Why Is My Tattoo Raised And Itchy After A Year?

Why Is My Tattoo Raised And Itchy After A Year
Dirty ink – Ink can get dirty in other ways. Even if it is shipped in good condition, it’s vital to ensure that nothing gets into the ink. Dirty ink can cause irritation, and it can even lead to health problems as a result. Dirty ink or tools could pass staph and impetigo illnesses between people.

Why does my Tattoo itch?

As Palm points out, an allergy to certain inks is another common reason for itchy tattoos. And it’s entirely possible for you to develop an allergy to tattoo ink (especially red ink, which Palm says is the most common culprit) long after getting tattooed.

Why does my Tattoo have bumps on it?

Ink Allergy – This may come off as a surprise, but you could be allergic to tattoo ink and not know it. Unfortunately, one becomes aware of the allergy when it’s already too late; the tattoo has been done, and now you’re dealing with raised, painful and itchy tattoo. Now, the ink allergy occurs for a few reasons, like;

  • The ink has been contaminated –  studies  have shown that more than 10% of unopened ink bottles already contained harmful bacteria. Because ink is considered a cosmetics product, it can freely enter the marketplace without any regulation or ingredient check. There is no knowledge of whether the ink is completely, 100% safe until it’s too late.
  • The ink contains toxic metals and plastic – because tattoo inks are not regulated, nor do they have displayed ingredients, many of the manufacturers used toxic metals and even plastic to improve the consistency and pigmentation of their product. This especially applies to yellow, green, red, and blue inks. These pigments are most allergenic, and the sources show that these inks generally contain harmful ingredients.
  • You are generally allergic to ink – most of the time, even when tattooists use high-quality ink, people experience allergic reactions. The reasons for a general allergy can be numerous; from the tattoo ink ingredients to an immune response of your body to a foreign invader, in this case, the ink.
  • Your tattoo has been exposed to sunlight – some ink allergies occur due to photosensitivity. Some inks, when exposed to bright lights, especially sunlight, tends to react mostly due to the ingredients in the ink. As a result, the skin becomes raised, red, and itchy, forming bumps and rashing. Yellow, blue, and red inks react with sunlight the most.
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As you can tell, the majority of ink allergies occur as a result of unknown ink ingredients and the overall poor quality of the pigment itself. Unfortunately, apart from toxic metals and plastics, many inks contain dyes made from the same components used to create car paint or prints. No tattoo ink is regulated by the FDA, so there is no insight into the components of tattoo ink in the USA. However, the ingredients found in ink, known to  cause allergic reactions , include aluminum, manganese, cobalt aluminate and chloride, carbon or India ink, lead chromate, zinc oxide, and many others.

What to do if you have itchy skin after getting a tattoo?

Going Through an MRI – This may seem surprising to many, but getting an MRI while being tattooed can cause the tattoo to be raised and itchy. You may wonder why? Well, remember when we said that inks contain metals? Such, metal-based ink can react during an MRI scan, due to the magnetic forces.

Because metals from the skin are being pulled, the skin swells, and tattoos become raised, itchy, and even burning. There was one particular case of a man  going through an MRI and experiencing a second-degree burn  because of the reaction between the ink and the magnetic resonance.

His tattoos contained iron oxide, which is a metallic compound. The compound reacted with the electromagnetic waves, resulting in terrible burns. So, if you’ve had an MRI scan, and soon after you start experiencing tattoo swelling and itching, chances are your ink has reacted with an MRI.

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Why does my Tattoo look swollen?

The Weather – Believe it or not, the weather can cause your ink to look swollen or raised, no matter how old it may be. When it is very humid or very dry, you may notice your tattoo looks different. This is normal and while it may be uncomfortable, it doesn’t cause any reason for concern and you just need to wait it out.