what can cause old (6 yr) tattoo irritation?

Question

I have several tats but the one on my upper left bicep was itchy tonight and the black ink work (it's full colored and shaded, but the irritation was primarily on the black line work) was raised and itchy. the tat is about 6 years old and healed fine, never had any problems with infection or irritation before until it started swelling and itching a few hours ago. I have a few tats but am not very knowledgeable about them and couldn't find anything like this for old tats on the net. should I be concerned?

Answer 1

Closed, long ago healed tattoos do not become infected so skip the antibiotic ointment - besides, for tattoo infections you need more than ointment.

The thing about tattoo allergies is that while rare, they do crop up down the road at any given time. Many times they are precipitated from sun exposure - mostly to red, black is even more rare. Sometimes these things just happen from time to time. Many people find relief by using a cortisone ointment - the strongest you can get over-the-counter is 1% - look for that.

Cold compresses and the ointment should help, if not, you need to get something stronger from the doc. Keep some notes on it to compare to future reactions, if any.

Answer 2

Were you in the sun for an extended amount of time today or yesterday? Have you tried lotion to see if it is just Dry skin? Did you have a shirt on that had the short sleeve that ended at the bicep? The ink could just be causing some dry skin.If you are so concerned by some antibiotic ointment and apply it anyways.. I would worry if it gets hot to the touch,really red,and your arm is painful to touch... All else fails,if you will feel better off go to the dr.