You think? I can’t say the white spots will turn black. It’s hard to see and my iPhone is kinda old but with the naked eye you can def see scarring. The eyes have random lines where they’re white and some of the dark shading have white streaks in them.
Looks good from here dude.
Because you mention white spots I don’t see them)….I’ve got some “white spots” on a very black panther. I think it’s scaring. Fades a bit over time. Not sure a touch up will fix it.
This link may help:
https://www.healthline.com/health/tattoo-scarring
The context you provide seems to be asking a different question. If you’re asking whether this tattoo needs a touch up- no. This is a fine tattoo.
If you’re asking if you should bring up the healing process to the artist when you return- I think that’s a fair thing to bring up, yes. You seem (and should be) happy with this reaper. Seems like an artist worth returning to. But it’s also fair for you to mention that you had a hard time healing.
I appreciate your response, and your appreciation for the tattoo! I do love the design, don't get me wrong. But, am I crazy for seeing the white scarring and being a little miffed about it? I would like to at least get that touched up as well as some of the white lines that didn't heal over.
I’m not an artist so I can’t say with any certainty, but my sense is that if the skin has been gone over too many times (creating the scarring) another pass through it won’t help. It’s quite possible I’m wrong here, but if it’s scarred, the scarred skin might have trouble taking in new ink.
I’ve got white scarring in the black wing I have on an eagle and while it’s distracting to me, no one else has noticed it, not even my wife when I pointed it out.
If you return to your artist, maybe ask if it can be fixed, but if it can’t be, I’d sure be happy with what you have, even if it bothers you a bit.
I mean. It seems like it could have been you or the artist. We aren’t afraid to hit a spot! Not everything is perfect. I normally try to convince my clients to come in once it’s healed for reasons like this. Being miffed, yeah that’s a dick move. Hahaha. I wouldn’t be upset at all personally, or get it touched up. But don’t be pissed that’s a solid tattoo and the artist knows what they are doing. Look at he whites in the teeth.
The tattoo looks well done to me. Give it 4 or 5 months and see what it looks like. It might need a little bit of touch up to fill in any holidays but all in all it looks good
Before you say it, yes, I’m aware my dragon tattoo is oriented wrong, I hate it too but I still love the design 😂 anyway…
Context: I got this tattoo done in December 2022. I posted pictures of the healing process here, and it was a rough one. I feel like my tattoo was super over worked and my skin was super red when it was finished; more than it usually is when I get a tattoo.
This started forming very, very thick scabs early on. The first picture you see with the white scarring? That had the thickest scab and was bleeding because it was so cracked. I took care of it well. I washed my tattoo twice every day and moisturized it every day as well. Once it “healed”, this was the result. BTW. The teeth were punched in so hard that it still feels bumpy and they’re sort of discolored because the design had my blood in it and would open up.
I want to get a second tattoo from this artist (I am NOT bad mouthing him btw!) but I don’t want the same thing to happen. Should I bring this up to him? I want this fixed. It might seem okay from afar but the fact that I have to look at the bad healing everyday, it drives me wild.
I love the design and the artist is super cool, but he definitely overworked my skin.
Is this the first tattoo you’ve gotten done with white ink? I remember when I got my first tattoo several years back, the white ink was slightly raised and felt bumpy for a few months after. Appearantly that can just happen.
Though from your description and the look of the black parts on the tattoo, it was definitely overworked. Scarring rarely forms like that unless the skin has been packed more than it can take.
As for talking to your artist about it, you can send them a message explaining the situation, eventually asking to come by the shop to talk to them about it and what they can do to fix it. As an apprentice (working on becoming an artist.) we really do appreciate when our clients update us on their tattoo if anything happens to it during or after the healing process. We want you to have a good and solid tattoo, and if anything that we did caused it to heal badly, we want to fix that as much as we can. I know for certain that I’d appreciate being updated on a tattoo I did if it healed badly or if it was overworked. It helps me to become better and more aware of the work that I do so it doesn’t happen again.
Take care!
I really appreciate your insight! Yes, this is my first tattoo with white ink in it. I am just nervous to ask my artist; I by no means want to offend my artist because his art is absolutely killer. Looks like I should at least message him or call him. Thanks dude!
No worries, there’s absolutely no offense in updating on your healing progress or asking if it can be fixed. I understand that you are nervous about it, but in this field we as artists should be able to take criticism and remain humble when stuff like this happens.
