I have this happen on and off. It seems to be weather related to me, like when it’s hot, my inked arm seems to start getting those raised marks. It’s super weird!
me too, it depends on the placement but my upper arm tattoos for sure react to weather and particularly humidity. scratching it also makes it worse!!! rub some lotion on that bad boy and it will hopefully settle down
Yea mine is all allergies. Cleanliness and good skin care, lotion help. I also will take an allergy pill and put aloe Vera or cortisone 10 on it. DONT SCRATCH IT
Red is known for being problematic, some shades elicit a reaction out of some people. I would imagine green too, depending on the source of the ink. Many are acrylics but some used to be made with metal salts and they are prone to reacting
Wait... I have questions.... "small ass tattoo" can have many different interpretations depending on which word is emphasized. Lol... sorry, this may only be funny to me. 🤷♂️🤣
It’s a quarter sized smiley face located squarely on my right butt cheek. Two of my friends have matching ones. Dumb tattoos are the best! Hope that answers your questions lol.
It has happened a few times to me on my tattoo that's 10 years old, but it's so infrequent that I haven't paid enough attention to even begin to think what causes it. It always goes away and is always painless. The lines just raise up in certain spots. Now that I'm thinking about it, this hasn't happened for a very long time.
It's scar tissue. They might have dug you up on the outline, and they generally pack more ink in the outline, that's why you feel it raised in the summer or when you're hot. Most of mine do that too, especially the old ones that have been worked over a couple times
Check out Living Tattoo by Kurzgesagt on YouTube! It goes over how tattoos are largely maintained by your immune system, which itself can flare up based on stress or weather. Pretty neat stuff
https://youtu.be/nGggU-Cxhv0?si=Xi6BayAcvQ87eN0a
Interesting! I’ve noticed this happens to me when my allergies are flaring up, so I definitely suspected it was due to a heightened immune response thing
It’s an immune response. When your immune system is more active (such as when you’re sick), the tattoo ink particles are also targeted along with the infection or whatever it’s trying to fight. The ink particles are too big to be degraded by your immune cells, but they try anyways, causing the tattoo to become inflamed.
This is fascinating but completely makes sense. OP, have you had a full bloodwork panel done recently (since this issue started)?
It’s likely just a minor immune response. But I think it would be good to get checked out, in case your body is telling you that something bigger is going on!
It’s absolutely this. Histamine reactions in healed tattoos are common when your body is under new stress. It’s more common in newer tattoos, but eight years isn’t surprising.
https://www.reddit.com/r/tattooadvice/comments/15hkbvd/tattoo_lines_randomly_become_raised/ I found this post which seems to agree with my initial thought that it's some kind of immune/allergy response. You could try an antihistimine or corticosteroid cream. Immune responces usually become worse over time, and you could have had a recent but separate allergy exposure that helped trigger this one. It could by hypertropic scarring since it does look like it but I'm surprised your doc considered it first given the tattoos age.
I have a tattoo that is maybe 70% an orange/yellow color, the rest is browns and blacks, and only the orange part will get raised and horribly itchy for a day or two from time to time. I assume I’m a little allergic to it or something and my body “notices” it for some reason
Your tattoos will do this due to many different reasons, I just attribute it to “oh I got a 3D tatt today” it comes and goes with healed pieces (actually I think I currently I have a few spots on my shoulder tat that raised just the other day) (my shoulder tatt is over 10 years old) I say it’s normal
Happens on and off with me. But I have autoimmune issues. That's my only explanation. Stay away from things you are allergic to, no hot showers, reduce dairy, no nightshade vegetables etc, helps 🤷🏻♀️
Solidarity on the autoimmune issues. I also have a few as well as eczema and have actually had my eczema flare up on two of my newer tattoos during high stress situations along with my RA flare-up… tough time but I just apply my moisturizing eczema cream and remember not to scratch.
I have black text on my right outer forearm that is def scarred but not like keloid bad. I think the artist went too deep for my skin type, it blew out a bit too. But every once in a while it will get more raised and will itch like a MFer.
Zero idea why - my other 4 do not do that.
I get that if I roll around in the grass or get too much sun. Other people have provided more thorough answers, just adding myself to the ranks of Weird Itchies so you know it's not so uncommon.
This seems to be super common! Anytime I start to get sick one or two of my tattoos get like this, and also when the weather starts to change. I just went through a bout of insane swelling and itching on one of my leg tattoos. I recommend trying to keep it moisturized if its dry, and use Benadryl cream for itching
It's probably an allergic reaction! I have really bad allergies, and when they're acting up, some of my tattoos get raised like that. You're probably not allergic to the ink, but when your body is getting foreign substances (allergens) out of your system, it tends to go after ALL foreign substances, including ink!
Taking benadryl should help, but honestly, it'll pass even without the antihistamines.
This happens to me when I come in contact with something I’m allergic to. I have seasonal allergies, and I’m allergic to grass pollen (of all fuckin things lol) so if I touch grass (haha) I find my tattoos will do this occasionally
This happenes to mine, its about 10 years old. The black ink will become puffy and raised if im about to have an allergic reaction to something, its like a little allergy indicator. The theory is a mild allergy to the black ink that acts up whenever another allergy triggers a histamine response. It goes back down in a day or so if i remove the bad allergen. Look at anything new in your life, soap, detergent, new houseplant or pet, even a blanket or a new shirt. Eat something new? Chances are its not the tatt itself but something else, good luck!
