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Do you know what an overworked tattoo is? If your new tattoo is overworked or infected, you can read about its causes, signs, and healing process here!
An overworked tattoo presents as open wounds in the whole tattoo or parts of it immediately after it has been made, with unusual bleeding or secretion, stiff crust formation, and prolonged healing.
The signs such as scars and pigmentation loss usually develop within the first week of tattooing. This makes the tattooing process way more difficult as the customers have to experience painful sessions as the tattoo artist needs to do more passages so that the skin absorbs the ink.
This is a perfect representation of what an overworked or infected tattoo with excess ink usage looks like. This usually happens when the tattoo artist is a novice or does not know the technicalities of the art properly. This is caused by excess usage of bad quality tattoo ink, used tattoo needle, or faulty tattooing process. This could also happen if the needle was pressed too deeply into the epidermis of the skin or the machine speed was set too high resulting in excessive speeding. A common way to work this out is by doing a cover-up tattoo.
If you want to know how to tell if a tattoo is overworked or how to heal an overworked tattoo, then look through this article. Also, remember that it does not constitute medical guidance, and you should go see a medical professional if you feel unwell after getting a tattoo.
Redoing tattoos after the healing process
This is a classic case of covering up the overworked tattoo with a new tattoo in the same area. This is done by an experienced tattoo artist after considerable time has passed and the infected part of the skin has healed. One should go in for a new tattoo as a cover only after taking medical advice from a doctor.
In this case, a clear difference can be seen in the before and after of the tattoo. It shows one of the most common ways to change the design of the tattoo after the infected area is cured and the soreness has reduced. The black shaded arm tattoo must have caused irritation and infection on the skin, and as a result of strong medications, the pigmentation must have faded away. Therefore, one can create a deeper and bigger tattoo to cover up the affected area and provide a better look to it.
Colorful Healed Tattoo
After a few weeks of reaching the healing stage, when an overworked tattoo has been treated with proper medication, moisturization, and proper medical or professional advice, one can go in for a fresh tattoo. You should get a tattoo only when the dermis layer of the skin has properly healed. Otherwise, the post-tattoo complications can reoccur.
This kind of colorful yet quirky design can be the best way to hide the infected area or the scars and the tattoo trauma. This can be an ideal cover-up tattoo as well. All you need is a professional tattoo artist to ink this tattoo in such a way that it covers up the original tattoo area. This representation of a fierce tiger emerging from the jungle can be your best pick!
Overworked Floral Tattoo
This is a before and after image of an overworked tattoo. This body art can irritate the tattooed area or result in peeling skin. One must be extremely careful while the tattooing process lasts and take proper care of the outer layer of skin by constantly dabbing ii with mild lotions and applying antiseptic cream on the area. This is a serious thing, and one must carefully deal with it.
This before and after image of the floral tattoo is the best example of how a tattoo looks when it is first inked and when the outer layer heals completely. The improper healing will make the tattoo lose color, infection will cause blurry lines, and it will have a smudged appearance. In this floral healed tattoo, the tattoo artist has worked around the raised lines and given it a different shade. There has been some playing around with the shaded part of the flower and the leaves surrounding it, probably to give it the feel of a new tattoo.
Fresh and healed black shaded Tattoo
This picture shows a freshly inked and healed tattoo after six months without retouching. The differences can be seen. The lines have become clearer and more definite, but the shading part has become lighter and needs a retouch.
The overworked tattoo symptoms are causing thick scabs on dry skin, bleeding outward, bacterial infection, itchiness, redness, and scars. It usually happens when it is your first tattoo and proper care has not been taken. One needs to give it at least six months to be fully healed. Regular visits to the healthcare practitioner are needed and only through critical care and advice can you think about taking the next step.
Overworked Head Tattoo
In this tattoo, you can see how the infection in contact with airborne particles has caused the raised areas to swell and resulted in thick scabs. There is excessive secretion of fluids which makes it extremely dangerous. This needs immediate care by a qualified medical practitioner. It happens during the first week of tattooing with either bad quality ink or overused ink and can only be cured with the help of high dosages of antibiotics and specialized ointments.
It can be rectified after months by cleansing the tattoo, moisturizing it, or reworking it. This is typically done over the faded regions of the tattoo or the pit area to cover it over and make it look even. This will cover the blemishes and previous mistakes in the tattoo. One can choose to modify the design or structure it into something else.
