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nikkipoteat · Tattoo lover Joined: 05 Dec 2006 Posts: 1 Location: kansas

I have two tattoos that are fairly old and they sometimes welt up. I am not really concerned but curious as to why they do this. Anyone know why this would happen?

oh_bugger · Tattoo addict Joined: 13 Sep 2006 Posts: 518

No idea but some of mine do it as well, three of my tats get bumpy when im am poorly or really tired, yet the rest never do it puzzled me for a while.

chic · Posted: Tue Dec 05, 2006 3:47 pm Post subject:

is it just the colour black that welts...

im allergic to red and yellow, they are buggers to heal...

DocJ · Posted: Wed Feb 21, 2007 4:12 pm Post subject:

It's only the color GREEN that welts on me. If you smack it, it will welt all up ONLY in the green parts, which is nearly all green.

It's basically harmless... but an allergic reaction to the pigment mixture in a specific color or pigment. It's very RARE to have an INK do this.

In other words, Black INK will most likely not do this, but black pigment may.

I don't know the exact cause, other than chemical reaction to blood flow in the specific area tattooed.

But you are not alone.

2point3turbo · Tattoo lover Joined: 24 Feb 2007 Posts: 3

The artist also may have set the ink to deep. That will cause the ink to get raised or it may have just been old or cheap ink, sometimes called pelican ink.

DocJ · Posted: Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:29 pm Post subject:

No, i am not talking about a permanent raising, or a scar from being too deep, i am talking an actual WELT, like a sweat bee bit me in all the places where GREEN ink is. It's an allergic reaction to something in that ink.

I have in 13 yrs, never seen pelican ink, give a reaction like that. and it's around my eyes.... and i am a welter. LOL

pwm_guy · Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 5:59 am Post subject: Tattoo welting

I have a tattoo that's over 10 years old, all black, on my butt cheek. For ten years I've tried to figure out what conditions it takes to welt up. (not feeling well, nervis, mad...) I've come up with no reasons at all. But, all black ink and it welts up "now and then"

DocJ · Posted: Mon Jan 28, 2008 8:04 am Post subject:

I have purposely gotten mine to raise by slapping it. But it's the only tattoo that does it. Most likely the oldest pigment too.

I have to assume it's impurities in the pigment. Other than that, I have no idea. Kind of scary when you think about it.

ink king · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 4:36 am Post subject:

Im fairly sure it is when your skin contracts or expands due to blood vesils trying push close to skin surface to cool or warm the body when you slap the skin you break blood vesils wich release blood wich will push to the surface and maybe it pushes the ink up as well I have noteced my some of tats do the same when it is eather really cold or hot as for the people who get this when they are stressed it may have something to do whith high blood pressure Im proberly not 100% corect on this but it is my thery

DocJ · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:30 am Post subject:

I honestly do not think the one i have has anything to do with blood vessels that I know of, or we would see a bruising or at least redness. It reacts exactly like a hive (An allergic reaction). What causes it to only happen sometimes has to do with chemical releases of some kind. I am not an MD so i honestly have no real clue how only certain color of ink would do it, other than my body doesn't like what ever was in that specific ink.

Once i smoked weed and it caused my tattoo to raise. It wasn't slapped at that point. So some toxins in my body also create the swelling of just the green portion of the ink. Only one tattoo does it. I have green in other tattoo's and they do not ever do this.

But, it never fails, if i slightly slap it it will raise. I am not talking hard enough to break blood vessels, but to sting the skin enough to react. I can see it bringing blood to the surface being a cause too, but then why wouldn't a hot shower do it?

I have never had a real hot shower make it react. I have been in tanning beds where it did not react either. So heat isn't a factor in my own case. I have had this tattoo for about 15 yrs.

All i can say is... it's very strange.

fallenangel · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 11:50 am Post subject:

I have one that welts up on me every once in while, but when I talked to my doctor (who is also my neighbor) about it, they said it wasn't anything to worry about. i think i have figured out what on me is causing it, though... when that tattoo area comes into contact with certain things, i welt. oh, well... guess i just gotta be more careful what i go near. right?

Ed Sr · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:01 pm Post subject:

You have to remember that a tattoo has damaged (scared) the skin. You may notice at different times... weather related, body hydration, skin condition etc that other scars and or stretch marks will also raise, become more noticeable and may itch. There is nothing to worry about if this happens. I have a tattoo that is 10 years old that still does this from time to time and it is a black tribal lion. Now the artist did scar me in one spot as he is famous for doing but the whole thing will do this from time to time. The time to worry is in the early days after getting a tattoo during the healing process.

Hope this helps

fallenangel · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 12:11 pm Post subject:

i defintely agree that it can be weather related or caused by something else. i can actually see in mine where it was scarred and that's always the area that gives me problems. mine that does that to me from time to time is only a year old though, but i never had the welting until about 3 or 4 months ago.

MadFad5 · Posted: Fri Feb 01, 2008 5:39 pm Post subject:

I noticed today that when I had a hot bath and shaved over my Fighting Irish tattoo (on my left calf) it welted right up but just over one spot. I use those pulsating razors and wondered if that had anything to do with it. It was only the Green on it like DocJ's but it welts when I get smacked there too.