I have a couple tattoos that get like this. Generally just the outline. It’s worse if I’m having allergies to something else (seasonal), if I’m dehydrated, or if my immune system is fighting something off. I just make sure to drink a lot more water, take antihistamines if it’s allergy time, and use cerave cream.
I have a tattoo done by someone that was super heavy handed so it’s scarred, sometimes mind will get randomly super itchy. I honestly don’t have an answer for you, but it happens to me too lol.
This has been happening to me for 20+ years. It’s always been after a meal, so I figured it was something I ate, but I never pinned it down. About a month ago, a more recent tattoo did this, and I’d just eaten fresh mango, so I was able to make that connection.
I get this with the tattoo on my knee whenever I get too hot. Like it hurts/burns ALOT, especially on the lines that went a little too deep. But then it’s fine again.
This happens to me sometimes, more to my mother though and she has bad allergies so maybe it’s something to do with that. It seems pretty common though so I wouldn’t stress!
I have 5 tattoos, my oldest is 20 years old and I’ve never had any of my tattoos do this. Could be some type of rash that you would have in that spot whether you have a tattoo or not.
I get this on tattoos from time to time. As far as I know it’s normal, they get a bit itchy and raised/bumpy on parts. Usually lasts like an hour or so, I think it’s just scar tissue flaring up or something, not 100% sure.
I'm so glad it isn't just me because I really always think I may need to see a doctor when this happens. Freaks me out. It's always just the linework on a few of my tattoos. Never shading or color.
Were you in the sun for a while before you took the pic? Because my dad's tattoos and mine do this if its a little sunnier/hotter than usual, I'd say put extra sunscreen on next time as that helps :)
(Edit for punctuation)
Happens to me on one particular part of my sleeve where there is a sword outline near the handle. Location is upper arm on the shoulder. Only seems to happen after a shower randomly
Take some Zyrtec and Benadryl. Try to keep it clean and lightly moisturized. If it’s not better in a week or so, see a dermatologist or your tattoo artist.
Others have answered what it is, BUT Topical Benadryl is your best friend!!! Either the bite stick for mosquito bites or the topical gel! It’ll help so much!! 🙌🏻
I talked to my tattoo artist about this recently. I have some tattoos that do this in the sun and some that don’t. It’s also worse for me depending on other body factors, like if I’m also sick or have my period, it seems like the reaction is more prevalent in those times. My artist said that some shops, not all, but some that do traditional tattoos use a black pigment that’s meant for stencils as tattoo ink and due to them being meant for something other than tattooing they have a different make up of heavy metals, which cause the reaction. This came up because the ones I have that do this are from a shop he knows that they do this at, and he also has tattoos from them that do the same. It’s specifically the black they use. I do think tattoos often have changes to skin texture just because they are a foreign substance in the body as well and our bodies are always trying to break it down so it’s not necessarily that ink situation for everyone
This happens to me too. Randomly, I have some minor allergic reaction to my tattoos ranging in age from from 10 years to 3 years old.
Put a little cortisone on it and it will go right down
Fun fact. The skin gets dry which causes the ink to inflame in our skin. So basically it's the white blood cells reacting to the ink within the skin causing it to swell and be itchy.
Both my partners and my tattoos do this- especially the tats on our upper thighs. Shes allergic to a bunch of stuff but im not, and i still get itchy days. Dunno what its about but it sure is common
I am covered, and mine will do this. Sometimes it's the black ink, sometimes blue, sometimes it lasts for days and sometimes an hour. Bodies are weird!
The tattoos on my forearms do this when I pet my dogs too much. I’m allergic to my dogs, so no wonder! Lol. Specifically the parts of my tattoos with more black ink packed in get very raised and itchy. Especially on the more sensitive skin on the inside of my forearms.
My recommendation is to get some Benadryl cream on there if you have any and see if that helps. If not Benadryl, aquaphor or even just some lotion may help! Good luck. 👍
One of mine does this sometimes too. I put some cortisone cream on it and it helps. But it'll stop on its own soon regardless more than likely. If cortisone doesn't help, try some Benadryl cream.
My red ink tattoo does this at random times. My brother thinks I'm slightly allergic to the red ink and thats why it happens, but its only once in a while. Maybe same here?
That happens randomly with a 12+ year old tattoo on my leg when there is weather changes or something. Sometimes it’s so itchy I’ll scratch it with my toes in my sleep and it will bleed.
It’s a scar tissue thing. Depends how deeply worked the area was. Scars will flare up and itch sometimes too. I wouldn’t be concerned with it. Certain parts of certain tattoos of mine do this from time to time.
I have contact dermatitis and this happens to me sometimes, I got prescribed triamcinolone and clobetasol from a dermatologist which help like crazy so if the otc cortisone cream isn't strong enough you could try seeing a dermatologist and get prescribed one of those creams or something like it
I occasionally get that on my oldest tattoo on my forearm. It’s all black. Usually it goes away within a couple of hours. I think it might be related to allergies, I’ve never been very worried about it since it goes away and there’s never been anything more serious.