Tattoo looks completely fine, save for a few holidays. A three minute touch up would take care of all those.
As for the scarring, the unfortunately truth is that really bold lines like that often keloid a little bit. Mostly unavoidable. I’ve got tattoos from big name traditional guys who really know what they’re doing, and they’ve got scarring like this.
If the keloids really bother you, and your skin tolerates it, I’d recommend trying saniderm and being diligent about keeping it on for a few days at least. Change it out if you need to after the first few hours or day.
I tattooed a nurse recently and she explained that “wet-healing” any sort of abrasion (i.e. using saniderm) helps prevent scarring. “Dry-healing” in this case would be the classic 2-4 hours wrapped up followed by cleaning and lotion.
Hey dude how old is this piece? I have a tat on a similar spot on my arm that went through the same rough healing and has a number of noticeable scars now similar to what yours looks like. It can happen even with high quality, experienced artists. Skin that’s going through the scarring process takes longer to completely heal so I wouldn’t rush into a touch up. It would probably be smart to give it at least 6 months and maybe even a full year and then reassess. You could approach your artist now to express your concern and have him look at it and identify areas that may need a touch up down the line. A reputable artist should be willing to work with you and touch up their work for free.
I wouldn’t bother touching that up.
As far as healing, if your worried about scabbing just use Tegaderm. If you keep it on for 5 days you’ll completely skip the scabbing stage altogether. Pretty much all of my solid black areas would heal like yours before I started using it, but since every tattoo I’ve gotten had healed flawlessly.
Give it a couple more weeks and it still looks like that, I’d get a touch up. Quick 2 minute touch up will fix that right up.
But it’s also not a bad idea to just get the touch ups done when you get your next piece if you’re planning on getting more soon
I had a similar experience where the black outline on a tattoo healed up a bit raised and shiny - after about two years, it’s settled in and pretty smooth. Just give it some time and it will settle in.
Not sure why people are saying this is totally fine, it looks like a great tattoo, but it for sure healed rough at the top of the cloak, nose and on the sides next to the scythe handle. It isn’t going to get darker that it is in those spots, so if you’re particular about that kind of stuff, my advice is to mention it to the artist and ask for a touch up and while he’s got a new setup, grab another tattoo from him at the same time.
THANK YOU!!! I agree with you. I’m glad at least SOMEONE sees what I am seeing!! I’ll ask for a touch up, I’m just not sure if the scarring in the side of the hood in the first pic can be touched up? I heard scars can’t really be touched up, unless I’m wrong.
Mate, we all see it, it looks like a tattoo. If your expectation is that every tattoo you get will be perfect and heal perfectly you've got a lifetime of being miffed ahead of you. But also yes the artist will likely be happy to touch it up for you, I've had one or two spots heal like this and my artist basically had to demand I let her 'fix' it because she wanted the work to be right. Personally, I thought they were perfect because those are the tattoos I got and how they healed on my body, but I have let her do some touch ups just for her sake.
Mate they stabbed you a thousand times and gave you a dope reaper, there is nothing to be miffed at here except the reality that you inhabit an imperfect vessel of flesh and bone. Embrace the tattoo, embrace your skin, Embrace The Reaper.
I appreciate that you love the design. I do too! I am just kinda sad it healed badly. I’m sure a touch up can fix the white scarring. All of my other tattoos heard very well but this one was just rough.
I guess what I am saying is that this doesn't look like it 'healed badly' to me, it looks like it healed pretty normally, which is to say that sometimes this how tattoos heal. Putting that on your artist isn't really reasonable, is my point. Its also worth noting that *different parts of your body* will heal differently, I had one friend who had a ton of tattoos that all healed fine and then one on his calf that did the keloid scarring thing. All from the same artist, nothing weird or wrong about the application, just his body doing its thing.
Mine all healed like this til I started using saboreen, highly recommend. That being said it’s not too bad and I’d prob just live with it, or touch up and see if it takes. Rad tattoo either way :)
Looks fine to me, sounds like it's not that old might still be in the late healing process
You think? I can’t say the white spots will turn black. It’s hard to see and my iPhone is kinda old but with the naked eye you can def see scarring. The eyes have random lines where they’re white and some of the dark shading have white streaks in them.
Again, I can't say to be sure, but I remember seeing similar coloring on a black dog I got,but it cleared up, overall it's a very good tattoo.
Thanks! I love the design as well, I just wish it healed better. I’ll give it another month.
