It’s not unusual for some people to get a slight “halo” of color around their tattoos, as the ink moves out via capilliary action and permeates and stains subcutateous tissue. Sometimes this is because of a mistake make by the artist (for example, tattooing too deep), but because anatomy is so variable from person to person, even the best artists have it happen at times. Typically this halo extends not much more than 1/4″ and is subtle enough that most people won’t even notice it, but a friend just sent me this example which is one of the most extreme examples of tattoo ink bleeding out into surrounding tissue that I’ve seen to date.
In the pictures below, the left one (which also shows a rash that developed after the tattoo, which may or may not be related — I suspect not — and was treated successfully with Sibicort, a Chlorhexidine/Hydrocortisone cream) is two weeks after the tattoo was done, and the right one was taken four months afterward, showing what looks almost like a bruise all the way around the arm. Over a year and a half later and the discoloration still looks the same. The woman with the tattoo has very light, thin skin which is generally sensitive and prone to allergic responses. The ink that was used is the same ink the tattooist normally uses and hasn’t caused problems for other clients as far as anyone knows.
These pictures shows the extremes to which ink is capable of spreading. It should be noted that because of the likely depth and diffuse nature of the discolouration, it is unlikely that this can be treated short of simply tattooing over all affected skin. If any professionals have comments or feedback on this — theories on what caused it or how to minimize it, or whether this is just an unavoidable risk in a certain percentage of clients — I’d love to hear it.
BME/News and Modblog highlight only a small fraction of what
pasting across some comments from my facebook feed on this:
Paige E. Toth Wow!
44 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Joseph Ware Brand of ink, or batch thereof, is an issue.
42 minutes ago · Edited · Like
Francis Wilson · Friends with Holier Than Thou
I’ve always heard that this kind of spread can be caused by an artist unknowingly tattooing with a set of needles that may have a slight hook on the end of one of them…I was told that how the ink enters and spreads out through the capillaries.
42 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Shannon Larratt Francis, interesting idea… It’s possible… I suspect that most explanations are going to be people’s best guesses. Personally I lean toward it being more related to the individual’s anatomy, but it’s hard to say for sure.
40 minutes ago · Like
Amy L Scott wow ive never had this fading out like this. now ive had bruises a week later though.
37 minutes ago · Like
Francis Wilson · Friends with Holier Than Thou
Yeah, you are right, I am just going by what experienced tattooists have told me in the past, and what they have experienced, I’m sure an individuals skin has a lot to do with it too! It’s quite rare to see though, so it would be good to find out what causes it…
37 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Kira Hosler I had this happen recently… it sucks.
35 minutes ago · Like
Jonahs KingRobot Farrell Hmmmmm
34 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Cath Sanger I’ve never heared of this, ever, but I’m surprised – considering the ink has bled away from the tattoo and into the arm, the tattoo itself is really crisp. mine have bled over time and it looks like someone got the paper a little wet.
32 minutes ago · Like
Skylar Dayne Naughton · 5 mutual friends
I had this happen with some darker green ink on my inner bicep. It’s not quite as obvious though.
29 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Joseph Ware Not dismissing the many variables that cause this, but have discussed this with several colleagues that experienced it too often with a particular, well known, professional brand (or lot within that brand). So much so that all of us switched to a different black.
29 minutes ago · Like · 1
Ash Ridley I’ve had this happen on my wrists, not to that extent though, but it had spread pretty far from both the tattoos, they are about 3years old now, and not long after they healed I started getting a eczema type rash on the areas where the ink had spread. Really sucks
28 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Sparrow Lovey I’ve got a couple of tattoos that have halos smaller than this, but they’re there (and people have thought they were bruises.) I would say it has to do with the skin. I have very thin, very sensitive skin.
28 minutes ago · Like
Jennie Philpott · Friends with Luna Cobra and 6 others
i had this happen on one of my tattoos. All of my tattoos have been done by the same person but it only happened on one of them.
27 minutes ago · Like
Briana Memrick Hall I would not be surprised if the woman with the tattoo has a collagen tissue disorder (or something that causes similar symptoms), given the description. I suspect I have one, and I have noticed similar bleeding on some of my tattoos, despite the skill of my artists. Collagen tissue disorders can result in thin, fragile skin that is sensitive and prone to hives or allergic reactions, among other things.