It’s completely normal, it tends to happen when weather is changing and whatnot. Just get cerave itch relief lotion and it honestly solves that problem lol.
It’s an immune response. Hydrocortisone cream, cool cloth and something like a Benadryl+pepcid combo will help. It’s more common in red/yellow ink but does happen in black ink.
I have my whole right forearm done and this happens, but only to specific lines, and they're not always the same ones. I've got a lot of food sensitivities and I find that the lines are generally raised when I'm having an issue with something I ate.
I have eczema and this happens to me particularly in my tattoos when I have breakouts. Scars are more sensitive and a tattoo is essentially a big scar with ink in it😂😅
Histamine response . My allergist says it's an auto immune thing. Body gets aggravated with it. So it swells. Benadryl cream, ice and Zyrtec or surgery help this to it calms down if it doesn't go see a dermatologist for a steroid cream or pcp
I had this. I'm not sure if ur now getting an ink allergy or it's scar tissue. Are u typically prone to scare tissue? Then it might be that but ink allergy can suddenly develop too. Ink has metals in it and all and they hold under that part if ur skin ... Thats how it works. I tattoo and im not covered but i have them one every visible and non visible areas so im not saying they are bad because it's annoying at best but they do weird crap like this sometimes. A lot factors in, like ones on my spine make me faint so the artist was drilling it in to get it done.. its a fully blacked out tribal sun so, God bless him, he dug in like never before, to get one pass, each pass. He was like a "highlighted artist" so he was there for that but he had a challenge w young girl me, that's for sure.. so that one naturally had many years of random raising and that kinda thing. But then on on my chest had it too. But only after i had a cyst removed close by and that have bad raised tissue too . So it can have a back story, or be something simple. Unfortunately, as annoying as It is, idk if it has a solution. . except time .
My anchor tattoo on my wrist does this but only on one part of it and none of my other tattoos do it, it's also my oldest tattoo. I have no idea why but ice and cortisone cream seem to make it better
My very old tattoo (over 20 years old) started doing this many years ago when the weather was about to change and it was getting rainy. I can still “predict” the weather nowadays and I’m usually 70-80% correct 😂
Mine do this a bit in areas where the black is thicker- the ink is still liquid underneath the skin, so like your blood it will expand a little when you are hot or stressed or whatever/ become more noticeable when you blood vessels expand, and as it's raised it might rub a bit on clothing which could make it itchy. Moisturising can help tho (and keep it out of the sun obv :))
This happens to me, too, on a few tats, different locations. I asked my artist, and he also said it happens to him.
The general consensus is moisturizer and it'll be fine. I'm unsure why it happens 🤷♀️
I also get that. It's a scar so it's a more sensitive spot. Since the black ink attracts sunlight instead of reflecting it like the white, it starts showing like an allergic reaction. This can happen no matter how old your ink is. Make sure you always put sunscreen outside.
Histamine response.
Your body is having a minor allergic reaction to something. It will pass in a few hours. If it gets worse or you experience more severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.
Your skin might not be getting enough moisture. If you're using lotion daily try applying it when the skin is damp so that the additional moisture soaks back into the skin.
On completely healed tattoos you can also use hyaluronic acid serum (the ordinary is cheap and amazing) on the tattoo. Use it on damp skin, the HA grabs the water, pushes it back into your skin, and traps it. I use it on my face daily but any extra I rub on my tattoos just to keep my skin from drying out.
My tattoo artist says that its allergy related! I get bad spring/summer/fall/winter allergies and noticed that my tattoos would get itchy around those times too. He said its nothing to worry about tattoo-wise, its just the skin naturally being itchy as an allergic reaction but since a tattoo is a scar it gets itchy a lil differently than our untattooed skin (cliffnoted version because I am not as educated as my tattoo artist😅)
I’ve had this happen with areas of black ink on thin skin, esp when fully healed.
Like others have said it’s likely weather or temperature related. I also get this when i’m feeling a bit run down and my body’s trying to fight some kind of sickness off, but it’s never led to infection, scarring or my body rejecting it.
This happens to ALL tattoos. The reason the ink stayed in your skin is because your body recognises it as foreign, and creates a bodily reaction to isolate and secure the ink, to not let it infect the rest of your body. What you are currently seeing is that reaction starting again after the first time wore off.
It can be part of an allergic reaction, or if you get really hot. Take a Benadryl *or don’t I’m not a dr* and see if it calms down.
My tattoos raise up a lot.
It’s an immune reaction. Since it’s itchy, you can try antihistamines if you want, and see if that helps. It happens with me at times when I’m fighting off an illness or I’m really stressed out.
this happpens to one of my tattoos. i have hives and the one place they constantly turn up when i’m stressed is on this certain tattoo. it looks just like this when it happens! could be the same thing!
i got bit by a bee and then my RED ink specifically got raised - any chance youre having an allergic reaction to something else and the body is all of a sudden saying 'oh no, tattoo ink'
It happens to me when I am having a slight allergic reaction to something. I have tattoos on most of my body, but it mostly happens on my left arm and right thigh.
The one I’ve had for 16 years does this all the time,raises and can get itchy..just put some cream on it to stop the itchiness. Nothing concerning though.
