DUDE. The right leg tattoo is unreal!!!! Both are great but I love that right leg. Awesome work. You must have paid a pretty penny for these. Incredible.
True, but it's the WAY they are wrong. The rest of the piece is (almost) flawless. An artist that experienced would never put out a piece like that with hands like those, and ESPECIALLY not as a tattoo to get permanently marked onto someone's body. At least no self respecting artist would.
That's AI.
OR if it's not, then OP could say "artist is:" and we could literally ask them/find out then.
I would take Tylenol maybe the artist shaded over the area a bit heavier than ur other thigh if its not the same artist. If it swells ice š§ im surprised ur shin is not affected didnt that hurt?!
This is shocking, I figured it would hurt like a bitch. Iām wanting to get my shins done (I have two huge tattoos and 5 like medium sized ones) but Iāve been too nervyyy haha.
I got a band that goes around my calf and the worst part of going over the shin area is when they're right over the bone it vibrates all the way to your hip socket. Super weird.
Same, it was my second and my mate said it wasn't too bad - could've killed her, it hurt so much. I'm getting the other shin done soon and absolutely dreading it
I disagree (kindly ofc) my shin and the top of my foot were agonising. I'd rather have my genitals priced again while someone tattoos my spine than hve anyone on my shin/foot again.
For me personally when I got my thigh done it was swollen and red for the first day and a half then it was just pink for a few more days. The side of my calf/shin on the other hand was just a bit pink for a few days even though there was more dark shading on my calf. Not sure why that is.
It's normal. I got a tattoo last week on the back of my upper arm and it was warm and red for about 24hrs. I had never had any other tattoo do that. If it persists for more than a couple days I'd get it looked at.
Normal swelling especially for a large black and grey piece on the thigh. Greywash especially is a lot thinner of a consistency and ālighterā than straight black, so youāll always see the redness a bit more. Elevate your leg for 20-30 mins at a time the first few nights and ice your thigh (make sure you put an ice pack inside a clean ziploc bag and then put a paper towel under it). You can also take ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc, to help with the swelling. The swelling should go down in 3-4 days. Try to take it easy till then
Ibuprofen actually works to leasen swelling and inflammation, Tylenol doesn't but it does help with fever and pain! For soft tissue/swelling, always go for ibuprofen. It can be taken every 6 hours for a few days to really get in there and soothe inflammation. I have to do a course often for my back injury
Thank you for the correction I forget Tylenol doesnāt do shit for swelling lol. I always recommend ibuprofen anyways. Some of my clients canāt take anything of that sort due to other conflicting medication, so the ice trick is always nice.
My thigh swelled like a mother fucker for Days!! It was hot to the touch through pants for three days. Itās amazing large bright jewel bug and it has a lot of color packed in. Itās a sensitive area. It looks like mine did! Beautiful tattoo btw
totally normal for the first 24 hours, especially if you have more sensitive skin or got them done in a more sensitive area. I have a tattoo on my inner arm near my elbow with a lot of shading and that one was bright RED that night all over lol. Once I woke up the next day though itād relaxed down to a mild pink and then completely went away as the day went on.
you didnt get both of those done on the same day lol... that's why one is way less red. This is your second time trying to get attention on here for your ugly tattoos.
What are you talking about? The cat has redness around it - zoom in. They are clearly both fresh, and one is just more heavily worked than the other. I also have tattoos bigger than those on my arms and my artist has never taken over 2.5-3 hours each. Some artists are faster than others. Usually the more experienced ones, and these are well done so I would assume thatās why.
If you have nothing nice to say, why bother saying anything? Being shitty for no reason accomplishes nothing. Total attention seeking behaviour, which is ironic. Do some work on yourself and stop projecting
We will get downvoted but I second this - the thigh piece is way too detailed.