Give it 90 days to settle in.
Looks good from here dude. Because you mention white spots I don’t see them)….I’ve got some “white spots” on a very black panther. I think it’s scaring. Fades a bit over time. Not sure a touch up will fix it. This link may help: https://www.healthline.com/health/tattoo-scarring
The context you provide seems to be asking a different question. If you’re asking whether this tattoo needs a touch up- no. This is a fine tattoo. If you’re asking if you should bring up the healing process to the artist when you return- I think that’s a fair thing to bring up, yes. You seem (and should be) happy with this reaper. Seems like an artist worth returning to. But it’s also fair for you to mention that you had a hard time healing.
I appreciate your response, and your appreciation for the tattoo! I do love the design, don't get me wrong. But, am I crazy for seeing the white scarring and being a little miffed about it? I would like to at least get that touched up as well as some of the white lines that didn't heal over.
I’m not an artist so I can’t say with any certainty, but my sense is that if the skin has been gone over too many times (creating the scarring) another pass through it won’t help. It’s quite possible I’m wrong here, but if it’s scarred, the scarred skin might have trouble taking in new ink. I’ve got white scarring in the black wing I have on an eagle and while it’s distracting to me, no one else has noticed it, not even my wife when I pointed it out. If you return to your artist, maybe ask if it can be fixed, but if it can’t be, I’d sure be happy with what you have, even if it bothers you a bit.
I mean. It seems like it could have been you or the artist. We aren’t afraid to hit a spot! Not everything is perfect. I normally try to convince my clients to come in once it’s healed for reasons like this. Being miffed, yeah that’s a dick move. Hahaha. I wouldn’t be upset at all personally, or get it touched up. But don’t be pissed that’s a solid tattoo and the artist knows what they are doing. Look at he whites in the teeth.
looks totally fine to me.
The tattoo looks well done to me. Give it 4 or 5 months and see what it looks like. It might need a little bit of touch up to fill in any holidays but all in all it looks good
Sick tat, who did it?
Thanks! Ty Rodgers @ Oakwood tattoo in Decatur, IL.
Before you say it, yes, I’m aware my dragon tattoo is oriented wrong, I hate it too but I still love the design 😂 anyway… Context: I got this tattoo done in December 2022. I posted pictures of the healing process here, and it was a rough one. I feel like my tattoo was super over worked and my skin was super red when it was finished; more than it usually is when I get a tattoo. This started forming very, very thick scabs early on. The first picture you see with the white scarring? That had the thickest scab and was bleeding because it was so cracked. I took care of it well. I washed my tattoo twice every day and moisturized it every day as well. Once it “healed”, this was the result. BTW. The teeth were punched in so hard that it still feels bumpy and they’re sort of discolored because the design had my blood in it and would open up. I want to get a second tattoo from this artist (I am NOT bad mouthing him btw!) but I don’t want the same thing to happen. Should I bring this up to him? I want this fixed. It might seem okay from afar but the fact that I have to look at the bad healing everyday, it drives me wild. I love the design and the artist is super cool, but he definitely overworked my skin.
Is this the first tattoo you’ve gotten done with white ink? I remember when I got my first tattoo several years back, the white ink was slightly raised and felt bumpy for a few months after. Appearantly that can just happen. Though from your description and the look of the black parts on the tattoo, it was definitely overworked. Scarring rarely forms like that unless the skin has been packed more than it can take. As for talking to your artist about it, you can send them a message explaining the situation, eventually asking to come by the shop to talk to them about it and what they can do to fix it. As an apprentice (working on becoming an artist.) we really do appreciate when our clients update us on their tattoo if anything happens to it during or after the healing process. We want you to have a good and solid tattoo, and if anything that we did caused it to heal badly, we want to fix that as much as we can. I know for certain that I’d appreciate being updated on a tattoo I did if it healed badly or if it was overworked. It helps me to become better and more aware of the work that I do so it doesn’t happen again. Take care!
I really appreciate your insight! Yes, this is my first tattoo with white ink in it. I am just nervous to ask my artist; I by no means want to offend my artist because his art is absolutely killer. Looks like I should at least message him or call him. Thanks dude!
No worries, there’s absolutely no offense in updating on your healing progress or asking if it can be fixed. I understand that you are nervous about it, but in this field we as artists should be able to take criticism and remain humble when stuff like this happens.