26 minutes ago · Like
Alejandro Jovandro · 7 mutual friends
i think this leakage is a reason enough for a full sleeve
23 minutes ago · Like · 2
Garry Bevan Ive been tattooing for 13 years and in my experience I’ve found the causes to be either a slightly hooked/dull needle, hitting the skin too hard, going too deep, or a combination of any of these things. It has however happened with a brand of concentra…See More
22 minutes ago via mobile · Like · 1
Gaara Max des Sables I’ve seen this on fully healed tattoo I did, the tattoo is clean the line is crisp and don’t show scar tissue, but in a part of the tattoo you can see a halo really fusy, it’s apparenly because of the ink ( in this case) a real dark black of a well kno…See More
21 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Albert Jeffers · Friends with Jon Cobb and 11 others
Often this discoloration comes from novice artists using pure uncut pre dispersed inks. Phthalocyanine Blue and Green as well as Dioxazine Violet. The particle size of these pigments is much smaller than most, making them closer to a dye. My suspicion is that some newer blacks on the market may also be mixed with a black dye, rather than concentrated disinfected drawing-type pigments.
15 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Albert Jeffers · Friends with Jon Cobb and 11 others
Also with a heavy handed artist, some pigment will find it’s way into the fattier less dense subcutaneous layers, aiding the “creep”.
13 minutes ago via mobile · Like
Mona Steinmetz I hae this too
8 minutes ago · Like
Jody Dean I have severe blow out on a tattoo on my knee/thigh… Almost 1/2″ around the entire outline…
I have tattoos on my knuckles and thumb… Half of one of my whole thumbs is blue/black… It sucks!
Different artists… Both rushed and heavy handed… Quite severe…
I have sleeves, full chest, back, blah, blah, blah that are fine!
I don’t get it but I hate it… Leg (and thumb? Ha!) sleeve it is!
This happened on a small grey rose I have on my foot. I have about and inch of blue that extends almost onto my toes. It looks permanently bruised.
happened to me too, blackwork on my calf looks the same and i dont think its going anywhere since its been there for years. the so called artist was really heavy handed and was definitely hitting too deep. my most painful tattoo ever, and this is the first time ive had this kind of bleeding. outlines are sharp, but there is huge bruise-like-halo around the tattoo. but looking on the bright side, now i have a perfect excuse to go for a sleeve!
Could the rash be an allergic reaction to the gloves used – ie latex? or the tape used to tape a cover on the fresh tattoo? I break out almost the same from medical tape and latex btw.
Also, could the color bleed be from a swelling and increase in fluids under the skin during the tattoo process and shortly afterwards that absorbed and then spread the new ink across the fatty layer? I know that would mean the needle went deep, but it would only take a few pokes for ink to leak, and then spread in the fluid. If the ink was also an irritant to the body it could have caused a fluid increase as the body tried to flush it away.
Just some thoughts at 3am, if they don’t make complete sense I’m sorry.
My wife has a tattoo on her leg, a black and grey portrait, and this has happened. There’s about 4 inches of very light grey all the way around it. Its been like this for 3 years now.
I had to fire an artist a couple years back for this exact same reason. He did it twice, the first time i was very upset, the second time i was furious. Both times, on naturally red haired people. One male, one female. I later tattooed both, and covered up the large spread with a different tattoo (with no further ink bleeding i would like to add). What i noticed right away was they had exceptionally amazing skin to tattoo, sucked the ink right up. So there was no effort on my part to get the ink in. My thoughts are that with people like that, someone with less experience may have the tendency to overwork the skin and that leads to the spread. The moral of the story: pay attention and don’t just hammer away on someone.
This happened to my latest tattoo; not as severe as in the picture, but the effect is the same. Interestingly, the tattoo has three colors and only one of those spread; it has also spread more near the elbow and less near the armpit (basically a gradually increasing bleed from top to bottom). I think the cause is a combination of my skin and the tattoo artist (whose work regularly appears on this blog, ha!) being rather heavy handed. I’m not sure yet what I’m going to do about it. On the one hand, yes, it shouldn’t be there and it really does look like a bruise. On the other, the lines themselves are crisp and clean and the bleeding doesn’t really distract from the entire thing. Some people whom I’ve showed it to says they think it actually rather suits. I’ve been thinking about standard laser tattoo removal treatments — is it certain those don’t work on this kind of bleed, or would it be at at least worth a shot?
Wow, I have this on my arm thanks to an inexperienced artist going way too deep. He adjusted the needles improperly & just DUG IN. It hurt so bad too. Mine is nowhere near this bad, but I had what looked like a large bruise several inches to one side of my tattoo for a long time. It seems to have gotten a bit better over the past year though, nobody really notices it anymore & its much lighter. It doesn’t bother me TOO much because I plan to sleeve both arms eventually, but it does make me kinda mad >:|
I wonder if there is a way to fix this without tattooing over the area. I really like my tattoo other than the areas that look bruised.. Maybe laser removal?