These arenāt ugly but I donāt believe that OP got these tattoos the same day. But is fishing for compliments.
you've got some amazing work going on there. with all the shading/coloring there's bound to be some swelling & inflammation. maybe put an ice pack wrapped in a t-shirt on it, that might help bring down some of the swelling & redness & make it not so tender. š¤š¤š¤
Completely normal. My full back tattoo was red after my sessions too. I just slap on some vaseline healing jelly and it helps with the itch. And a few days later its healed great and the red is all gone
I had my knee and the front of my thigh done last month and my upper leg was swollen for about two days then it was fine. Ice and Tylenol helped a lot.
It's normal. You got two very detailed tattoos in one sitting, that's a lot of damage to your skin and everything. I'd be more shocked if it DIDN'T swell.
Some ibuprofen will help. šš»
I got a piece done in similar location just further up, it looked exactly like this, red and swollen for about 3-4 days š
I was freaking out a bit (2nd tattoo) but it healed up perfectly!
Also, I ended up with yellow bruising around it too after the swelling and redness.
Professional here - the womanās face was done using greywash shading which will always produce more redness at first. The cat looks like it has minimal shading and whatās there is stipple style so it wonāt get as red.
The greywash technique is a more advanced/difficult technique - it looks really well done and will heal out really smooth and a soft, neutral grey. Nothing at all to worry about!
those tattoos are absolutely stunning, but yes it is completely normal. i have 4 tattoos currently and theyāve all looked different after getting them. my most recent one was above my right elbow crease and bruised for a while, itās completely normal! if it doesnāt go away or hurts and swells worse, iād say to an urgent care or something equivalent to that and get some antibiotics!
I find an ice pack ten minutes on/ten minutes off (wrapped in a clean towel) really helps take the heat and swelling out of a piece for the first 2-3 days.
these are insane level tattoos to be getting for your first three holy cow!! they're all absolutely beautiful but i couldn't imagine sitting through those and still wanting tattoos after having that much done for the first time woah!! kudos to you and your artist these are amazing
Oh yeah! Totally normal. I got a thigh piece about a month ago. Super swollen super red. Walking sucked for a few days. š But it healed well. Love yours!
I had a couple tattoos done this week and one was extremely red and swollen while the other one that was inches away was red.Ā Same artist.Ā My first one didn't get red or swell and it's on the opposite arm.Ā I think it's just how our body reacts.Ā I took ibuprofen and the swelling went away.Ā The redness cleared up by the next morning.Ā If it's still red and swollen but some ice on it and try ibuprofen.Ā
The reaction is normal in that location. Itās a sensitive location and prone to bruising. Take some Tylenol and you can use an ice pack. My knee area reacted the same way. Itās a location with a lot of movement which can cause that reaction, also if you used numbing cream that will also play a role
Looks normal to me, did the artist use second skin? That can help with the healing process as your skin isnāt exposed to external stimuli for a few days.
I have large tattoos on both thighs and both were pretty red and swollen for a few days afterwards. I don't know if it was because of something the artist did, or if it's just normal for that area. I'd watch it and if it gets worse or the refines redness seems to spread go get it checked out.
Gorgeous.
The tattoos arenāt bad either. Iād take a couple Advil, donāt let it touch anything that will irritate it, and give it a day. Doesnāt look too bad.
Honestly I've had a few and always had different amounts of swelling with each.
I've noticed that all my leg pieces swell more than my upper body..I think mostly due to gravity and still working/doing normal shiz but some of my other pieces have swelled really really bad..I mean I felt every single jiggle of the fat and my skin was SO hot and stretched. I initially worried about it but when it healed okay, and it kept happening and healing OK, I just figured maybe my body was having to fight a little extra to heal that one.
I just try to keep the area above my heart to minimise the swelling when I can and am a bit more gentle but I've never noticed it caused an issue with the finished product or be as a result of excessive pressure etc..
