It’s not unusual for some people to get a slight “halo” of color around their tattoos, as the ink moves out via capilliary action and permeates and stains subcutateous tissue. Sometimes this is because of a mistake make by the artist (for example, tattooing too deep), but because anatomy is so variable from person to person, even the best artists have it happen at times. Typically this halo extends not much more than 1/4″ and is subtle enough that most people won’t even notice it, but a friend just sent me this example which is one of the most extreme examples of tattoo ink bleeding out into surrounding tissue that I’ve seen to date.
In the pictures below, the left one (which also shows a rash that developed after the tattoo, which may or may not be related — I suspect not — and was treated successfully with Sibicort, a Chlorhexidine/Hydrocortisone cream) is two weeks after the tattoo was done, and the right one was taken four months afterward, showing what looks almost like a bruise all the way around the arm. Over a year and a half later and the discoloration still looks the same. The woman with the tattoo has very light, thin skin which is generally sensitive and prone to allergic responses. The ink that was used is the same ink the tattooist normally uses and hasn’t caused problems for other clients as far as anyone knows.
These pictures shows the extremes to which ink is capable of spreading. It should be noted that because of the likely depth and diffuse nature of the discolouration, it is unlikely that this can be treated short of simply tattooing over all affected skin. If any professionals have comments or feedback on this — theories on what caused it or how to minimize it, or whether this is just an unavoidable risk in a certain percentage of clients — I’d love to hear it.
Comments
111 responses to “BME/Risks: Extreme Tattoo Ink Bleeding”
I have very very pale skin and no matter who the artist on thin skin areas I get a certain amount of discolouration.
I have very very pale skin and no matter who the artist on thin skin areas I get a certain amount of discolouration.
I have just recently had a tattoo, my 13th tattoo. It is on my upper inner arm and i have a large blue halo like this around it, about an inch around it. Looks awful I’m really upset. My tattoo artist has offered to help cover it, she said in 25 years she has never seen it happen.
I am aware it can be down to the artist but it seems to be common on this part of peoples arms.
I am unsure if i should accept it and leave it or let her tattoo more, as i may end up with a larger blue/ green halo!
I have a question though that i cannot find the answer to online anywhere.
Is it only blue/ black and green ink that does this? I have never seen a red/ pink/ purple/ yellow blowout.
Just wondering if i was to get the blue covered in a different colour, would that spread too?! ARGH HELP 🙁
I have just recently had a tattoo, my 13th tattoo. It is on my upper inner arm and i have a large blue halo like this around it, about an inch around it. Looks awful I’m really upset. My tattoo artist has offered to help cover it, she said in 25 years she has never seen it happen.
I am aware it can be down to the artist but it seems to be common on this part of peoples arms.
I am unsure if i should accept it and leave it or let her tattoo more, as i may end up with a larger blue/ green halo!
I have a question though that i cannot find the answer to online anywhere.
Is it only blue/ black and green ink that does this? I have never seen a red/ pink/ purple/ yellow blowout.
Just wondering if i was to get the blue covered in a different colour, would that spread too?! ARGH HELP 🙁
I have a tattoo that has ” halo bleeding ” stretching 3 inches from my tattoo. My tattoo is on my bicep, and caused me an overnight stay in the hospital. I had gotten the tattoo on a Friday, and by that Sunday morning – I couldn’t bend my arm from a 90 degree angle. I went to te ER and I was admitted immediately. I had Cellulitis ( a form of staph ) and was hours away from GANGRENE. I tried to sue the company artist after the doctors told me that the infection came DIRECTLY from the artists technique. Turns out, the BBB had NO RECORD of the ” tattoo shop ” and no insurance on the building. They weren’t even leasing the space ! All in all, my tattoo is still green around it, and I’m now $11,000 deep in medical bills.
I have a tattoo that has ” halo bleeding ” stretching 3 inches from my tattoo. My tattoo is on my bicep, and caused me an overnight stay in the hospital. I had gotten the tattoo on a Friday, and by that Sunday morning – I couldn’t bend my arm from a 90 degree angle. I went to te ER and I was admitted immediately. I had Cellulitis ( a form of staph ) and was hours away from GANGRENE. I tried to sue the company artist after the doctors told me that the infection came DIRECTLY from the artists technique. Turns out, the BBB had NO RECORD of the ” tattoo shop ” and no insurance on the building. They weren’t even leasing the space ! All in all, my tattoo is still green around it, and I’m now $11,000 deep in medical bills.
This happened to me as well. I wish I had learnt more about these before I got my tattoo, which is also on my upper inner arm. Though my greenish blowout is not that obvious and people won’t even notice it if I don’t tell them, it still annoys me a lot. I tried to search for some information about this kind of ink bleeding, but all I could get was that this actually happens a lot and most people got this blowout on their inner arms. And yes, according to your guy’s discussion, I also have very thin and pale skin, and I believe my tattoo artist was heavy-handed. I’d like to add that my tattoo artist used a new type tattoo machine which made little noise and looked like a pen. At first I thought this was very trendy and advanced, but now I think maybe the machine also did some “help” with my blowout.
I went to hospital and the doctor told me the blowout seemed to have gone far too deep that the laser might not reach, plus it’s very costly to have laser treatment, so now I don’t know what to do next. Maybe just wait till it fades if I’m lucky enough.
This happened to me as well. I wish I had learnt more about these before I got my tattoo, which is also on my upper inner arm. Though my greenish blowout is not that obvious and people won’t even notice it if I don’t tell them, it still annoys me a lot. I tried to search for some information about this kind of ink bleeding, but all I could get was that this actually happens a lot and most people got this blowout on their inner arms. And yes, according to your guy’s discussion, I also have very thin and pale skin, and I believe my tattoo artist was heavy-handed. I’d like to add that my tattoo artist used a new type tattoo machine which made little noise and looked like a pen. At first I thought this was very trendy and advanced, but now I think maybe the machine also did some “help” with my blowout.
I went to hospital and the doctor told me the blowout seemed to have gone far too deep that the laser might not reach, plus it’s very costly to have laser treatment, so now I don’t know what to do next. Maybe just wait till it fades if I’m lucky enough.
I have this problem with my side tattoo now the side of my leg that I just got done it really does suck and I wish their was a way they would go away but mine is still their 4 years latter.
I have this problem with my side tattoo now the side of my leg that I just got done it really does suck and I wish their was a way they would go away but mine is still their 4 years latter.
I got my tattoo on my inner bicep about three months ago and at first I thought it was a massive bruise I had that went down below the tattoo quite far. Possibly from my artist leaning on my arm too much or just it bruising from the trauma of the needle. The fact that the “bruise” is still here three months later has led me here and mine looks very similar to this photo! I don’t have sensitive skin and none of my other tattoos have done this. I’m assuming that for me it was just the placement. The inner bicep having thinner skin and that’s what caused the blowout I had. But it is massive and doesn’t seem to be fading. I’ve weirdly come to accept it and to me it’s just a part of the tattoo now. Like a backdrop