Dotwork Tattoo

[ISayHey]

I had a dotwork tattoo done 4 years ago on my back. It looked great when it was done but now the dots aren't even dots anymore! They're all blended in. Is this normal??

Hmm I wouldn't have thought so. I have three dot work tattoos, my oldest being around 5-6 years and it still looks as good as it did when I got it!

@LanieM87 god really? I don't know what's happened then? I thought that might be just what happened. It looks nothing like when I had it done. The tattooist purely does dotwork. So I'm not sure what's happened.

@LanieM87 Would you contact the tattoo artist or do you think it would be a waste of time? I'm not sure what she'd be able to do really.

@ISayHey it might be worth just sending them a message, they could maybe rework it depending on what it is etc?

@LanieM87 I've sent a message and will see what they reply.
I don't think it could be re touched with dots as it's blended in so much so it doesn't look like it's ever been a dot work tattoo. I could maybe have it shaded or something differently. When it was first done it looked great.
It honestly looks nothing like it did when it was first done.

Was there any advice you were given on how to take care of them after you had your tattoos done? I was advised to keep the cling film on it for 4 hours, and then to clean the tattoo and put palmers cocoa balm on it a couple of times per day.
But I've just been reading that you shouldn't really put any lotions on it for at least 6 days.
I'm just trying to work out why it might have happened.

Was it hand poked or done by machine?

@ISayHey no I wasn't given any special advice, I didn't leave mine wrapped for long and just used bepanthan on most of mine!

@staringstepan

Was it hand poked or done by machine?

It was done by a machine.

[quote LanieM87]@ISayHey no I wasn't given any special advice, I didn't leave mine wrapped for long and just used bepanthan on most of mine! [/quote]
I think I'll get that next time. I've just googled it and it says it's good for tattoos. Really not sure then why this has happened.

Bepanthen recipe has changed! I'm not sure if it is now suitable for tattoos.

Don’t use bepanthan on tattoos, it’s not good for healing. Cocoa butter is fine. And keeping it wrapped for 48 hours (cleaning and rewrapping a few times a day) is the best advice I’ve been given.
Tattoos do sometimes blur and get less defined as time goes on, especially on areas of skin that move/crease a lot or are exposed to sun often, especially if you don’t put suncream on them.
Speak to the artist if you can, and if they can’t do anything about it maybe consider speaking to a different artist who may have the skills to adapt the tattoo to look more how you want.

I don't have dot work but do have multiple tattoos and mine too have blurred, different tattoo artists, different parts of my body, think it must just be my skin type!

I have a dot work tat done by machine, but I was advised to wrap for a week and only use hustle butter.

I'm wondering if it's "blown out" if it's that blurred now. I'd be surprised if it was all down to the healing. Though I'd only ever use hustle butter now.

Was it a fairly new tattooist or an experienced one?

@staringstepan

I have a dot work tat done by machine, but I was advised to wrap for a week and only use hustle butter.

I'm wondering if it's "blown out" if it's that blurred now. I'd be surprised if it was all down to the healing. Though I'd only ever use hustle butter now.

Was it a fairly new tattooist or an experienced one?

I think she was quite an experienced one. It's really blurred. No defined lines anymore. Can't see a single dot as who thing just looks like a greenish tattoo. Rather than the black dots. I know they can change colour over time. This one I had 4 years ago. Cost me £400 as well. I only heard of hustle butter yesterday as I saw it recommended on YouTube.

@mamamilkmachine I'm wondering if it could possibly be that. I was looking at getting more tattoos on my back but now I'm wondering if this could happen again. I was looking at a different tattoo artist as it's a completely different kind of tattoo, but im wondering if it could be my skin? I'm not sure.

@Fuzzysocksies I've messaged her and hopefully she'll respond with some ideas of what can be done.
I wish I'd kept it wrapped as I've seen so much advice online saying to keep it wrapped. But she told me to take it off a couple of hours later. I'm not sure if this could have made a difference or not.

@ChinookPilotsGoVertical

Bepanthen recipe has changed! I'm not sure if it is now suitable for tattoos.

Oh ok. Thanks for letting me know. It'll probably be a few months before I have another.

@ISayHey just thought Is it in a place that gets lots of sun??
I have a large dotwork that was done 8 years ago and it’s fine. Still see individual dots. But there’s one tiny spot that he went a bit too deep (like 1cm no one else would know) and it’s run a bit there. As in the ink ran into my surrounding skin a tiny bit.

[quote Flippyflops2021]@ISayHey just thought Is it in a place that gets lots of sun??
I have a large dotwork that was done 8 years ago and it’s fine. Still see individual dots. But there’s one tiny spot that he went a bit too deep (like 1cm no one else would know) and it’s run a bit there. As in the ink ran into my surrounding skin a tiny bit.[/quote]

Yes that's called "blowout" where they go too deep. But that wouldn't have developed over time, it would have been like that from the start.

@Whaddayahear yes good point!

I had a bit of blowout on one of my recent ones, but for some reason I was far more twitchy than usual, so it was probably my fault for moving it's not too bad though.

Hope everyone is getting their factor 50 on their ink this week!

@Flippyflops2021 No, it's on my back which I never really have in the sun at all really. It's covered most of the time and I wear factor 50 whenever I'm in the sun. But my back is usually covered.

Contact a tattoo artist, I think you did the poor quality tattoo.