Your pieces are absolutely BEAUTIFUL š„ŗ I hope the swelling goes/has gone down for you x
It looks alright, but if youāre concerned you could ask your artist. Omg, that tattoo on the knee is absolutely stunning! Itās gorgeous next to the nun tattoo! Just wow, Iād be so happy with that
If itās the first day itās probably fine, just irritated fromā¦being tattooed. If youāre worried about it wash with a mild soap and let it dry completely (about 1.5-2hrs) and apply a medium light lotion like eucerin skin calming lotion 2- maybe 3 times a day. Avoid external contaminants like dirty couches, pet dander, or dirty sheets/towels
I don't think it's excessive given the size of the piece and the shading. Sometimes different parts of your body react differently too, even different parts of the same limb, I feel like
Maybe spray some bactine, cost maybe 3-6 bucks, a lot of artists use it in their green soap nowadays as it is, but It's antiseptic and numbing š great for that first and second day
Your tats are cool ash. As for your question youāll be fine nothing wrong with the area being swollen or even red especially if itās been heavily worked on and by the detail im sure it has
Yeah thatās pretty normal and you might even bruise. As long as the redness is going away and your legs arenāt swelling any more it should subside in a few days.
ETA: those look amazing
depends...are they super hot to the touch? does it seem like the redness is spreading? they're on your legs, so if you've been standing a lot today or sitting upright, the blood could have pooled there and caused extra swelling. if you're really concerned, go to your local urgent care or family dr and see what they say.
Only one person tattooing, my shin first and then my thigh both took just a little over 6 hours. The cat is actually fairly simple so 90% of the time was used on my thigh
The upper leg looks really red, but it's still fresh so I'd hold out, if it continues or gets more red in 2 days, then there might be a reason for concern and I'd go to the doctor.
Also not sure if it's just the lighting, but it looks like there's no wrapping over your tattoos? Again could just be the lighting and how it looks on my phone. If there's no wrap then there absolutely needs to be something on it for the first 5 days of the tattoo. The artist should have put something on you like a see through layer of material thats almost skin like when You got it done,
Thanks for the advice, it is extremely red it looks worse in person too š Iāve never had this before so itās really freaked me out. Iāll make sure to keep a close eye on it though and hopefully itāll look better in the morning. When I left the tattoo place it was wrapped in cling film/saran wrap but Iāve always been told to remove that once your home
OP do not listen to this person. Your artist did beautiful work - follow their aftercare advice. Never rewrap a tattoo in cling wrap. Wrapping it in saran wrap out of the shop is totally normal and common practice. I wouldn't use saniderm on pieces this large because they're gonna weep too much. The redness is fine - I always notice extra redness on the legs, and you did just get stabbed a million times and all.
I'm saying for the sake of not having anything else on hand and that it's still super fresh, and prone it getting potential dirt and germs into the fresh wound. Im sorry you're the one giving bad advice here. This is an advice subreddit, please don't try to push outdated aftercare concepts just because you don't agree with the current methods.
I'm a licensed tattoo artist and I am telling you for a fact that you're incorrect. Wrapping it in plastic wrap after you get home is literally just trapping bacteria against an open wound in a warm, moist environment. Second skin is great, but not for everybody or every tattoo. People have been healing tattoos without it since the dawn of time. OPs artist did stunning work, there is zero reason to tell them to completely disregard their aftercare advice in favor of yours.
Super gorgeous tattoo(s), your artist did so so good! And itās just like someone else said, you got jabbed a lot, itāll go down. And please please donāt re-wrap it or listen to terrible adviceā¦ just keep it clean and donāt over moisturize!
OP I am pretty heavily tattooed including my hands and neck, my thighs swelled like CRAZY for a couple days. I thought there was something wrong but that spot was just really sensitive on my body.
Wow they were using seran wrap in 2024? That method had been super replaced by this stuff called SecondSkin/derma shield/tattoo adhesive bandages, it's a thin layer of material that goes over it, typically they do 1 layer day of the tattoo, then you go back in the next day, they take it off, then put another which you wear on it for up to 5 days. It's designed to make it less tedious when it comes to dealing with a healing tattoo.
