Can You Tattoo Over A Bruise?
Introduction
Some people use tattoos as a way of showing off their inner personality, other people may have different ideas in mind. One of that ideas is hiding bruises. Some people carry their bruises with pride, but some consider it a burden.
You may have a bruise and want to hide it with a tattoo, you may ask around- can you tattoo over a bruise?
Yes, you can tattoo over a bruise but it is not recommended (if you want an honest answer). However, tattooing over a bruise can complicate the tattooed area. Also, it depends on how large your tattoo is. A bruise on your skin makes things difficult for your artist, may amplify the pain for you, and makes the healing process longer.
If you want to know more to understand whether you should tattoo over a bruise or not, keep reading this article.
Can You Tattoo Over A Bruise?
If you have a big bruise, tattooing over it can complicate things. The tattoo colors can be very hard to see, also the healing procedure will be either very slow or problematic over a bruise.
But the most important part would be avoiding infection on your tattoo. If you decide to get a tattoo over your bruise, you need to make sure you are following the aftercare procedure properly. Infections have the ability to change the tattoo’s appearance, which will be permanent.
This is why it is crucial to take your skin’s health into account before scheduling a tattoo session.
It is usually better to wait until a bruise heals before covering it with a tattoo since tattoos last a lifetime and the healing process is vital.
Things To Know About Tattooing Over A Bruise
A few factors will help you get a clear idea about tattooing over bruises.
It May Affect The Intensity of Your Pain
Tattoo pain is very unpleasant, and the discomfort will only increase if you want to tattoo over an existing bruise on your skin. While some people can handle it without any problems, others find it more difficult. Here are some body parts that are too much vulnerable to tattoo pain.
- Back of the knee
- Inner elbow
- Fingers
- Ribs
- Kneecaps
- Neck
- Armpits
- Ankles and feet
- Shins
- Shoulder blades
- Spine
- Inner wrists
- Hands
The fact that these are not common places to get bruises (which is good news), but if you have bruised any of the places above regions and have low pain tolerance, it is best to wait until the bruise has healed.
In fact, being tattooed on even the fleshier portions of your body may be incredibly difficult if you have poor pain tolerance.
It May Extend The Healing process
The entire tattoo aftercare process requires very close observations as the healing procedure is going on. Because if somehow the healing procedure is not maintained well, it may result in swelling, infection, and other complex problems in your tattoo area.
Additionally, some people bruise after getting new tattoos; this could make your already painful damaged veins and capillaries much more noticeable.
Chances Are It Will Affect the Tattoo Design
Your tattoo artist won’t care if you have a bruise that you want to cover with complete black ink.
However, if they need to color the tattoo area with a range of tones in the black and grey spectrum, the bruise will undoubtedly affect the design. Since the artist will find it difficult to predict the perfect shading before tattooing, the integrity of the design may get affected.
Speaking of the shading, small bruises do not matter that much whereas larger ones affect the shading. Do your artist a favor and wait till the color has returned to normal if that is the case.
The Pigmentation of Your Bruise May Affect The Tattoo
Depending on the amount of melanin in your skin, a bruise can have a wide range of colors. The tones will shift from the day of your injury until it has healed and your color may return to its actual tone.
Black, blue, purple, and brown colors are quite typical colors of bruises. The color effect might make your tattooing process quite challenging, especially if the bruised area is quite big.
Professional tattoo artists who take pleasure in their work won’t want to cover up a bruise with color but will ask you to wait. On the other hand, if you find a color that matches your aesthetics and your taste- you should go for it.
It Makes The Artist’s Job More Difficult
It is challenging to determine for your artist about how many colors to add to the tattooing process. Also, the stencil appearance gets complicated, and the risks of any allergic reactions or skin injuries may get higher.
A Few Tips To Heal Your Bruise Faster
If you’re a tattoo-obsessed person like one of my friends, you’ll want to make the bruise heal fast. Here are some tips for you.
Heat Therapy
Heat increases blood flow, which helps fasten the healing of a bruise. Put a heating pad or warm compress on the bruise multiple times per day after waiting 48 hours from the time the bruise first occurred. You should take bath to relax your muscles and relieve pain.
Rest
When you get hurt, stop whatever you’re doing. Get off the pitch if you are playing a football match. Lay down on your bed instead of moving here and there. It will prevent further damage to your bruise. And, the blood flow to your bruise is slowed down as well.
You may think of an idea to message the tattooed spot when you are resting which is quite needless. Messaging over it may even cause the bruise to be more injured. It may result in more blood as the blood vessels may break off.
Compression
When you apply pressure to an injured area, that is called compression. It can help in reducing any swelling that happened due to the injury. It is advised to wrap the region firmly but not too tightly with an elastic bandage.
Pain relievers
3 days after getting bruised, your discomfort should start to lessen. You can take over-the-counter painkillers in the healing period if the bruise hurts a lot or is swollen.
Although there is a minor risk of bleeding, especially for older people or those already on a blood thinner, NSAIDs like ibuprofen or naproxen can be utilized.
Natural Elements
A few organic ingredients, such as the following, could fasten the healing of a bruise:
- Arnica: This flower extract is used to make a lotion that may help decrease the effects of a bruise.
- Bromelain: The pineapple enzymes known as bromelain may hasten the healing of bruises.
- Aloe vera: The nutrients, enzymes, and vitamins in this plant help to calm and hydrate the skin. Bruises are among the various skin conditions it is used to treat.
- Vitamin K: Phytonadione, or vitamin K1, has been demonstrated in studies to hasten the healing of bruises.
How Long Should I Wait to Get a Tattoo If I Have A Bruise?
The honest answer is that is to wait until the bruise has completely healed. This can help the tattoo artist to work over the bruise comfortably and also more accurately.
Other than this, it will be best if your bruise is at least a couple of months old. But this varies among small and big tattoos. Your tattoo artist will check on your tattoo to understand whether it is in the situation to work or not.
If the tattoo artist finds the tattoo area okay to tattoo, he or she will approve it. Otherwise, you may need to reschedule according to the professional.
Conclusion
Did you find the answers you were looking for?
If you think a bruise on your body might be causing obstacles in your life, lowering your confidence, makes you unpleasant somehow- you should definitely go for a tattoo. But try to take good care as well as maintain all the necessary steps recommended in our article. Good luck!