I’ve done laser removal on a couple of people with bad bleed out which has been really successful. Should only need 1-2 treatments too.
Cool, thanks Mike. I was also considering removing the skin around the tattoo, sort of like an outline but maybe that would look weird..
Some tattoo artists just suck and go to deep! BUT If you have had bleeding happen to a tattoo that was done by a good experienced artist, then I agree with a theory above stating perhaps your skin is lacking Collagen… I’ve been tattooing for 16 years and some people have skin that is so thin and soft almost like the skin on a new born and it doesn’t really matter how deep or what angle you go it just blows out regardless. I really don’t think that laser removal will help but if you have the money to try I guess try… If you have had it happen I would recommend telling any future artist to try and use a thicker ink, there’s plenty out there on the market… The thinner the ink the more likely it is to bleed.
I am a person with a connective tissue disorder (causes improperly formed collagen.) I have super-thin, super-pale, sensitive skin. BUT, my large tattoo does not have this halo, and it has been on me for 17 years. Another woman I know with the same disorder has a full back piece and no halo-ing.
this happened to my father on his first and only tattoo. his is a cornflower blue band with same-colour outlines, on his upper arm. there is a large, intense blowout all around the front of the tattoo. it spreads about one inch out from the tattoo itself, and looks like a ripe bruise. i have one or two tiny blowouts on tattoos of my own and this is nothing like those. i’ve never seen anything like it. it must be there 10 years at this stage.
This happened every time I was tattooed in Japan. The first time, when my knuckles were done, my artist apologetically explained to me it was likely it would happen due to how pale my skin was and that the inks he had were intended for Japanese skin tones which had a harder time soaking up the bright colors he was famous for. Sure enough there was a halo down the back of my hand. He I believe explained to me it would fade over time, which was correct. There’s still a tiny bit of a halo around the work I had done during that time period but for the most part its un-noticeable.
I’ve never had this happen on any of the work I’ve yet gotten in the states though.
Shannon, it’s good to see you back!!
i had something similar happen to me, on the underside of my arm betwixt pit and elbow, didnt hurt while i was getting it done but it did bleed way more than anything else ive had, bruised really badly and when what id assumed was bruising hadnt faded after 3 months i went back, where the guy told me it was just ink that had blown out into the fat layer (buddy you mucked up my tattoo, blaming my fat layer does you no favours) and that it would metabolise over time. No change after a year (and id say my “fat layer” has nothing to do with it, cheeky get) ive just assumed its going to be a cover up job at some point, the only thing i can think is i do quite a physical job and maybe the amout of movement before it was healed encouraged the ink to spread? its encouraging to hear its potentially laser treatable though as i still love the tattoo and id like it to look its best!
5 months ago I had my finger tattooed and an inch below the tattoo has been bruised since. At first I thought it was a bruise that wouldn’t go away. After finding this I now believe the ink bled down into my hand. I do have a collagen disorder and am fair haired and fair skinned. I also have 7 other tattoos that this did not happen with. The artist was an experienced artist. But for being the smallest tattoo, it had hurt the most and bled the most out of my 8 tattoos.
my blead out is a lot like the pic posted. A quick fix of broadening the lines will not work. Initially thought is was bruising so i waited a month and this morning my little ones made a comment about it looking like my tat was rubbing off..lol
going back tot he artist tonight to see what can be done about it…thinking it’s gonna take more artwork to “cover” the bleedout.
I had hand tapped traditional tattoos whilst travelling in Borneo. The spreading or blow out is quite severe on my biceps as it seems my skin is thinner there, also have some spreading on collar bone (I had extensive tatts across shoulders and arms using traditional methods). After almost 2 years the ink is still spreading, and I’ve noticed it seems to worsen when I work out regular. It’s something to bear in mind if you’r considering having hand tapped tatts 1) the tattooist has less control over how deep he/she is penetrating with the needle 2) light coloured skin with less sun exposure is less tough than, say, a local with dark skin. To be honest I’m proud of my tattoo, I don’t care that it’s spread it’s part and parcel of getting tatts in a traditional manner. I would like to add that I also had tatts done by a thai guy in the uk using bamboo and they haven’t spread. I believe that the stretching and hammering involved in the bornean method increases likelihood of spreading in softer pale skin!!.