Wonky lines are a big indicator of an unskilled artist. How a tattoo heals is a huge sign of a good tattoo vs a bad tattoo. If a tattoo scars, blows out or straight up falls out of the skin, it's a bad tattoo.
Bad tattoos might have patchy shading or poorly applied colors that look faded or uneven. Proportion and Placement: A well-designed tattoo considers body anatomy and size, ensuring it fits well on the skin. A bad tattoo may have awkward proportions or placement that looks out of place.
Signs of Potential Problems: Excessive Redness: If the redness spreads beyond the tattoo or lasts longer than a few days. Severe Swelling: If swelling is significant and does not improve. Pus or Oozing: Any yellow or green discharge could indicate infection. Foul Odor: An unusual smell can be a sign of infection.
As was mentioned, hives, extreme itchiness, and extreme irritation are all pretty clear signs that something dangerous may be going on. If you develop any of these extreme symptoms, go see a doctor before anything gets worse.
If you notice changes in the look or feel of your tattooed skin, contact your healthcare provider. Tattoos can cause chronic skin diseases, such as: Lichen planus. Skin cancer.
Tattoos and Allergic Reactions
Skin-related allergic reactions can include rashes, itching, flaky or scaly skin, small blisters, and swelling. A common allergic reaction to a tattoo is a red, bumpy, persistent rash that can be very itchy.
Persistent redness: Skin shouldn't stay red for weeks or start to darken or spread. Green or yellow fluid: Pus oozing from your tattoo is a sign of infection. Persistent swollen skin: Skin on or around the tattoo shouldn't look puffy for weeks, which indicates an allergy to tattoo ink.
If the needle is going too deep into the skin, it can cause more trauma and damage to the skin than necessary, which can lead to more pain and bleeding. Another sign that a tattoo is too deep is excessive scabbing and peeling during the healing process.
A skin infection is possible after getting a tattoo. An infection might be due to contaminated ink or equipment that isn't sterilized correctly. Getting a tattoo at a studio that doesn't follow good safety steps also can raise your risk of a skin infection.
A 'plethora of factors' can lead to a bad tattoo, according to Killagain. As Killagain told Insider, a tattoo could be bad because it's "technically done poorly," with lines that aren't connected, messy shading, and more.
The types of tattoos people regret most are lettering/script (19%), symbols (16%), names (12%), animal designs (10%) and tribal tattoos (9%).
Infections: Excessive redness, swelling, or pus are red flags. Allergic reactions: Persistent itching, rashes, or irritation may indicate a reaction to tattoo ink or products. Prolonged healing: If your tattoo isn't healing within the expected timeframe, consult a medical professional.
Not taking proper aftercare precautions could also contribute to patchiness; picking scabs off your new tattoo, swimming or submerging it in the bath, exposing it to UV rays while it's still in the early stages of healing could all lead to ink loss and patchiness.
According to the literature, the most frequent tattoo reactions concern allergic contact dermatitis due to delayed hypersensitivity reaction to different pigments contained in the tattoos [20, 21]. The main pigment causing allergic reaction is the red one, due to the presence of mercury and its sulphides [22].
You should consult a doctor or tattoo artist if you notice early signs of infection or an allergic reaction to your tattoo. Prompt attention to these issues can prevent complications and ensure your tattoo heals properly.
It's typically caused when a tattoo artist presses too aggressively into the skin, deposits ink at the wrong angle, or overworks the skin, which occurs more often with a less-experienced tattoo artist but can happen with any artist.