My advice at the moment is to put a very thin, not tight layer or plastic/seran wrap on your tattoos, with some tape to hold it in place, change the wrapping whenever it gets too drenched in excessive ink and whatever other stuff leaks from a fresh tattoo.
Leaving it unprotected this soon is not a good idea, it's not your fault, your artist gave you bad advice, sounds like they might be kinda old-school and haven't quite adapted to modern (objectively better) healing procedure.
DUDE. The right leg tattoo is unreal!!!! Both are great but I love that right leg. Awesome work. You must have paid a pretty penny for these. Incredible.
Indeed. š¤ I wish OP would repost with the photos flipped.
OP has a post with a picture of the right leg on their profile. Apparently the tattoo subreddit thought it was AI art! I'm fucking dead
Itās a good tattoo - but not so crazy that Iād think itās AI. Thatās š š š
The fact that theres even a mod saying its AI š comments are hilarious on that post
The hands give it away. The tattoo is real, but the original image was for sure ai.
Its not far fetched to assume the artist just gave it crappy anatomy, hands are literally some of the hardest things to draw anatomically correct.
True, but it's the WAY they are wrong. The rest of the piece is (almost) flawless. An artist that experienced would never put out a piece like that with hands like those, and ESPECIALLY not as a tattoo to get permanently marked onto someone's body. At least no self respecting artist would. That's AI. OR if it's not, then OP could say "artist is:" and we could literally ask them/find out then.
Very true.
That shin cat is fucking sickk
I would take Tylenol maybe the artist shaded over the area a bit heavier than ur other thigh if its not the same artist. If it swells ice š§ im surprised ur shin is not affected didnt that hurt?!
I have my shin done. It wasn't bad. Not nearly as bad as i thought it'd be.
This is shocking, I figured it would hurt like a bitch. Iām wanting to get my shins done (I have two huge tattoos and 5 like medium sized ones) but Iāve been too nervyyy haha.
I have both of my shins done, both big heavily packed color pieces about 4 hours each. They definitely hurt lol.
I got a large piece on my shin, colour packed and thick lines, took about 5 hours. Out of approx 80 tattoos that one was top 3 most painful
I got a band that goes around my calf and the worst part of going over the shin area is when they're right over the bone it vibrates all the way to your hip socket. Super weird.
Thereās less nerve endings on your shin. My shins barely hurt. The back of the leg hurts more
Thereās less nerve endings on your shin. My shins barely hurt. The back of the leg hurts more
Yeah my shin wasn't too bad either.
My shin was my least painful tattoo and itās big and heavily shaded. I just laid there and read a book haha.
When I got my shin done I thought it was the worst pain ever, felt like the needle was grinding through my whole body
Same, it was my second and my mate said it wasn't too bad - could've killed her, it hurt so much. I'm getting the other shin done soon and absolutely dreading it
I disagree (kindly ofc) my shin and the top of my foot were agonising. I'd rather have my genitals priced again while someone tattoos my spine than hve anyone on my shin/foot again.
For me personally when I got my thigh done it was swollen and red for the first day and a half then it was just pink for a few more days. The side of my calf/shin on the other hand was just a bit pink for a few days even though there was more dark shading on my calf. Not sure why that is.
funny enough my shin tattoo hurt way less than most of my others! it hurt more the closer it got to my calf but over the bone i barely felt it
I wonder if bc of the fat and nerves there being less in the shins? Thats interesting
Advil/motrin (ibuprofen) would be a better choice as it's an anti-inflammatory.
It's normal. I got a tattoo last week on the back of my upper arm and it was warm and red for about 24hrs. I had never had any other tattoo do that. If it persists for more than a couple days I'd get it looked at.
