What many people don’t realize before getting tattooed is that all tattoos have scars. It is not possible for the ink to rest between the layers of the skin and heal properly without scarring. So the job of the tattoo artist is to minimize the scarring needed while doing the design. If you are wondering if your tattoo is too scarred, there are several symptoms.
The easiest sign of a scarred tattoo to identify is a raised swollen outline. Shading or color may also be raised, but the most common area that will be swollen or raised will be the outline. If the outline of your fully healed tattoo is swollen and red, it’s probably scar tissue. Scars are caused by the tattooist going too deep or staying in the area too long and not keeping the tattoo machine moving.
Another sign of tattoo healing is itching that will follow the swelling. The scar tissue is very itchy and scratching it will cause it to stick up more. Different conditions will cause the scars to lift. For example, working outside and sweating often will inflame the scar tissue from the tattoo.
A less noticeable sign of a scarred tattoo is that the tattoo area is exceptionally dry after the tattoo has fully healed. A normal healed tattoo will be no drier than the rest of the skin, if the tattoo you have is healed but the area is very dry use vitamin E to try to prevent further degradation of the design.