forget the past, your roots and those who have travelled the path before you.

And for that I will not move any pebbles on that path until a degree of respect is shown and I have the real belief that the statement above will not come to fruition.

Peace

[Warlock]

Very well said Inkspresit...

[kellyink]

i agree.......kudos to you ink.......way to keep your cool

[L_Pease]

There's a quote I read a long time ago that goes like this...

"it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

somehow I think it applies to this thread.

[L_Pease]

inkspressit that's not meant toward you by the way.

[jjbbuzz]

great saying there l pease, and very good reply inkpessit.:cool:

[Inkspressit]

There's a quote I read a long time ago that goes like this...

"it's better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

somehow I think it applies to this thread.

My Grandfather use to use that one all the time, he also had others ;).

I suppose to each their own......... im prolly just getting old ;)
(Framey before you answer that........ get rooted!!! lol)

[punkfloyd]

I'm going to jump in and hijack this thread as its aftercare related and something I've always wondered about.
Me and my friends had a lot of work done in the U.K about 20 years ago and the artists aftercare was to clean the tattoo and apply a coat of what I'm guessing is Iodine, no dressing, and those tattoos never scabbed from I remember just a light peeling.
I'm guessing it was Iodine as it was a brownish yellow colour.
Has anyone got any input on this as I have never seen it discussed on any forums or heard of other artists who do or have done this.

By the way I don't intend to try it ,I'm more than happy sending my clients home with a light coat of Bepanthen and a dressing.:)

[L_Pease]

Iodine would work great if you want to stain and discolor the tattoo. It is completely unnecessary though. A well applied tattoo with the proper cleaning and moisture will flake in a few days with no scabbing. Everybody has their own aftercare regimen, but clean and moist is the common denominator.

[punkfloyd]

Iodine would work great if you want to stain and discolor the tattoo.
Thanks for the input but it never discoloured or stained our tattoos, so I'm guessing either it wasn't Iodine or for some reason it didn't actually do so.

I'm intersested if anyone has heard of this being done before, or was it just something he'd been taught or stumbled upon himself.He was quite old school.
His name was Wally Poulton based in Chelmsford,U.K, what I liked was you could take in your own design and he would freehand the whole tattoo, no stencil.
I think he has been credited as the reason Jason Butcher took up tattooing.

[Tat2U2]

we have been healing tattoo's with blistex cream for over 20 years and blistex has like 7 healing element's, my work heals out in 3 to 4 days and even 20+ year old work still is bright and bangin'