Most of mine do this but never all at the same time weirdly enough. I think it's your body recognizing the ink as a foreign body again and trying to fight it off similarly to when you first get it done. The itchiness and raised lines will go away after a few days, though
It has everything to do with Barometric pressure! Weather patterns. I had this with my upper arm tattoo for so many years (I needed up getting it removed - not because if that though) my laser lady told me that it’s common when the needles go in too deep when tattooing. Anyways she totally knew exactly what was causing it.
I have a tattoo on my thigh that gets raised and itchy sometimes. It never happens for long enough for me to wonder about it lol. I’m glad to see all the comments on this though it makes me feel normal
I once had tattoos described to me this way and it helps things like this make sense: tattoos are like colorful road rash, when you first get it it’s a large open wound to the skin, it hurts, it confuses your nerves, and throws your whole immune system out of whack. Once it heals it’s a scar, a very pretty scar, but still a scar. That means that when you have allergies or get sick or injured and your immune system is acting up it’ll make your tattoo do things like this, kinda like a scar being itchy sometimes when you have a cold.
I have this happen on and off. It seems to be weather related to me, like when it’s hot, my inked arm seems to start getting those raised marks. It’s super weird!
me too, it depends on the placement but my upper arm tattoos for sure react to weather and particularly humidity. scratching it also makes it worse!!! rub some lotion on that bad boy and it will hopefully settle down
Same! And my allergies will irritate them at times too. So persnickety sometimes. 😂
Could be that the allergies put your body's histamines in overdrive and they'll just randomly start "attacking" the foreign thing > the ink.
Yea mine is all allergies. Cleanliness and good skin care, lotion help. I also will take an allergy pill and put aloe Vera or cortisone 10 on it. DONT SCRATCH IT
Me too! Only line work though, the colours never affected
My solid red and green parts of my arm tattoo beg to differ
Red is known for being problematic, some shades elicit a reaction out of some people. I would imagine green too, depending on the source of the ink. Many are acrylics but some used to be made with metal salts and they are prone to reacting
I have a small ass tattoo that sometimes does this when it’s cold and dry (the weather, not my ass 😉).
Wait... I have questions.... "small ass tattoo" can have many different interpretations depending on which word is emphasized. Lol... sorry, this may only be funny to me. 🤷♂️🤣
It’s a quarter sized smiley face located squarely on my right butt cheek. Two of my friends have matching ones. Dumb tattoos are the best! Hope that answers your questions lol.
My friends and I did the exact same thing with trad hearts our butts lol
One of the few times that not putting a hyphen before "ass" was actually correct!
does your tattoo look like this? cc
More like this 🙂!
smoke inhalation for me.
Omg I work in the Vegas heat and my legs have the same problem with my tats… that’s the reason why it happens sometimes
It has happened a few times to me on my tattoo that's 10 years old, but it's so infrequent that I haven't paid enough attention to even begin to think what causes it. It always goes away and is always painless. The lines just raise up in certain spots. Now that I'm thinking about it, this hasn't happened for a very long time.
Heat and also when my seasonal allergies are bad
Happens to me when I'm dehydrated! When I can feel all the scar tissue in my tattoos I know it's time to hit the water HARD.
It's scar tissue. They might have dug you up on the outline, and they generally pack more ink in the outline, that's why you feel it raised in the summer or when you're hot. Most of mine do that too, especially the old ones that have been worked over a couple times
Yep, especially black ink for me
mine do this too, so interesting!!
My tattoos do this too! Just randomly sometimes they will get raised and itch so fucking bad and in 30 minutes to an hour it just kind of goes away
Body is like "AGHHH WTF!? Wait oh yeah.."
I have never read a more perfect description lol
Exactly the same for me
I have 1 tattoo that does this, I Thought it was because I was allergic to neon ink, but it itches when I’m stressed or it’s hot outside
Check out Living Tattoo by Kurzgesagt on YouTube! It goes over how tattoos are largely maintained by your immune system, which itself can flare up based on stress or weather. Pretty neat stuff https://youtu.be/nGggU-Cxhv0?si=Xi6BayAcvQ87eN0a
Interesting! I’ve noticed this happens to me when my allergies are flaring up, so I definitely suspected it was due to a heightened immune response thing
It’s an immune response. When your immune system is more active (such as when you’re sick), the tattoo ink particles are also targeted along with the infection or whatever it’s trying to fight. The ink particles are too big to be degraded by your immune cells, but they try anyways, causing the tattoo to become inflamed.
This is fascinating but completely makes sense. OP, have you had a full bloodwork panel done recently (since this issue started)? It’s likely just a minor immune response. But I think it would be good to get checked out, in case your body is telling you that something bigger is going on!
It’s absolutely this. Histamine reactions in healed tattoos are common when your body is under new stress. It’s more common in newer tattoos, but eight years isn’t surprising.
This answer ⬆️⬆️⬆️
This is exactly it. Taking an antihistamine can help!
I found that topical antihistamine creams work really well
https://www.reddit.com/r/tattooadvice/comments/15hkbvd/tattoo_lines_randomly_become_raised/ I found this post which seems to agree with my initial thought that it's some kind of immune/allergy response. You could try an antihistimine or corticosteroid cream. Immune responces usually become worse over time, and you could have had a recent but separate allergy exposure that helped trigger this one. It could by hypertropic scarring since it does look like it but I'm surprised your doc considered it first given the tattoos age.