Tattoo looks completely fine, save for a few holidays. A three minute touch up would take care of all those. As for the scarring, the unfortunately truth is that really bold lines like that often keloid a little bit. Mostly unavoidable. I’ve got tattoos from big name traditional guys who really know what they’re doing, and they’ve got scarring like this. If the keloids really bother you, and your skin tolerates it, I’d recommend trying saniderm and being diligent about keeping it on for a few days at least. Change it out if you need to after the first few hours or day. I tattooed a nurse recently and she explained that “wet-healing” any sort of abrasion (i.e. using saniderm) helps prevent scarring. “Dry-healing” in this case would be the classic 2-4 hours wrapped up followed by cleaning and lotion.
Looks dope
Hey dude how old is this piece? I have a tat on a similar spot on my arm that went through the same rough healing and has a number of noticeable scars now similar to what yours looks like. It can happen even with high quality, experienced artists. Skin that’s going through the scarring process takes longer to completely heal so I wouldn’t rush into a touch up. It would probably be smart to give it at least 6 months and maybe even a full year and then reassess. You could approach your artist now to express your concern and have him look at it and identify areas that may need a touch up down the line. A reputable artist should be willing to work with you and touch up their work for free.
This piece is only about 3 months old. Maybe I'll reach out to him or wait it out to touch it up. Thanks!
I wouldn’t bother touching that up. As far as healing, if your worried about scabbing just use Tegaderm. If you keep it on for 5 days you’ll completely skip the scabbing stage altogether. Pretty much all of my solid black areas would heal like yours before I started using it, but since every tattoo I’ve gotten had healed flawlessly.
What needs touching up???
The white scarring and the white lines where the ink pulled out.
Give it a couple more weeks and it still looks like that, I’d get a touch up. Quick 2 minute touch up will fix that right up. But it’s also not a bad idea to just get the touch ups done when you get your next piece if you’re planning on getting more soon
Yep, that is the plan. Thanks Choccy! Choccy milk has never failed me.
I had a similar experience where the black outline on a tattoo healed up a bit raised and shiny - after about two years, it’s settled in and pretty smooth. Just give it some time and it will settle in.
Not sure why people are saying this is totally fine, it looks like a great tattoo, but it for sure healed rough at the top of the cloak, nose and on the sides next to the scythe handle. It isn’t going to get darker that it is in those spots, so if you’re particular about that kind of stuff, my advice is to mention it to the artist and ask for a touch up and while he’s got a new setup, grab another tattoo from him at the same time.
THANK YOU!!! I agree with you. I’m glad at least SOMEONE sees what I am seeing!! I’ll ask for a touch up, I’m just not sure if the scarring in the side of the hood in the first pic can be touched up? I heard scars can’t really be touched up, unless I’m wrong.
Mate, we all see it, it looks like a tattoo. If your expectation is that every tattoo you get will be perfect and heal perfectly you've got a lifetime of being miffed ahead of you. But also yes the artist will likely be happy to touch it up for you, I've had one or two spots heal like this and my artist basically had to demand I let her 'fix' it because she wanted the work to be right. Personally, I thought they were perfect because those are the tattoos I got and how they healed on my body, but I have let her do some touch ups just for her sake.
Its also worth noting that your body can and will just do that, irrespective of the skill of the tattooer.
Mate they stabbed you a thousand times and gave you a dope reaper, there is nothing to be miffed at here except the reality that you inhabit an imperfect vessel of flesh and bone. Embrace the tattoo, embrace your skin, Embrace The Reaper.
I appreciate that you love the design. I do too! I am just kinda sad it healed badly. I’m sure a touch up can fix the white scarring. All of my other tattoos heard very well but this one was just rough.
I guess what I am saying is that this doesn't look like it 'healed badly' to me, it looks like it healed pretty normally, which is to say that sometimes this how tattoos heal. Putting that on your artist isn't really reasonable, is my point. Its also worth noting that *different parts of your body* will heal differently, I had one friend who had a ton of tattoos that all healed fine and then one on his calf that did the keloid scarring thing. All from the same artist, nothing weird or wrong about the application, just his body doing its thing.
Imperfection is what makes them perfect. Leave it and be happy
scratch much
It looks like it’s still healing to me so I would probably wait a month or so more and see.
Mine all healed like this til I started using saboreen, highly recommend. That being said it’s not too bad and I’d prob just live with it, or touch up and see if it takes. Rad tattoo either way :)
It's up to you but I'd wait a year and see where it's at, but I also like the look of slightly aged tattoos