What does it mean when a tattoo rises about your skin?

Answer 1

To an extent, this is normal in a fresh tattoo and it's nothing to be concerned about. Keep pressure off of the limb that it is on (if applicable), and keep on a good aftercare cleaning regiment with good grade antibacterial soap such as Provon or Satin, or even better grade Dial soaps about twice a day. The swelling shouldn't last for more than about 3 days straight, but even if it lasts past this point, it's still not a huge deal and it simply denotes that you are healthy to a large extent. The site swells due to an influx of histamines that are essentially attacking the new tattoo, as it is a foreign agent that your immune system is not used to, nor is inclined to be and the swelling gets worse if it is say on your leg just due to gravity and the nature of swelling. Use warm water on the site when cleaning, and lather a liberal amount of soap onto the piece, then rinse with warm water and pat dry this with a clean paper towel. When this is done, apply thin coat of ointment to the tattoo and the best and easiest to find for tattoo aftercare is A&D. There are many artists out there who advocate the use of petroleum jelly for aftercare, but this has a tendency to leave your pores too open, and can sometimes draw ink out of the dermis resulting in a splotchy final appearance. If doing this for a good week after the tattoo, and there is no noticeable alleviation of the swelling, go back to the artist who did it, and he or she will advise you what to do from there and will very well have something sold in the shop for advanced aftercare that they can hook you up with.

Answer 2

It could mean anything form a slight allergic reaction to the ink to scar tissue. There are several ways to end up with scar tissue from a tattoo like not taking care of it properly to dull needles or a home made machine. Make sure you watch your artist take out a brand new needle each time and be sure you see an autoclave in the shop too!

Answer 3

A tattoo is elevated from the skin due to scarring during the tattoo process. Once in a GREAT while a person will have a reaction to the ink.