Question by Trylemma (Lazy Libertarian): Question About Infected Tattoos?
I was wondering if all infected tattoos emit some sort of puss. I have had a tattoo on my leg for nine days now and a red itchiness keeps spreading around my tattoo and it looks alot like some of the pictures of “infected tattoos” that I see on the net. It’s been like this for about three days now, but there’s no real pain and its peeling normally (I’ve had two previous tattoos).

The redness, however, isn’t the normal thin layer evident when you first get your tattoo. Its pretty big. You may laugh at this, but my sister is a D.O. and she looked at it very quickly and said that it was just irritated, not infected (it wasn’t “official) though.

Anyways, my ultimate question is whether I should put Bacitracin on it or not. It’s so hard to know how to treat a tattoo. I read stuff that says Bacitracin is necessary to prevent infections, others say it causes infections, other say it doesnt matter. Plus I hear more stuff about too much ointment, fragence filled lotion, the dangers of water….

Anyone have a clear-cut answer to what I should do?

Best answer:

Answer by mzjavert
I’d listen to my sister. Keep up the after-care with unscented lotion. Individual tattoos heal differently. I had one hurt like a s o b for two weeks and one that stopped hurting in a day.

Answer by thereaper
use AD on it don’t cover it up it needs to breath. when showering don’t scrub jus let water run on it when u get out dnt dry it let it air dry and put AD on it. use NON I say again NON-fregance lotion if u dnt ya guna be in pain and tat well kinda mess up. also dnt not use vasoline it pulls out the color and messes it up. dnt than wit it ink will smear under skin and will like really really bad.

Answer by Jimmy G
Dude i had this happen to me when i got my 3rd tattoo Same
i broke out these white reddish pimples with puss that itched like crazy when it was pealing and i study med and i noticed that it wasnt a infection
i told my tattooist what it was if it was normal he said it was common he told me that i was putting to much aquaphor cream and lotion on it that irrtiatted it pretty bad
and if it really itches he gave me a bottle called witchhazel a spary that he put on for it
so bro try not to icth it all it spreads resist as much as possible dont just put any anti itch on it your tattoist will give a specific named one
it will go away it went away after a week and few days max hope this helps good luck man hope it goes away faster than it did mine

Due to the bruising experienced during the process of getting a tattoo, the skin tends to secrete a fluid which forms tiny drops on the surface. In a normal situation, the blood particles in the fluid would dry on the surface and end up looking like black specs, this situation would be most likely to result if you did not bother the bruises.

The fluid would dry on the surface along with the particles and then form what most people know as a scab. The skin would eventually heal despite the various problems otherwise if the process is disturbed or interrupted, you might have to deal with healing a tattoo which is infected.

If the damage that occurs to the skin is minimal in nature, then the rate of healing will usually depend on the level of moisture present in the area. Certain healing ointments can create the needed atmosphere for proper healing and they are: Bacitracin Zinc, A & D Ointment and Petroleum. The petroleum content in these products means that neither air nor water penetrates to the skin surface and this then creates the optimal healing condition.

When your tattoo is completed there is no oozing and the surface of the skin is more or less dry, when a petroleum product is applied then droplets of fluid will start to appear due to the fact that the body is producing exudates. Exudates are required in order to create an atmosphere that tends to promote rapid healing of wounds. A wound that is maintained in a moist environment with exudates tend to have a lesser rate of infection than a wound which is dry.

In the past people thought that petroleum in ointments would make the ink dissolve from the skin but research has proven that this is not true. It has also been proven that the constant application of antibacterial medication is not required in order to eliminate the possibility of infection. The constant application of antibacterial medication is even detrimental to the healing process. Simply applying ointment and plastic wrapping for when you shower or sleep for a number of days will help protect your tattoo under difficult conditions.

Sometimes tattoo infection tends to occur for various reasons. Some of the symptoms which may mean that your tattoo is infected are listed as follows: Increased pain, swelling, redness, heat, or tenderness around the tattoo, red streaks extending from the area, pus coming from the wound, swollen or tender lymph nodes, or fever. These are all indications of the presence of an infection.

Infection usually starts at the tattoo and the usually clear or clear-yellow fluid which tends to drain from an infected tattoo may change to creamy yellow, brown, or red or look or start to smell like pus. It is also possible for infection to occur deep inside the wound without any signs on the surface. However pain and swelling may develop and this will be a definite sign that you have to heal the infected tattoo.

Sometimes the skin over a tattoo may heal but an infection may be present in the depths of the wound, this would usually result in a more serious situation such as an abscess. Failure to heal this infected tattoo may lead to it spreading within the bones or joints and it may become septic and infect the whole body.

Usually you will need an antibiotic to heal the infected tattoo; a doctor may also recommend that you take blood tests depending on the particular circumstances under which you received the tattoo. An infected tattoo should be treated by keeping it dry as much as possible, water tends to be the greatest enemy of a healing tattoo.

You have a really great tattoo, but after a few days you are concerned that it might be infected. This article discusses some of the things to watch for, and other signs that are normal and not the show of infection.

• If your tattoo feels extremely hot to the touch then it could be infected.
• If you notice a big red ring or redness that surrounds the actual tattoo, it could be infected
• If you notice yellowish puss oozing from the tattoo area then it could be infected.
• Does your tattoo have a bad odor? If yes, then it could be infected.
• Is the tattooed area swollen? If yes, then your tattoo could be infected.
• If you are in extreme pain, then your tattoo could also be infected.

If you notice any of these things you should immediately call your doctor and schedule an appointment. Infection can spread fast and can cause much harm. Best to be safe. You also do not want to ruin your new tattoo for ignoring the signs. Nor face any serious health issues. Catch the infection before it is too late.

You might notice a clear liquid (plasma) running out of your tattoo, this typically is normal, however if you are concerned you should contact your doctor or physician.

Be sure to check the cleanliness of the tattoo parlor, dirty tattoo practices can almost always lead to an infected tattoo.