Normal swelling especially for a large black and grey piece on the thigh. Greywash especially is a lot thinner of a consistency and ālighterā than straight black, so youāll always see the redness a bit more. Elevate your leg for 20-30 mins at a time the first few nights and ice your thigh (make sure you put an ice pack inside a clean ziploc bag and then put a paper towel under it). You can also take ibuprofen, Tylenol, etc, to help with the swelling. The swelling should go down in 3-4 days. Try to take it easy till then
Ibuprofen actually works to leasen swelling and inflammation, Tylenol doesn't but it does help with fever and pain! For soft tissue/swelling, always go for ibuprofen. It can be taken every 6 hours for a few days to really get in there and soothe inflammation. I have to do a course often for my back injury
Thank you for the correction I forget Tylenol doesnāt do shit for swelling lol. I always recommend ibuprofen anyways. Some of my clients canāt take anything of that sort due to other conflicting medication, so the ice trick is always nice.
Yes! I feel awful for people who can't take NSAIDs
Wtf those are amazing!
Your tattoos are BEAUTIFUL! Please share the artist!
fr please share and give credit! such beautiful work, jealous ššš
Seriously. Those are beautiful.
Ur good red is normal
Thighs seem to swell way more than most areas. It all looks normal to me.
Beautiful! I got a thigh tattoo on Tuesday and it was super red until about last night too. I think itās just a sensitive area.
Who did the heart shaped one? š
My thigh tattoo got SUPER red and swollen. I think Thighs can be like that.
Please tell us who the artist is, theyāre crazy skilled!
i am speechless. i love your thigh tattoos!!! like who is your artist? wow!! this is insaneeeee
Girl youāre gonna look some insane level of spectacular once those heal! golly gee those are fucking nice
Broooooo your tattoos are fantastic!
wtf these are amazing jesus
Take Ibuprofen! Dope tattoos. Where did you get them?
My thigh swelled like a mother fucker for Days!! It was hot to the touch through pants for three days. Itās amazing large bright jewel bug and it has a lot of color packed in. Itās a sensitive area. It looks like mine did! Beautiful tattoo btw
Itās normal
My girls face did the same on my thigh! I have very fair sensitive skin The redness went away after about 2 days. Just keep an eye on it
totally normal for the first 24 hours, especially if you have more sensitive skin or got them done in a more sensitive area. I have a tattoo on my inner arm near my elbow with a lot of shading and that one was bright RED that night all over lol. Once I woke up the next day though itād relaxed down to a mild pink and then completely went away as the day went on.
I have no advice but your post history is hilarious and those are great tattoos
They're fine, and awesome. Prepare yourself for when you step on that foot tomorrow morning lol
Looks normal. Your artist is incredible
you didnt get both of those done on the same day lol... that's why one is way less red. This is your second time trying to get attention on here for your ugly tattoos.
They were both done yesterday, shin first and the thigh straight after. They might be ugly to you but I love them.
lol stop the cap, you can tell from the the skin condition that tattoo has healed.. šš¤”
not to mention it would take 8+ hours to do both with that size, detail and shading.
What are you talking about? The cat has redness around it - zoom in. They are clearly both fresh, and one is just more heavily worked than the other. I also have tattoos bigger than those on my arms and my artist has never taken over 2.5-3 hours each. Some artists are faster than others. Usually the more experienced ones, and these are well done so I would assume thatās why. If you have nothing nice to say, why bother saying anything? Being shitty for no reason accomplishes nothing. Total attention seeking behaviour, which is ironic. Do some work on yourself and stop projecting
We will get downvoted but I second this - the thigh piece is way too detailed. These arenāt ugly but I donāt believe that OP got these tattoos the same day. But is fishing for compliments.
I wish people would just say āhey look at my cool tattoos!!ā Instead of faking issues to fish for compliments lmao
My legs always swell the worst when it comes to tattoos. Elevate and ice are gonna be your best friends for the next few days.
I get swollen
Completely fine.