Infected Tattoo on the Foot
This is an infected butterfly tattoo, the shape of which cannot be determined because of the ink distortion and flaky skin. It needs immediate medical care. The wound is still raw, and blood has accumulated in the deep layers of the skin. The entire tattoo design has become blurred and scarred, causing a painful experience for the client. Remember that the healing process takes time. But if your tattoo is taking too long to heal, you should go see a doctor.
Overworked Alien Tattoo
The alien tattoo is very infected and has caused redness and burned skin patches. Discolored skin is the hallmark of a tattoo blowout. It is often difficult to differentiate between this and a normal infection. Infected tattoos cause patchy skin, bleeding, loss of plasma, and severe damage to skin tissues, as is visible in this tattoo. The entire tattoo design has become cloudy and distorted.
A common mistake is to stop all the treatment midway leading to dry skin peeling. This requires professional treatment, including intense moisturizing and local antibiotics, and some good rest time should be provided to the tattooed area.
Overworked Red Cross Ink Tattoo
The tattooing process is very tricky. Getting a new tattoo is not always very easy. Overworked tattoos can cause serious skin diseases and may take months to get cured. This red-inked cross tattoo has been severely infected with ink absorbed in the wrong layer. It has led to severe breaking out of the skin, dryness, and redness around the design. The raised areas are because of the swollen effect.
One can see that the entire idea behind the tattoo is destroyed, and it has taken a bad shape. Therefore, choosing the right artist and taking proper care of the tattoo from the first day it is inked.
Healed Cat Tattoo Comparison
The before and after image of a 10-month healed tattoo of a cat is the perfect example of a tattoo blowout. The major signs of the tattoo being wrongly done can be redness and swelling around the area for days, pain, irritation, and patchy skin peeling.
We can see such symptoms in the first picture of the tattoo, and it has lost its pigmentation in the second picture but the swelling and the redness around have visibly reduced. In case, one is not happy with the final result after recovery, they might get it re-done or can cover it up with small elements or characters or words on the side.
Healed Skeleton Tattoo
This is also a comparison of how a tattoo shapes up after it is cured and the difference between the two. One must make sure that the drawing is made with fresh ink. Otherwise, the infection might cause rashes and dry patches, causing tattoo blowouts. The scabbing process should be kept under control by visiting a dermatologist regularly and taking medical or professional advice. This is very important before you want new work to be done on the original design. Overworked tattoo healing requires months of constant care and rest, and one should follow the process to be fully cured and prevent any inflammation or major skin diseases.
This article gives you an idea of what a fresh overworked tattoo looks like, how long tattoos take to heal, signs of infection, and how you can take care of the affected area. Browse through well-trained tattoo artists to find someone who knows what they are doing. This must have answered your questions regarding tattoo scarring, drying of the skin, rough patches on the tattooed area, rashes and redness, scar tattoo, and much more. Some of the other signs of infected tattoos are –
- Cloudiness of the tattoo design
- Excretion of sticky fluids
- Deep wounds on the concerned area
- Blood clogging in the tattoo
- Change in the physicality of the tattoo artists
Feature Image from Pinterest – Love this design? Try a Temporary Tattoo
How do I know if I’m overworked?
If you’re feeling tired and exhausted all the time, having difficulty concentrating or focusing on tasks, experiencing physical symptoms such as headaches and muscle tension, or not able to keep up with your usual amount of work, then it may be a sign that you’re overworking yourself. Other signs can include increased irritability, feelings of hopelessness or depression, difficulty sleeping, and decreased motivation. It’s important to take time for yourself and relax when feeling these symptoms as it can be a sign that you are pushing yourself too far. Taking regular breaks from work is an effective way to help manage stress levels and prevent feelings of overwork. Additionally, talking to your manager about any stressors in the workplace can help you better manage your workload. If these solutions do not relieve your stress and fatigue, it may be wise to seek professional advice from a doctor or therapist. They can provide further guidance and support on how to manage stress and prevent overworking yourself.
What are the signs of an overworked tattoo?
Signs of an overworked tattoo include raised or bumpy skin, areas of discoloration, and a loss of definition. If your tattoo is looking faded, blurry, or stretched out it may be a sign that it was overworked. Additionally, if the color or lines are not even and uniform across the entire design, this can also be an indicator that the tattoo has been overworked. In extreme cases, you may see signs of infection such as redness and swelling around the area. It’s important to contact your tattoo artist if you notice any of these signs so they can assess the damage and take appropriate steps to fix it. Lastly, taking care of your tattoo by applying ointment, avoiding water contact, and keeping it out of the sun can also help reduce any damage caused by overworking.