BellaOnline Forums Beauty and Self Body Art Question about line work

Howdy, I just got my third tattoo (on Thursday 6/26) on my upper left arm. It's about half way done, going back for more shading and then in a few weeks color. Being so close to my face I can see it really well and noticed a day or so after I had it done that some of the lines look like they are "cut" in to my skin. I can see where the skin is separated a bit and then the line is down at the bottom of the "cuts". Not all of the lines looks this way though. Some of them look totally "normal" like they are healed already, and then some are kind of "scabby" on the top of my skin like what I expected. I was curious if this is normal or not, and if there is anything special I should do to help it heal without scarring. I am currently using emu oil.

Like I said I do have two other fairly large tattoos...on my back and then on my right calf and don't ever recall them looking like this - BUT...I never saw them this close up either.

Thanks!!

well technically tattooing is 'cutting' into the epidermis to deliver the ink to the dermis.

well technically i dont think a tattoo machine is supposed to "cut". i have one and i've seen how it works. i'd say its more like a poking of holes into the skin than actually slicing it.. ink rubbing is where you cut the skin open (usually with a scalpel) and rub ink into the wound. a tattoo gun isn't supposed to do that.

ill ask around about the cuts.. that seems really abnormal to me. but i'm not a tattooist and i cannot say for sure.

Here Comes The Sun, you're not describing anything that sounds like a problem so I wouldn't worry about it. Part of your tattoo sounds like it's healing faster than other bits (not uncommon at all) which is probably why it doesn't look the same all over. Any areas that were shaded more heavily or where colors blend are going to have experienced more trauma than areas with just a touch of shading.

Just for-whomever's-information, tattoo machines make punctures, not slices or cuts. A line in tattooing is a very-closely-spaced series of dots.