Why is my healed tattoo raising only in the red areas, will this go away, it doesnt hurt or itch or anything?

I got a tatto on my upper left arm 8 months ago, and noticed about 3 months ago that the tatto was raising, almost like a scar on only the red area of the tattoo. It was perfectly healed and then this started happening. It doesnt itch, burn, or hurt. But it looks really really bad, and you can feel it when touching my tattoo. Please help. Anyone know what this is, or how i can fix it? My doctor has no idea, and neither did the tatto artist?

Why is my healed tattoo raising only in the red areas, will this go away, it doesnt hurt or itch or anything?
It may be a keliod scar (a scar that heals outward). The only thing I know to do is to give it a steroid injection to break up the scar tissue. The injection is usually done before they sew you up. I suppose getting a tattoo is the same as getting a cut and this is how your body scars. For me... only cuts on certain parts of my body will scar like this (my chest, under arm, etc.). Cuts on my arms, legs and even on my face heals just fine. Look it up on the Internet...it's more predominate in blacks, Asians and some Hispanics.
Reply:I'm not sure why its only in the red area, Sounds to me like you should ask a second artist, And It also sounds like the artist went too deep and scarred you, Red can be a difficult color to get solid, He might have overworked the area to prevent you coming back for a touchup causing it to scar, Thats about the best I can come up with based on what you mentioned, If that is the case there isn't a way to get rid of it that I know of, one of the tattoos on my back is like that,I can feel every line in it, I would go to a different shop and ask another artist,Can't hurt to have two opinions, Because in all honesty if it is a scar its doubtful the artist himself would admit to it, Because that would mean him admitting that he set the needles out too far and went to deep good luck =)
Reply:Some people really have a reaction to red ink. Normally it's in the beginning stages of a healing tattoo not 8 months after. Everyone is different, and anything is possible. It's possible they went deep on you, and what you are feeling is scar tissue. You could be a victim of a bad tattoo? If the artist scarred you he sure is not going to tell you. Keep lotion on it to help heal the skin over time. You may also want to get a second opinion. Ask your doctor for a referral for a dermatologist. Good luck to you =)
Reply:this can be several things.


a. you had a reaction to the red ink. Some people don't realize that your tattoo may be healed on the surface but the layers underneath continue to heal. usually it only takes a month or two tho. but everyone is different. and you could take longer to heal. [esp. if you have an immune deficiency virus, or you've been sick around the time you got the tattoo.]


also, you can develop a allergy to the red ink after you heal. its not unheard of. usually the ink just pushes its way out by any means. which can mean swelling and even skin irritation.


b. the artist could have gone to deep and now that the inner layer have finally started to fully heal. they've become scar tissue which gives the skin a raised appearance and feel. its no big deal depending on how raised it is. it should go down in time.


most tattoos are slightly raised. for some it lasts years, others: only while it's healing. i've had one of my side pieces for 6years and i can still feel the outlines.
Reply:My girlfriend has a red and black tribal butterfly that she got several years ago and the same thing happens to her...sometimes the red areas will become raised.





There's no reason to worry, it's just an allergic reaction to the ink. Since it's in your skin there is nothing you can do about it except maybe take a Benadryl...otherwise it'll just go away on it's own.
Reply:Hmm, that usually only happens with black ink. You could be having a reaction to the ink. I would wait a week.





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Reply:This happened to my husband and I. We both got tattoos within a month of each other from the same guy and about 3 months later the red ink in both of our tattoos was raised. I think it has something to do with the type of ink because I have another tattoo that has red ink in it and it is fine. There is really nothing you can do, we did go to our dermatologist and got some cream to put on it but time is the only thing that will take it away. A tattoo artist had told me to go back and have them go over the red with a dry needle so the red ink can bleed out. I had my tattoo redone about a year later and it helped alot. My husbands tattoo now has no red in it at all anymore. So you most likely will have to have the tattoo redone in the red areas. It will go away though it just takes time.
Reply:I have this same problem, and when I mentioned it to my artist she told me that it's something that happens for no apparent reason. For me, it only occurs on the legs of the giant centipede I have as an armband. In the summer, the legs raise so that you can run your finger over it and feel it. It hasn't happened on any of my six other tattoos. My artist said she has some on her back that rise like that.


You can't fix it. I can tell it really bothers you, but as far as I know, you just have to live with it.