Tattoo scabs – is tattoo scabbing normal?
On 29 April 2022 by adminlbA human body is like a perfectly working machine, but even a Swiss watch needs a new battery, just like human body needs protection against threats of everyday life. One of human body systems, blood circulatory system, is extremely vulnerable to any cuts and wounds.
Nevertheless, if the cut is on epidermis or dermis – surface and inside of the skin respectively – the process of healing is the same: a wound starts to seal with a clot which, as it is getting harder and drier, becomes a scab, usually crusty and dark red or brown. The task of scabs is to protect blood system and prevent infection, by keeping germs out and providing the skin cells underneath with a chance to regenerate.
People cut and tamper with their skin more or less intentionally – the wounds usually are the results of different incidents and accidents, but there are some people who wanr to commemorate important person or event in their life, they treat the process as a sign of bravery, or they would like to feel the pain.
No matter what the reason for creating a tattoo is, the process of creating is simple and considered by some people as painfull – tattoo artist injects ink, pigments, and other fluids just below the top layer of skin.
After a tattoo professional created a new tattoo, he cleans excess ink off skin, disinfects it and then covers the tattoo with hypoallergenic foil which should remain intouched from 24 up to 48 hours, depending on tattoo artist recommendations.
When the time of the removing of the foil comes, since you need to wash your tattoo with warm water and a cosmetic intended for that – remember to use lukewarm and not hot water, which may hurt the skin – it is advised to do it in the shower. In order to get your new tattoo dry you should do it with a paper towel, by touching the healing tattoo but remember not to rub it!
After your tattoo is dried, a very thin layer of cream or ointment is applied, and then the tattoo is wrapped with foil again. The lotion prevent thick scabs from, which are more likely to break, from forming.
The question is: How often on a daily basis the tattoo should be lubricated? For the first 3 to 4 days from the time of making a new tattoo, the action should have been repeated from 2 up to 4 times.
Another problematic issue may be the need of wearing foil. It is a fact, that oxygen helps a wound to heal up faster, hence a question if it is necessary to cover a tattoo with foil may arise. The main problem here is the exposure to UV light – in a shady house is not as crucial as outside. Futhermore, outside a house not only we are vurnelable to sunlight; the foil acts as a barrier between tattooed skin and clothes, which otherwise may stick to eachother.
The ink stays under the surface and is not intended to show on the exterior of your skin. What you see on your skin is a tattoo scab. The body’s natural process of healing creates this scab to protect the area during the healing process.
There are many reasons for why your tattoo scab may not heal as quickly as other people’s tattoos do. Some factors that can affect your body’s ability to heal include:
- sun exposure – dark dye in ink is affected by UV light; new tattoos should not be exposured to the sun since it can result in burn or damaging newly healed epidermal cells and whitening of the tattoo,
- smoking – although smoking does not affect the look of a new tattoo, continual providing tar contained in tobacco does not have a good impact on the condition of skin, which eventually has an impact on the tattoo,
- stress levels – stress increases the level of some hormones in blood, which stunts the releasing of cytokine, which help curing process. In their research, the scientists from Psychiatric Institute in London, noticed that the level of released cortisol is related to healing time, hence the people with lower stress level recovering process lasts two times less, than within the people with the higher stress level,
- improper care for you tattoo (e.g., not using ointment) – not only proper tattoo aftercare is important to maintain your tattoo in good condition; it is also crucial for your well-being.
Are tattoo scabs normal?
It is normal for skin to flake or form scabs during the healing process. The skin’s natural defense is “keratinization”, which simply means that keratin builds up and seals the wound.
Keratin production will also occur on top of existing scabs if the wound does not heal quickly enough or properly. As a result, another layer of keratinization will form over the previous one and this can cause an additional scab to form on top of it. Hence, the presence of tattoo scabs is not necessarily abnormal but only a sign that there is something amiss.
