Is my newly tattooed foot having an allergice reaction to neosporin?

Question

I got a beautiful tattoo yesterday on the top of my foot. The receptionist at the shop said that her foot tattoo became extremely swollen and that she just put some ice on it.. Well mine IS extremely swollen but on top of that I noticed that there are bumps on the shaded areas of my tattoo (which is one of the symptoms I read from being allergic to neosporin which is what I have been using). My foot is in a lot of pain and it is hard to walk but it doesn't seem to be coming from the skin itself just the flesh underneath the skin if that makes sense..

I was looking at sites and saw that you can have an allergic reaction to the neosporin and that it will draw all of the color from it. I'm not sure if I have just managed to scare myself or if I could possibly be having an allergic reaction. I'm actually more worried about having the allergic reaction and it causing the color to go away than anything.. I paid $150 for this beautiful piece of work.

Please advise.

Oh and if anyone has seen or experienced an allergic reaction from neosporin please tell me (in detail) the symptoms? And do you know of any sites that show pictures?

Answer 1

the neosporin will make it red and bumpy and very itchy. IT will also pull colour out of your tattoo and fade it before its even healed because its a petroleum based product. Stop using it. Just light unscented lotion works fine, A little Prep H CREAM can also help with the itching and swelling.

The swelling etc is normal in your case because of where it is. Your feet will swell a lot when tattooed just because all the blood goes to that area. Take an ibruprofen (helps with pain and swelling) And then put your foot up as much as possible.You'll be amazed at how much that little can help ti go down.

Answer 2

If you have little bumps on the area where you applied the neosporin (itty bitty ones that look like they might have tiny pockets of fluid in them) it probably IS an allergic reaction to neosporin. I am very allergic to neosporin and that is the reaction I experience. You should stop using it right away, since you are basically applying it to an open wound the allergic reaction could cause you much worse problems than draining the color from the tattoo, I started to go into anaphalactic shock from putting it on a paper cut since a small amount got into my blood stream. Wash all of it off the tattoo and take a benadryl. I do not have any tattoos so I don't know what else you can safely put on it while it heals...maybe petroleum jelly? There are also other antibiotic ointments (like bacitracin) that I am also allergic to but most people aren't. Avoid "triple antibiotic ointments" because they usually contain neosporin or a neosporin derivative. Take care.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

If you're concerned you may be having an allergic reaction, stop using the neosporin!

I know the world and its cousin will probably shout me down for this, but if you hang around here for long enough you'll come to see pretty quickly that there's more than one way to care for a tattoo, and that people get terribly het up about their way being the 'right' way and everyone else being wrong. But I live in the UK, and we don't have neosporin (or if we do I've never heard of it) or any of the other products people regularly suggest as being the only 'right' way to have your tattoo heal properly. And yet all of my tattoos healed just fine...

Basically, though, I think what it boils down to is that as long as you keep your tattoo clean, are careful not to scratch or pick at it, and put some sort of antiseptic ointment on it at sensible intervals, you'll probably be fine. What I use is Savlon cream, which is what you might put on a graze (which really is all a tattoo is; a very artistic sort of graze!) - it isn't an antibiotic, since really you aren't likely to have any major problems with so shallow a wound as a tattoo as long as you keep it clean and look after it. But I don't think mine is the only way to look after a tattoo; it's one of many, and the world won't end if you do something slightly different.

If you're at all concerned you may be experiencing an allergic reaction, stop using the neosporin straight away - allergic reactions can get pretty severe, and you don't want to mess around with them.

Best wishes!

Answer 5

There are a lot of cases of this actually. The ingredient Neomycin in Neosporin can cause allergic reactions and rashes. It can even cause blistering. It's not likely that it will drain all of the ink from the tattoo but you may need certain places touched up later on. You should stop using the Neosporin NOW and switch to either Polysporin (which doesn't have Neomycin in it) or since you seem to have sensitive skin try A&D Ointment (for baby's diaper rash). If you want information you could just google "allergies" and "Neomycin"...Hope this helps.

Answer 6

it could be a reaction to the neosporin but are you sure that it isnt just scabs from the bleeding? I got two tattoos on my foot...one back in june and the other in october so I know how you feel...but the tattoo does become bumpy from scabs that form...if you are worried that it is the neosporin then try using triple antibiotic ointment...and clean it well with mild soap and water. After about a week start putting lotion on it instead of the ointment...but make sure that the lotion is vaseline free because vaseline tends to fade the tattoo faster.

Answer 7

i have always been told not to use neosporin but if that is what your artist told you to use... maybe you should stop using it and start using something else? however, i have large tattoos on the top of both of my feet and they were extremely sore for a while. i limped around for almost two weeks. be sure not to wear any shoes or socks until it is completely healed!! i'm not sure about your possible allergic reaction but i would suggest using another product if you think you are allergic. i don't remember any bumps other than the scabs being slightly weird looking because of all the swelling.

Answer 8

Well with all my tattoos I never used neosproin. I heard from other people who have used it and other people that have tattoos that neosproin pulls the ink from your tattoo and it keeps it from scabbing! In the case of the tattoo let your body do it's own healing! try not to put any anti bacterial anything on it! Sometimes you need the good bacteria to fight the bad ones! So at the most try to use some a&d oientment. The A&D oientment has vitamin A and vitamin D which both help with the aid of skin growth! Go to your doctor and have he/she check it out!

Answer 9

first off i dont know who told you to use neosporin for a tatoo that is the worst worst worst thing you can use you need to use a and d ointment second off start by wiping tatoo down completley removing all neosporin wipe with a damp clean washcloth tehn use a and d ointment then wrap in clean fresh gauze then place an ice pack on tatoo this will fix the problem and you will feel a lot better good luck

Answer 10

I am allergic to neosporin. I get red bumps all around the area that I put it on. It keeps spreading bigger and bigger the longer I use it. Contact dermatitis. I have never had any pain with it. Not sure about the color in the tattoo. Wash it off well and don't put anything on it until you talk to your doctor. There are other antibiotics you can use.