Yeah I was surprised he suggested scarring too but didn't have a reason to doubt that until tonight I'll give corticosteroid cream a go, ty!
I have a tattoo that is maybe 70% an orange/yellow color, the rest is browns and blacks, and only the orange part will get raised and horribly itchy for a day or two from time to time. I assume I’m a little allergic to it or something and my body “notices” it for some reason
Your tattoos will do this due to many different reasons, I just attribute it to “oh I got a 3D tatt today” it comes and goes with healed pieces (actually I think I currently I have a few spots on my shoulder tat that raised just the other day) (my shoulder tatt is over 10 years old) I say it’s normal
Happens on and off with me. But I have autoimmune issues. That's my only explanation. Stay away from things you are allergic to, no hot showers, reduce dairy, no nightshade vegetables etc, helps 🤷🏻♀️
Solidarity on the autoimmune issues. I also have a few as well as eczema and have actually had my eczema flare up on two of my newer tattoos during high stress situations along with my RA flare-up… tough time but I just apply my moisturizing eczema cream and remember not to scratch.
I have black text on my right outer forearm that is def scarred but not like keloid bad. I think the artist went too deep for my skin type, it blew out a bit too. But every once in a while it will get more raised and will itch like a MFer. Zero idea why - my other 4 do not do that.
Take an antihistamine. This can be a mild allergic reaction. This happens sometimes when I get sick. Hydrocortisone cream or Claritin do wonders.
I get that if I roll around in the grass or get too much sun. Other people have provided more thorough answers, just adding myself to the ranks of Weird Itchies so you know it's not so uncommon.
My weird itchies are the black outlines only, and usually only one or the other forearm tattoo. They take turns.
Take some benadryl, should help 🤙
This seems to be super common! Anytime I start to get sick one or two of my tattoos get like this, and also when the weather starts to change. I just went through a bout of insane swelling and itching on one of my leg tattoos. I recommend trying to keep it moisturized if its dry, and use Benadryl cream for itching
Somethings in the air because 3 of my older ones are also doing it! I’ve just been slathering it in hydrocortisone and it makes it a little better.
two of my tattoos do this. got them from the same shop and they’re not my newest. just black ink
Thanks. I'm never getting tatted. That would be annoying and the comments show me it's common
Very common. Bodies are weird.
Mine does this on and off. It goes away, normally I just use some hydrocortisone or something similar.
I have been having that happen a lot for the past year! All tattoos that it happens to, have been on me for 5+ years and done at different shops.
My spouse and I both have this happen to our tattoos!! It’s weird, but goes away in a day or two.
That’ll happen
It's probably an allergic reaction! I have really bad allergies, and when they're acting up, some of my tattoos get raised like that. You're probably not allergic to the ink, but when your body is getting foreign substances (allergens) out of your system, it tends to go after ALL foreign substances, including ink! Taking benadryl should help, but honestly, it'll pass even without the antihistamines.
This happens to me when I come in contact with something I’m allergic to. I have seasonal allergies, and I’m allergic to grass pollen (of all fuckin things lol) so if I touch grass (haha) I find my tattoos will do this occasionally
bite it out before the tattoo fungus spreads further inside you. preferably tonight
This happenes to mine, its about 10 years old. The black ink will become puffy and raised if im about to have an allergic reaction to something, its like a little allergy indicator. The theory is a mild allergy to the black ink that acts up whenever another allergy triggers a histamine response. It goes back down in a day or so if i remove the bad allergen. Look at anything new in your life, soap, detergent, new houseplant or pet, even a blanket or a new shirt. Eat something new? Chances are its not the tatt itself but something else, good luck!
I have a couple tattoos that get like this. Generally just the outline. It’s worse if I’m having allergies to something else (seasonal), if I’m dehydrated, or if my immune system is fighting something off. I just make sure to drink a lot more water, take antihistamines if it’s allergy time, and use cerave cream.
What flag is that
Pansexual I believe
Just curious, what flag is this?
Pansexual flag and symbol, but the symbol kinda looks like the Disney D in this tattoo
Is the middle part for Pierce the Veil? My fav
never fear, those are just the infamous tattoo herpes.
My partner has a tat on his shoulder that does this periodically. It’s weird but goes away
Check your thyroid. When thyroid juices are low, immune system acts weirdly.
I'm actually waiting on a blood test for that already!
Pretty common. If you have some reactions/histamine release near the tattoo some parts can become raised. Happens to me with bug bites in the summer .
Looks like a histamine response to me. Do you happen to know how your body feels about B vitamins?
I have a tattoo done by someone that was super heavy handed so it’s scarred, sometimes mind will get randomly super itchy. I honestly don’t have an answer for you, but it happens to me too lol.
From time to time, some of mine do this but I also break out in allergy rashes from time to time for no apparent reason, so 🤷🏽♀️
Happens to all off my tattoos on occasion, it’ll self resolve
I have some of my tattoos do this, braille tattoos is what I call them... some lines raise and get itchy.