The process of tattooing involves breaking down your skin’s natural barrier and inserting pigment into the dermal layer, while also damaging the top layer of skin – this is called “sacrificing” your skin in order to make room for ink. It is common for the healing process to leave behind scabs on your skin’s surface which could take up to 6 months before they heal completely.
Do all tattoos scab?
Tattoos usually scab over in about a week or so, depending on the size and the location. White blood cells take part in this completely normal process
Some tattoos scab for days or weeks, but most heal within a few hours. Tattoos on the legs, feet and hands heal faster than tattoos on other areas of the body. The higher up on the arm you go, the longer it takes to heal – with no tattoo being worse than others.
When tattoo scabbing isn’t normal
There are a number of reasons as to why you may develop unsightly scabs on your tattoos. Tattoos are basically colored ink being injected into the skin. The ink is permanent, but when it is first injected, it can leave the skin inflamed and tender to the touch. The type of tattoo pigment also has an effect on how long your scabs last; for instance: brighter colors like reds and oranges will fade quicker than dark colors like black or navy blue.
Typically, you will see scabs in the first week after getting a tattoo which will gradually heal over time leaving no sign behind that you had one at all.
Tattoo healing stages
Tattoo healing stages vary depending on the skin type, size, and location of ink. A tattoo artist begins the process of tattooing with the creation of a design on paper. There are many possible designs that can be applied to the skin surface including those that feature simple geometric shapes or complex textures. The artist then applies a layer of stencil-like material over the design and presses it against the skin. Ink is then injected into the layers of stencil-like material under intense pressure from a machine. This process continues until all layers have been traced with ink for an even distribution within them.
During this process, an individual is typically required to lie down so that their skin will remain flat against the surface area where they are being tattooed.
After creating a brand new tattoo it should be shielded against the sun. Most tattoo artists recommend to gently wash and make a tattoo dry with a paper towel before covering new tattoo with foil. This way, an individual can also avoid any tattoo infections; moreover, this is crucial to avoid tattoo bubbling, which happens when scabs become too wet – not drying the tattoo after showering results in scabs being saturated with water. Additionally, to much lotion or ointment may be applied. That eventually leads to increasing the risk of damaging the tattoo and getting an infection.
Tattoo aftercare
Some people ask: how long does my tattoo heal?
In the first week after creating a new tattoo, it is basically a wound with reddened skin; blood or plasma may weep. The skin can also be covered with small bruises and be aching. Since the process of permeation of the ink into skin is just starting. Usually the tattoo should be moisturized from 3 to 5 times daily.
In the second week the skin begins to regenerate which is accompanied by itching and peeling. The feeling of itching as long as all dead skin does not peel off. First of all do not scratch it! Although it relieves, due to the permeation of the ink into skin, scratching is not advised. Do not forget about moisturizing the tattoo, so how often should you do it? At least as often as in the first week or even more – the tattoo should be well hydrated.
In the third week and later the healing times come to the end; during this time the tattooed person should take care of proper moisturizing and protection against the sun – solid and dull skin indicates fully healed tattoo. However, tattoo aftercare procedures do not end at this point – a tattoo aftercare requires the tattoo to have been lubricated for the rest of life.
Threats of an infection
Why moisturizing is important?
If the tattooed skin is not lubricated properly, the scabs are more likely to crack or to become thick and eventually break, exposing blood to germs and other stuff, hence not only infected tattoo may result in ugly scabs but it also may lead to a blood infection. That is why improper care may furtherly constitute medical issues.
How to recognize tattoo infections?
The skin in the place of a new tattoo is usually swollen, reddened and sore – that is completely normal if it lasts no more than two days. After this time you should draw attention to your tattoo. If the sore has been lasting for more than three days, you should contact your tattoo artist who will see over the art, and will tell you if you need to meet a qualified medical practitioner.
Another irregularity that may indicate an infection is higher temperature of the tattooed skin than the rest of the body. Simply touch the tattoo with a hand – if you feel that the skin in this place is warmer, it may indicate an infection.
