Pounded Ink

I am such an idiot! After preaching the importance of proper tattoo care I totally messed up by stopping care too early.

I have been working on a quarter-sleeve and my latest session was only two weeks ago. I am very happy with the results but due to my stupidity I may need to have this gone over again.

I took care to keep my new tattoo moist and wrapped it with plastic wrap religiously for four days. At dawn on the fifth day I went into the shower and noticed that all my color areas were starting to peel. This is usually a sign that the new layer of skin has generated and it is safe to let the tattoo dry. So I washed the tattoo and removed a bunch of dead skin. When I got out of the shower I towel dried the tattoo. At this point I stopped moistening the tattoo, which was a huge mistake!

After two days of not moistening the tattoo I started to notice that some areas had not peeled. Upon closer inspection I realized this was not skin but scabs over much of the black ink areas. I guess they were drilled a bit deeper or thicker possibly. It is now two weeks after my tattoo and the scabs are still hanging on.

There is no way take off scabs without ruining your tattoo. Do not ever try and remove scabs, they must fall off on their own. Be careful not to bump the scabs either as this can remove color.

Next time I get tattooed I will be taking care of it and keeping it moist for a solid week. I should really start t0 follow my own advise.