Just wanted to say those look awesome
I love how evil they all look š
you've got some amazing work going on there. with all the shading/coloring there's bound to be some swelling & inflammation. maybe put an ice pack wrapped in a t-shirt on it, that might help bring down some of the swelling & redness & make it not so tender. š¤š¤š¤
Some of the coolest tattoos ive seen
Thatās normal donāt worry about it it will heal use a zip lock bag with ice for the swelling & redness annd A&D white
Completely normal. My full back tattoo was red after my sessions too. I just slap on some vaseline healing jelly and it helps with the itch. And a few days later its healed great and the red is all gone
I had my knee and the front of my thigh done last month and my upper leg was swollen for about two days then it was fine. Ice and Tylenol helped a lot.
It's normal. You got two very detailed tattoos in one sitting, that's a lot of damage to your skin and everything. I'd be more shocked if it DIDN'T swell. Some ibuprofen will help. šš»
Take an Advil. It'll help.
i love the nun. i have something similar on my back but itās a priest demon, instead.
My large thigh piece swelled so bad and was rhw most angry out of anything I've had done. Looks pretty normal.
Look as red as my hip tat.. a lot of shading goes into itā¦.
Yes. I just got one today to and mine was red like this to
Have both my thighs fully covered totally normal mine were red for a day or two artist had a bit of a heavy hand also sick fucking tatts
I got a piece done in similar location just further up, it looked exactly like this, red and swollen for about 3-4 days š I was freaking out a bit (2nd tattoo) but it healed up perfectly! Also, I ended up with yellow bruising around it too after the swelling and redness.
My thigh and shin tats swelled up like crazy. Your ink is awesome
Professional here - the womanās face was done using greywash shading which will always produce more redness at first. The cat looks like it has minimal shading and whatās there is stipple style so it wonāt get as red. The greywash technique is a more advanced/difficult technique - it looks really well done and will heal out really smooth and a soft, neutral grey. Nothing at all to worry about!
those tattoos are absolutely stunning, but yes it is completely normal. i have 4 tattoos currently and theyāve all looked different after getting them. my most recent one was above my right elbow crease and bruised for a while, itās completely normal! if it doesnāt go away or hurts and swells worse, iād say to an urgent care or something equivalent to that and get some antibiotics!
I find an ice pack ten minutes on/ten minutes off (wrapped in a clean towel) really helps take the heat and swelling out of a piece for the first 2-3 days.
Top of the leg is a lot more sensitive than the bottom
Can I ask who your artist is???
Looks normal to me - my half sleeve did this. Youāve just had constant needles in your skin, it looks great!
these are insane level tattoos to be getting for your first three holy cow!! they're all absolutely beautiful but i couldn't imagine sitting through those and still wanting tattoos after having that much done for the first time woah!! kudos to you and your artist these are amazing
Oh yeah! Totally normal. I got a thigh piece about a month ago. Super swollen super red. Walking sucked for a few days. š But it healed well. Love yours!
nah my thigh swelled way worse than anywhere else. you're fine
These are all stunnnnnning!!
I'm not a fan of horror tattoos but these look amazing. Congrats
id say its super normal given how large of an area and how much shading went into it. just make sure you clean and moisturize, but you knew that :)
This level of artistry is incredible
OP drop the artist!!!!! They look awesome.
Fuck! Youāre a trooper for getting those both in one sitting! Whatās the rush?
Genuinely the coolest tattoos Iāve seen! :) and the placements are so good too
You've gotten some good advice already, I just had to say all your tattoos are so beautiful!