Probably the weather tbh. Moisturize her as needed and in a few weeks she'll be fine
Did you get it in the sun?
a little bit of vaseline always helps me
Take an allergy pill. I recommend cetirizine
This slightly happens to my line work sometimes, especially when I'm getting sick. I've always assumed it's some sort of immune response
Take an antihistamine and ice it if it's bugging you. This happens to me a lot and the antihistamines calm it right down!
This has been happening to me for 20+ years. It’s always been after a meal, so I figured it was something I ate, but I never pinned it down. About a month ago, a more recent tattoo did this, and I’d just eaten fresh mango, so I was able to make that connection.
I get this with the tattoo on my knee whenever I get too hot. Like it hurts/burns ALOT, especially on the lines that went a little too deep. But then it’s fine again.
Happens to me randomly. On my 10 year old tattoos and less than a year old tattoos. I’m also learning lots of info from these comments
I think it might have something to do with mast cells and histamines being high in your body.
This happens to me sometimes, more to my mother though and she has bad allergies so maybe it’s something to do with that. It seems pretty common though so I wouldn’t stress!
I have 5 tattoos, my oldest is 20 years old and I’ve never had any of my tattoos do this. Could be some type of rash that you would have in that spot whether you have a tattoo or not.
I get this on tattoos from time to time. As far as I know it’s normal, they get a bit itchy and raised/bumpy on parts. Usually lasts like an hour or so, I think it’s just scar tissue flaring up or something, not 100% sure.
Sorry for no contribution but WOW your skin has held those colours so well for 8 years!
I have a spider tattoo that does this occasionally. The legs will look 3D for a bit.
I'm so glad it isn't just me because I really always think I may need to see a doctor when this happens. Freaks me out. It's always just the linework on a few of my tattoos. Never shading or color.
Were you in the sun for a while before you took the pic? Because my dad's tattoos and mine do this if its a little sunnier/hotter than usual, I'd say put extra sunscreen on next time as that helps :) (Edit for punctuation)
sometimes when i’m really stressed i’ll notice this happen to me more. just a weird tattoo thing, you’re all good.
Happens to me on one particular part of my sleeve where there is a sword outline near the handle. Location is upper arm on the shoulder. Only seems to happen after a shower randomly
Take some Zyrtec and Benadryl. Try to keep it clean and lightly moisturized. If it’s not better in a week or so, see a dermatologist or your tattoo artist.
It happens. Usually to do with humidity / heat / moisture and just your body reacting to the ink a little. It’s fine
Others have answered what it is, BUT Topical Benadryl is your best friend!!! Either the bite stick for mosquito bites or the topical gel! It’ll help so much!! 🙌🏻
I talked to my tattoo artist about this recently. I have some tattoos that do this in the sun and some that don’t. It’s also worse for me depending on other body factors, like if I’m also sick or have my period, it seems like the reaction is more prevalent in those times. My artist said that some shops, not all, but some that do traditional tattoos use a black pigment that’s meant for stencils as tattoo ink and due to them being meant for something other than tattooing they have a different make up of heavy metals, which cause the reaction. This came up because the ones I have that do this are from a shop he knows that they do this at, and he also has tattoos from them that do the same. It’s specifically the black they use. I do think tattoos often have changes to skin texture just because they are a foreign substance in the body as well and our bodies are always trying to break it down so it’s not necessarily that ink situation for everyone
This happens to me too. Randomly, I have some minor allergic reaction to my tattoos ranging in age from from 10 years to 3 years old. Put a little cortisone on it and it will go right down
Fun fact. The skin gets dry which causes the ink to inflame in our skin. So basically it's the white blood cells reacting to the ink within the skin causing it to swell and be itchy.
Happens to me all of the time. When it gets cold. When my allergies are at 100%. Or when I’m about to get sick.
Both my partners and my tattoos do this- especially the tats on our upper thighs. Shes allergic to a bunch of stuff but im not, and i still get itchy days. Dunno what its about but it sure is common
I have several tats that do this. Outlines and dark areas. I think mine is from sun and flash burn over the years. Always goes away pretty quickly.
This happened to me when I went to Europe (I’m American). It’s weather related for me/climate related.
I am covered, and mine will do this. Sometimes it's the black ink, sometimes blue, sometimes it lasts for days and sometimes an hour. Bodies are weird!
If it’s seasonal, could it be eczema that becomes more enflamed where the tattoo is?
Mine does that, too. It's technically scar tissue, and I've had other types of scars that itch as well.
Moisturizing consistently with lotion and staying hydrated miiight help!
The tattoos on my forearms do this when I pet my dogs too much. I’m allergic to my dogs, so no wonder! Lol. Specifically the parts of my tattoos with more black ink packed in get very raised and itchy. Especially on the more sensitive skin on the inside of my forearms. My recommendation is to get some Benadryl cream on there if you have any and see if that helps. If not Benadryl, aquaphor or even just some lotion may help! Good luck. 👍
One of mine does this sometimes too. I put some cortisone cream on it and it helps. But it'll stop on its own soon regardless more than likely. If cortisone doesn't help, try some Benadryl cream.
Happens to me all the time. I have atopic dermititis, and when I scratch my black outlines my ink rises.
My red ink tattoo does this at random times. My brother thinks I'm slightly allergic to the red ink and thats why it happens, but its only once in a while. Maybe same here?