Itching skin, although completely normal phenomenon, if it goes around a bigger area can be the result of allergic reaction.
More serious problem may be the blood infenction – blood system is a closed one and as such should remain, however, a tattoo is an open wound, which is vulnerable to bacteries and germs.
Tattoo healing tips and aftercare
The tattoo healing process
The healing process for tattoos is not a short period and requires more than just taking care of the tattoo. A person needs to take proper care of their whole body with proper nutrition, hygiene and sleep habits.
If your tattoo is fully healed, but you notice the lines to be smudged looking and imprecise – this indicates a tattoo blowout and ink loss. There are also some natural remedies, such as aloe vera and Vitamin E, that can be used on the tattooed area to help reduce the pain, speed up the recovering process and reduce redness.
Should you moisturize the tattoo scab?
There are many ideas going around about the moisture of the tattoo scab. But, today we are going to talk about whether or not you should moisturize your tattoo scab.
Some people believe that a moisturizer will help to keep skin healthy and plump up the skin under your tattoo, which will make it heal faster.
However, many dermatologists say that moisturizing your tattoo won’t do anything for healing time. This is because water and air is what helps the scabbing process to heal and not neosporin or any other type of lotion.
All in all, it’s always best to just leave your scabs alone.
Tattoo infection – how to avoid?
It is not always that easy to avoid tattoo infection as it might seem.
This article is here to help you take the right steps to avoid getting a tattoo infection.
The following are some of the steps you need to follow if you want to any prevent infection once you decide to begin your tattoo experience:
1. First of all, you need to make your tattoo clean. If the tattoo facility doesn’t look clean and tattoo artists do not inspire your trust, it might be a good idea to go somewhere else. A new tattoo is an open wound, oozing plasma facilitates the healing stage and is perfectly normal part of the healing process.
2. Do not share needles with anyone who has been recently infected with hepatitis or HIV because they will most likely use them on you and pass the disease on in this manner.
3. Make sure that your hands and other body parts are cleaned before you start touching your skin again after getting a tattoo done.
4. Sometimes when a tattoo starts to smell unpleasantly – which is a sign of infected tattoo – you may be considerng the use of scented lotions and soaps; you should avoid them, because the fragrances can interact with ink, causing a reaction.
If you’re at the beginning of your journey with tattoo and you have any questions, it is good to contact a tattoo artist who will resolve any doubts.
It is also recommended to take a medical or professional advice in case of any doubts.
How Long Do Tattoos Scabbing process for?
While the healing process is a little longer than other parts of the body, you should know that it’s worth it. Whether you want a few words or a full sleeve of colorful artwork, there are many reasons to get inked.
The scabbing process will depend on several factors like how large the tattoo is – a small tattoo heals in approximatelly 2-3 weeks; a bigger tattoo covers bigger area and is fully healed in up to 5 weeks. Another factors are how deep it goes and what kind of ink was used. But in general, most tattoos will have faded significantly by 8-10 days after being completed.
What to Avoid While a Tattoo Is Scabbing
When a tattoo starts to scab, the scabs are a thin layer over the tattoo and can be peeled off like any other scab.
Tattoos that have not healed at all or haven’t been cared for by a professional will become scabby and can leave scars with peeling skin. It’s important to recognize the difference between tattoos where scabs are expected and those which are not healing properly in order to avoid complications that could lead to serious scarring.
Scabs should only be peeled off when they have stopped getting bigger and when the person feels ready to do so.
People who have allergies, sensitive skin or dry skin may find it more painful or difficult to peel their tattoos slowly while they’re healing.
Is a thicker scab normal?
While a scab appearing on a new tattoos is normal, some people may be afraid of the thick scabs; the dense scabs simply take a longer time to fully recover.
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Im a person who decided to get a tattoo and now thanks to this exellent aricle I know much more than even tattoo artist would say! Thank you I was so worried about all of the tattoo healing tips and aftercare , but you made is way easier for me!