this post was submitted on 29 Oct 2023
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Comradeship // Freechat
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Henna is generally safe (it's just paint on your skin) but black henna -- or any other color -- can be dangerous due to allergic reactions.
Tattoo ink contains metal which is why your body doesn't break it down, it can't attack metal. Normally tattoo artists use safe inks but it still pays to know yourself before you go get one. For example my tattoo sometimes swells just a little (only noticeable if I run my hand over it) and it might be an allergic reaction, or bc of humidity or heat idk. It's not very problematic but it still pays to know how your body is going to react to your tattoo.
I got one on my shoulder (deltoid) and I honestly didn't feel anything during the process, which lasted 2 hours. Just felt like I was scratching an itch. But other places can hurt more.
Don't drink alcohol before or take anything as it can actually make it hurt more. But your artist will have dealt with first time clients before, they'll help you get through it if you tell them it's your first.
Also for a "real" tattoo you shouldn't expose it to the sun for a full year once you get it and rub vaseline on it for the first 3-7 days I think it was. Keep it moist and protected at all times for that period.
Tattoo ink can absolutely trigger your body's immune response and cause severe reactions. This can happen out of the blue as well, as your immune system could detect the "foreign invader" at any time, and trigger a multitude of responses to try and destroy the threat.
Its very common for people to get a regular sickness, and because their immune system was in an elevated state, it all of a sudden detects the tattoo and attempts to destroy it by causing severe inflammation and other immune responses.
Yep, all the black ink on my nearly-complete traditional sleeve (so.... lots) had a spontaneous granulomatous reaction this year. They were all at least a few years old.
It's currently healing thanks to a topical steroid, but I have yet to see if it stays away for any significant length of time. I can't even have them removed (not that I want to), lest the ink enters my bloodstream and lodges in some gland somewhere. Black ink reactions are super rare; my derm had never seen one in person.
My artist even uses one of the few approved-in-the-EU inks, go figure.
If it's a hammer and sickle tattoo, it's not the ink, it's the spectre trying to break through into this world. Maybe that's what you can feel sometimes? If it can't find a way in, it'll come through your fingertips. Do you find that it subsides a little when you're typing for prolewiki?
So I'm just gonna have to cut short on wine before I get it.
Thanks for the tips, I was worried that it might hurt.