What Is Tattoo Blowout And How To Fix It?
Tattoo blowouts occur when a tattoo artist presses too hard when applying ink to the skin. The ink is sent below the top layers of skin where tattoos belong. Below the skin’s surface, the ink spreads out in a layer of fat. This creates the blurring associated with a tattoo blowout. It can be a result of a tattoo artist’s heavy-handedness or inexperience with the needle.
What causes a tattoo blowout?
If a needle is pushed too deeply into the skin, tattoo ink can spread out into concealing layers of fat. This develops the blurring effect often related to a tattoo blowout. Tissue biopsies taken from people with tattoo blowouts have verified that the ink travels much deeper below the skin than is necessary during a tattooing procedure. Needles if inserted too deep in the skin can be incredibly painful.
Most tattoo blowouts are relatively noticeable very shortly after the needle has injected the ink into the wrong layer of skin, it can sometimes take up to a few weeks while your tattoo is healing for the blown-out ink to scatter throughout the layer enough to become noticeable on the surface.
Needles inserted at a wrong angle
The artist could also press the needles in at an inappropriate angle, and this could cause the needles to disperse ink into neighboring tissue, causing a blowout effect.
Although more experienced tattoo artists can usually eliminate most of the risk when it comes to causing blowouts, sometimes it’s very difficult to avoid it in certain areas of skin, and you shouldn’t always jump to the opinion that your artist has made a mistake.
Body parts prone to tattoo blowouts
The fingers are a common region to develop a blowout because the skin is so thin here, suggesting it’s so much easier for the tattoo artist to accidentally protrude too deeply into the tissue below.
Areas like the wrist are also quite susceptible due to their frequent movement. If a joint is moved too much when a tattoo is very fresh, the movement can dislodge or put pressure on the ink, pushing it out into adjacent areas.
Areas that are further prone to blowouts include wrists, ankles, fingers, toes, and tops of hands/feet.
Tattoos can also be more prone to blowouts if they’re inked onto a joint, such as behind the knee or inside the elbow – although this is uncommon.
What does a tattoo blowout look like?
Tattoo blowouts can come up in various forms and can be very mild or extremely noticeable.
Usually, a blowout makes the affected areas/lines on a tattoo look like they’re blurred and the ink often spreads to an area outside the desired parameters. The tattoo ink may look like it’s been smudged, this isn’t exactly what’s happened.
How to prevent Tattoo blowouts?
You can eliminate the risk by opting out of getting a tattoo on any extremely thin areas of skin, as explained above.
Finally, avoid any sudden or extreme stretching, pulling, or twisting of the skin once your tattoo has been completed. This should lower the risk of any ink being unintentionally dispersed throughout the wrong layers.
How to fix tattoo blowout?
1. Correct with more tattooing
Blowout cover-ups require expertise and good tattooing skills. Choose an experienced tattoo artist to make sure you don’t have another blowout. A good artist also has the creative skills needed to maximize the appearance of your tattoo.
If you notice a blowout just a few days after getting your tattoo, you’ll have to wait up to 2 months for the tattoo to heal before getting a cover-up to hide it. It’s important to be determined towards your tattoo aftercare routine to make sure your tattoo heals properly.
2. Correct with laser treatment
Laser treatment can also help to reduce the appearance of a tattoo blowout. Q-switched lasers send out waves of energy absorbed by ink particles in the skin. The energy diffuses the ink further in the skin so it’s less noticeable.
Laser treatment should leave you with the tattoo you hoped for, with little to no signs of a tattoo blowout. Take adequate care of your fixed tattoo, particularly preventing sun exposure, which can cause it to fade.
While Q-switched laser therapy doesn’t work for everyone, many people find it effective at fading blowouts. You may require five or more sessions in order to reduce the appearance of the blowout so it’s not noticeable. The number of sessions you need depends on the extent of the blowout and your body’s reaction to laser therapy.
Laser therapy can be costlier than getting a cover-up. The cost depends on your tattoo’s size, color, and age.
3. Correct with surgical procedure
Surgical tattoo removal is the most intrusive way to get rid of a tattoo blowout. It also requires getting rid of your tattoo. During surgical tattoo removal, a surgeon will cut off your tattooed skin and sew your remaining skin back together.
This procedure is the only way to totally remove a blowout entirely. Other considerations with surgical tattoo removal involve scarring and recovery time. The smaller the removed tattoo, the less scarring you’ll notice.
