Why is my skin rejecting the ink?

skin rejecting ink

• I've had 3 different tattoos, 2 that still hold color and a large back piece that won't hold color. The back looked great for about a month then started fading rapidly. Two different kinds of ink was used, both with the same fading. I was told maybe I needed to find yet another ink that's even better quality. I have high blood pressure and thought maybe that was the cause of the ink fading so quickly since my skin poured water during the tattooing process. Do you think that would cause this fading or do you have any suggestions to finish up this back piece? We stopped the artwork after the fading became so noticeable and still have half a back to go. I'm desperate for answers!

• Answer:

  hello Tjblackfoot, I hope i can help, but it is difficult to say what happens under your skin without seeing the results, observing the procedures you use to heal,or having confidence in the procedures used to apply your tattoo. I can only offer some possibilities, some of which might not be flattering to your artist. First of all, tattoos should only be done on clean, healthy skin. If you have any diagnosed health issues it is best to first consult a medical doctor before submitting to the tattoo needle. I have never before heard of water pouring from skin during a tattoo procedure. I am not a doctor , but it is pretty safe to say, this is not normal. When getting a tattoo, only the very highest quality ink should be considered serviceable. All inks have varying concentrations of pigment(black ink is carbon). The more carbon in the ink, the darker it is. If the ink is diluted by your excessive water, it will be less effective. Try this. Do try a darker ink. Test a small area and let it heal to see if the switch is noticeably darker. If you find this satisfactory,ask your artist to tattoo no more than an hour per session. Before beginning a session be sure the last tattooed area is completely healed. Do not begin again until every last bit of dry skin has stuffed off. See that the artist is in a comfortable position, slightly above you, so that the tattoo machine is upright, to allow the ink to flow freely from the machine. Any other suggestions that i would have are technical matters that would be meaningful only to your artist. Such as ,is your needle sharp and straight, are you going too fast, are you fatigued, is that a wash you've picked up accidently , etc.