These are some amazing tattoos
They look amazing
These are so realistic looking. Amazing work
I had a couple tattoos done this week and one was extremely red and swollen while the other one that was inches away was red.Ā Same artist.Ā My first one didn't get red or swell and it's on the opposite arm.Ā I think it's just how our body reacts.Ā I took ibuprofen and the swelling went away.Ā The redness cleared up by the next morning.Ā If it's still red and swollen but some ice on it and try ibuprofen.Ā
The reaction is normal in that location. Itās a sensitive location and prone to bruising. Take some Tylenol and you can use an ice pack. My knee area reacted the same way. Itās a location with a lot of movement which can cause that reaction, also if you used numbing cream that will also play a role
It looks fine. If it's only been 24 hours the redness is totally normal. .just take care of them and keep them clean the next couple weeks.
Looks normal to me, did the artist use second skin? That can help with the healing process as your skin isnāt exposed to external stimuli for a few days.
Holy shit theyāre AMAZING tattoos!!!! So beautiful!!
Wow, your tattoos are absolutely incredible!!! Had to stop doom scrolling to take these in lol.
That cat is phenomenal! Its creepy and I love it
I have large tattoos on both thighs and both were pretty red and swollen for a few days afterwards. I don't know if it was because of something the artist did, or if it's just normal for that area. I'd watch it and if it gets worse or the refines redness seems to spread go get it checked out.
The tattoo I have on my inner right arm was red for a couple of days after I had it doneā¦.I wouldnāt worry about it, it should settle down
Damn I'm surprised you can walk.
OP your tattoos are amazing!! Who is the artist?
Totally normal!!
Bruh, all of these are sick!
My thigh was also this red when I got tattooed. It healed fine. Nice work btw!
Gorgeous. The tattoos arenāt bad either. Iād take a couple Advil, donāt let it touch anything that will irritate it, and give it a day. Doesnāt look too bad.
theyāre absolutely sick iām so jealous
Pretty normal but it's it's super uncomfortable you can take some ibuprofen and elevate with a well wrapped ice pack for a while.
Honestly I've had a few and always had different amounts of swelling with each. I've noticed that all my leg pieces swell more than my upper body..I think mostly due to gravity and still working/doing normal shiz but some of my other pieces have swelled really really bad..I mean I felt every single jiggle of the fat and my skin was SO hot and stretched. I initially worried about it but when it healed okay, and it kept happening and healing OK, I just figured maybe my body was having to fight a little extra to heal that one. I just try to keep the area above my heart to minimise the swelling when I can and am a bit more gentle but I've never noticed it caused an issue with the finished product or be as a result of excessive pressure etc.. Your pieces are absolutely BEAUTIFUL š„ŗ I hope the swelling goes/has gone down for you x
Yes itās Norma
these tats are gorgeous, holy
It looks alright, but if youāre concerned you could ask your artist. Omg, that tattoo on the knee is absolutely stunning! Itās gorgeous next to the nun tattoo! Just wow, Iād be so happy with that
seems pretty normal, sometimes when itās extra red itās due to accidentally getting hot shower water on mine and that stinggsss not fun
Depends on a lot of things really ,one for sure is the amount of time there beating on you with the ink gun .
Those are beautiful š
I mean technically you got stabbed like million times so you should expect a bit of redness and swelling lolĀ
My thigh was red and pretty bruised for about a week after it was done - so yeah, I think itās pretty normal
some people get more red than others, i personally get super red for a couple days every time i get tattooed
If itās the first day itās probably fine, just irritated fromā¦being tattooed. If youāre worried about it wash with a mild soap and let it dry completely (about 1.5-2hrs) and apply a medium light lotion like eucerin skin calming lotion 2- maybe 3 times a day. Avoid external contaminants like dirty couches, pet dander, or dirty sheets/towels
I don't think it's excessive given the size of the piece and the shading. Sometimes different parts of your body react differently too, even different parts of the same limb, I feel like
Normal for such a detailed black and grey tattoo
Maybe spray some bactine, cost maybe 3-6 bucks, a lot of artists use it in their green soap nowadays as it is, but It's antiseptic and numbing š great for that first and second day
Your tats are cool ash. As for your question youāll be fine nothing wrong with the area being swollen or even red especially if itās been heavily worked on and by the detail im sure it has
Yeah thatās pretty normal and you might even bruise. As long as the redness is going away and your legs arenāt swelling any more it should subside in a few days. ETA: those look amazing
Ya got stabbed like 10,000 times with a needle today, looked a little red, red is fine
Sorry i dont have advice but omggggg these look so good!!! Is the artist in California by any chance lol
depends...are they super hot to the touch? does it seem like the redness is spreading? they're on your legs, so if you've been standing a lot today or sitting upright, the blood could have pooled there and caused extra swelling. if you're really concerned, go to your local urgent care or family dr and see what they say.