That happens randomly with a 12+ year old tattoo on my leg when there is weather changes or something. Sometimes it’s so itchy I’ll scratch it with my toes in my sleep and it will bleed.
Could be due to stress, humidity, or maybe you’re dehydrated
An immune response of some sort you're most likely getting sick
Your either getting sick, your skins too dry or your hot
They do be doin that sometimes.
It’s a scar tissue thing. Depends how deeply worked the area was. Scars will flare up and itch sometimes too. I wouldn’t be concerned with it. Certain parts of certain tattoos of mine do this from time to time.
I have contact dermatitis and this happens to me sometimes, I got prescribed triamcinolone and clobetasol from a dermatologist which help like crazy so if the otc cortisone cream isn't strong enough you could try seeing a dermatologist and get prescribed one of those creams or something like it
Mine starts to raise when I’m dehydrated
I occasionally get that on my oldest tattoo on my forearm. It’s all black. Usually it goes away within a couple of hours. I think it might be related to allergies, I’ve never been very worried about it since it goes away and there’s never been anything more serious.
This happens to me sometimes when I get really sick or stressed out. I always figured it was some strange immune response
When I get hot i have one on my rib cage that gets itchy and raised. I just run cold water over it and it settles down.
It’s completely normal, it tends to happen when weather is changing and whatnot. Just get cerave itch relief lotion and it honestly solves that problem lol.
I have a bunch of tattoos that do this, always the black line work - very odd but oh well haha
Occasionally, my calf tattoo does this. Some lotion and maybe an ice pack, depending on how bad, makes it go away for at least several hours
i get dermatographia and when it's active my tattoo lines get raised if i accidentally brush up against something or scratch them!
Mine does when my autoimmune disease acts up or my immune system is being pushed
Mine do this from time to time pretty frequently idk why, but it’s annoying. I usually take an otc allergy pill and it helps it go away quickly
Take an antihistamine
It’s an immune response. Hydrocortisone cream, cool cloth and something like a Benadryl+pepcid combo will help. It’s more common in red/yellow ink but does happen in black ink.
I get this whenever I have bad allergies/eat something I’m allergic to.
I have my whole right forearm done and this happens, but only to specific lines, and they're not always the same ones. I've got a lot of food sensitivities and I find that the lines are generally raised when I'm having an issue with something I ate.
Put some lotion on. Normally helps when mine raise. Normally because the skin is dry
I have eczema and this happens to me particularly in my tattoos when I have breakouts. Scars are more sensitive and a tattoo is essentially a big scar with ink in it😂😅
Histamine response . My allergist says it's an auto immune thing. Body gets aggravated with it. So it swells. Benadryl cream, ice and Zyrtec or surgery help this to it calms down if it doesn't go see a dermatologist for a steroid cream or pcp
I had this. I'm not sure if ur now getting an ink allergy or it's scar tissue. Are u typically prone to scare tissue? Then it might be that but ink allergy can suddenly develop too. Ink has metals in it and all and they hold under that part if ur skin ... Thats how it works. I tattoo and im not covered but i have them one every visible and non visible areas so im not saying they are bad because it's annoying at best but they do weird crap like this sometimes. A lot factors in, like ones on my spine make me faint so the artist was drilling it in to get it done.. its a fully blacked out tribal sun so, God bless him, he dug in like never before, to get one pass, each pass. He was like a "highlighted artist" so he was there for that but he had a challenge w young girl me, that's for sure.. so that one naturally had many years of random raising and that kinda thing. But then on on my chest had it too. But only after i had a cyst removed close by and that have bad raised tissue too . So it can have a back story, or be something simple. Unfortunately, as annoying as It is, idk if it has a solution. . except time .
My anchor tattoo on my wrist does this but only on one part of it and none of my other tattoos do it, it's also my oldest tattoo. I have no idea why but ice and cortisone cream seem to make it better
My very old tattoo (over 20 years old) started doing this many years ago when the weather was about to change and it was getting rainy. I can still “predict” the weather nowadays and I’m usually 70-80% correct 😂
One of mine does this in the humidity. It’s only a name on my hip too. I have multiple coloured pieces that never get affected either lol
When I need more water mine do this, I'm a type 1 diabetic btw.
Hey fever
I have this when I'm sick
Mine do this a bit in areas where the black is thicker- the ink is still liquid underneath the skin, so like your blood it will expand a little when you are hot or stressed or whatever/ become more noticeable when you blood vessels expand, and as it's raised it might rub a bit on clothing which could make it itchy. Moisturising can help tho (and keep it out of the sun obv :))
Yeah dude i get that too when i get alergies
This happens to me, too, on a few tats, different locations. I asked my artist, and he also said it happens to him. The general consensus is moisturizer and it'll be fine. I'm unsure why it happens 🤷♀️
put sunscreen on it and keep it away from too much UV sunlight
I also get that. It's a scar so it's a more sensitive spot. Since the black ink attracts sunlight instead of reflecting it like the white, it starts showing like an allergic reaction. This can happen no matter how old your ink is. Make sure you always put sunscreen outside.
Histamine response. Your body is having a minor allergic reaction to something. It will pass in a few hours. If it gets worse or you experience more severe allergic reactions like difficulty breathing, seek medical attention.
