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How To Heal An Infected Tattoo
By Mike Wamoult | May 18, 2008
Due to the bruising experienced during the process of getting a tattoo, the skin tends to secrete a fluid which forms tiny drops on the surface. In a normal situation, the blood particles in the fluid would dry on the surface and end up looking like black specs, this situation would be most likely to result if you didn’t bother the bruises. The fluid would dry on the surface along with the particles and then form what most people know as a scab. The skin would eventually heal despite the various problems otherwise if the process is disturbed or interrupted, you might have to deal with healing a tattoo which is infected.
If there is minimal damage to the skin then the speed of healing will depend on the amount of moisture in the area. The three top rated healing ointments are Bacitracin Zinc, A & D Ointment and Petroleum. It is the petroleum in these products that produces the best healing speed because it makes the skin occlusive. Occlusive means neither water nor air can penetrate to the skin surface. This then creates the ultimate healing condition.
When a tattoo is just finished there is generally no oozing and the surface is relatively dry so when a petroleum product is applied droplets of fluid will begin to appear because the body is producing exudates. Exudates are necessary to create an environment which stimulates rapid wound healing. A wound maintained in a moist environment with exudates has a lower infection rate than a wound which is dry.
Initially it was believed that petroleum would cause the ink to leave the skin but it is now known that is not true. The constant application of antibacterial is not necessary to avoid infection. Antibacterial products actually interfere with the wound healing process. Ointment applying and plastic wrapping for the shower or sleeping for a few days will help protect the tattoo under adverse conditions.
Tattoos may get infected for a whole number of reasons and usually when these reasons occur various symptoms tend to indicate that a tattoo is infected, these symptoms include: Increased pain, swelling, redness, heat, or tenderness around the tattoo, red streaks extending from the area, pus coming from the wound, swollen or tender lymph nodes, or fever.
Infection may start at the tattoo and usually clear or clear-yellow fluid that drains from an infected tattoo may change to creamy yellow, brown, or red or look or smell like pus. Infection may also occur deep inside the wound, with few noticeable signs at the site. Pain and swelling may develop. This is a definite sign that you have to heal the infected tattoo.
In certain other cases, the skin over a tattoo could heal but an infection could still reside in the depths of the wound thereby creating more serious situations such as an abscess. Neglecting to take care of this abscess properly may result in it becoming septic and infecting the whole body.
Antibiotics are usually needed to heal an infected tattoo but a doctor might also recommend blood tests as well and suggest that the infected tattoo be kept as dry as possible. Water tends to affect healing tattoos adversely.
Topics: Health&Fitness |
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