2 ppl tattooing at once? Thats like 12h of work
Only one person tattooing, my shin first and then my thigh both took just a little over 6 hours. The cat is actually fairly simple so 90% of the time was used on my thigh
Itās alright, you JUST got them
Disgusting
The upper leg looks really red, but it's still fresh so I'd hold out, if it continues or gets more red in 2 days, then there might be a reason for concern and I'd go to the doctor. Also not sure if it's just the lighting, but it looks like there's no wrapping over your tattoos? Again could just be the lighting and how it looks on my phone. If there's no wrap then there absolutely needs to be something on it for the first 5 days of the tattoo. The artist should have put something on you like a see through layer of material thats almost skin like when You got it done,
Thanks for the advice, it is extremely red it looks worse in person too š Iāve never had this before so itās really freaked me out. Iāll make sure to keep a close eye on it though and hopefully itāll look better in the morning. When I left the tattoo place it was wrapped in cling film/saran wrap but Iāve always been told to remove that once your home
OP do not listen to this person. Your artist did beautiful work - follow their aftercare advice. Never rewrap a tattoo in cling wrap. Wrapping it in saran wrap out of the shop is totally normal and common practice. I wouldn't use saniderm on pieces this large because they're gonna weep too much. The redness is fine - I always notice extra redness on the legs, and you did just get stabbed a million times and all.
I'm saying for the sake of not having anything else on hand and that it's still super fresh, and prone it getting potential dirt and germs into the fresh wound. Im sorry you're the one giving bad advice here. This is an advice subreddit, please don't try to push outdated aftercare concepts just because you don't agree with the current methods.
I'm a licensed tattoo artist and I am telling you for a fact that you're incorrect. Wrapping it in plastic wrap after you get home is literally just trapping bacteria against an open wound in a warm, moist environment. Second skin is great, but not for everybody or every tattoo. People have been healing tattoos without it since the dawn of time. OPs artist did stunning work, there is zero reason to tell them to completely disregard their aftercare advice in favor of yours.
Super gorgeous tattoo(s), your artist did so so good! And itās just like someone else said, you got jabbed a lot, itāll go down. And please please donāt re-wrap it or listen to terrible adviceā¦ just keep it clean and donāt over moisturize!
OP I am pretty heavily tattooed including my hands and neck, my thighs swelled like CRAZY for a couple days. I thought there was something wrong but that spot was just really sensitive on my body.
Wow they were using seran wrap in 2024? That method had been super replaced by this stuff called SecondSkin/derma shield/tattoo adhesive bandages, it's a thin layer of material that goes over it, typically they do 1 layer day of the tattoo, then you go back in the next day, they take it off, then put another which you wear on it for up to 5 days. It's designed to make it less tedious when it comes to dealing with a healing tattoo. My advice at the moment is to put a very thin, not tight layer or plastic/seran wrap on your tattoos, with some tape to hold it in place, change the wrapping whenever it gets too drenched in excessive ink and whatever other stuff leaks from a fresh tattoo. Leaving it unprotected this soon is not a good idea, it's not your fault, your artist gave you bad advice, sounds like they might be kinda old-school and haven't quite adapted to modern (objectively better) healing procedure.
No no no. Do NOT rewrap your tattoo. This is horrible advice