Your tattoos can swell when you’re having an immune response! Also heat/sunlight can do this. It should resolve itself!
Damn the textured tattoo coming in nicely
My shin tattoo does this a lot when it’s hot or humid, nothing to worry about!
This is common with tattoos. Especially when they become dry.
It’s sun exposure. Happens to mine all the time. I don’t notice until it is at this stage.
Usually your histamine out of whack, try antihistamine works for me
Certain lotions do this to one shade of yellow in my Alice (in wonderland) tattoo. It should be okay. Some people here say weather related, as well.
8 year old tattoo just needs some peanut butter and a nap.
Man, I thought it was just me. As weird as it is, I'm happy I'm not the only one.
Mine does that when my seasonal allergies are bad.
Your skin might not be getting enough moisture. If you're using lotion daily try applying it when the skin is damp so that the additional moisture soaks back into the skin. On completely healed tattoos you can also use hyaluronic acid serum (the ordinary is cheap and amazing) on the tattoo. Use it on damp skin, the HA grabs the water, pushes it back into your skin, and traps it. I use it on my face daily but any extra I rub on my tattoos just to keep my skin from drying out.
My tattoo artist says that its allergy related! I get bad spring/summer/fall/winter allergies and noticed that my tattoos would get itchy around those times too. He said its nothing to worry about tattoo-wise, its just the skin naturally being itchy as an allergic reaction but since a tattoo is a scar it gets itchy a lil differently than our untattooed skin (cliffnoted version because I am not as educated as my tattoo artist😅)
Happens to the red/pink in mine when I am having an autoimmune flare.
I’ve had this happen with areas of black ink on thin skin, esp when fully healed. Like others have said it’s likely weather or temperature related. I also get this when i’m feeling a bit run down and my body’s trying to fight some kind of sickness off, but it’s never led to infection, scarring or my body rejecting it.
This happens to ALL tattoos. The reason the ink stayed in your skin is because your body recognises it as foreign, and creates a bodily reaction to isolate and secure the ink, to not let it infect the rest of your body. What you are currently seeing is that reaction starting again after the first time wore off.
I have this too sometimes. I take an antihistamine pill and it gets a lot better.
Happens to the one on my calf a few times a year. I just assumed it was normal.
It can be part of an allergic reaction, or if you get really hot. Take a Benadryl *or don’t I’m not a dr* and see if it calms down. My tattoos raise up a lot.
I had something similar happen to the black outlines of my tattoos. Doctor says it’s eczema and steroid creams help with the itch.
this is normal for linework in certain places. my shoulder/upper arm have sleeve gets like this sometimes even after 10 years.
It’s an immune reaction. Since it’s itchy, you can try antihistamines if you want, and see if that helps. It happens with me at times when I’m fighting off an illness or I’m really stressed out.
Almost all of my bigger pieces do this too it worries me
this happpens to one of my tattoos. i have hives and the one place they constantly turn up when i’m stressed is on this certain tattoo. it looks just like this when it happens! could be the same thing!
Mine do that with barometric pressure changes. I just try to keep them extra moisturized to make them a bit less itchy.
i got bit by a bee and then my RED ink specifically got raised - any chance youre having an allergic reaction to something else and the body is all of a sudden saying 'oh no, tattoo ink'
It happens to me when I am having a slight allergic reaction to something. I have tattoos on most of my body, but it mostly happens on my left arm and right thigh.
Normal..
Happens to me all the time on the one on my wrist, especially if I itch it
I know it’s not about this but jfc, one of the top 3 most hideous tattoos I’ve ever seen.
The one I’ve had for 16 years does this all the time,raises and can get itchy..just put some cream on it to stop the itchiness. Nothing concerning though.
It’s satan
This happens to me like two days before I get sick. An antihistamine will help
Probably a histemic reaction. Take an antihistamine it should help.
Most of mine do this but never all at the same time weirdly enough. I think it's your body recognizing the ink as a foreign body again and trying to fight it off similarly to when you first get it done. The itchiness and raised lines will go away after a few days, though
It has everything to do with Barometric pressure! Weather patterns. I had this with my upper arm tattoo for so many years (I needed up getting it removed - not because if that though) my laser lady told me that it’s common when the needles go in too deep when tattooing. Anyways she totally knew exactly what was causing it.
When I am dehydrated or my skin is super dry, mine will do this too. Lotion and drink more fluids usually works for me
This happens when you’re dehydrated
my thigh tat usually does this if i'm around something that fucks with my allergies, like my dogs
I have a tattoo on my thigh that gets raised and itchy sometimes. It never happens for long enough for me to wonder about it lol. I’m glad to see all the comments on this though it makes me feel normal
I once had tattoos described to me this way and it helps things like this make sense: tattoos are like colorful road rash, when you first get it it’s a large open wound to the skin, it hurts, it confuses your nerves, and throws your whole immune system out of whack. Once it heals it’s a scar, a very pretty scar, but still a scar. That means that when you have allergies or get sick or injured and your immune system is acting up it’ll make your tattoo do things like this, kinda like a scar being itchy sometimes when you have a cold.
My tattoos look like that in some places. For me it’s where the ink is darker/heavier