Your body will undergo many different situations when you get a new tattoo. It will bleed, leak, itch, and in rare cases, you might get an infection. One thing that is common with a new tattoo while it is healing is it will start to crack. Cracking is a normal part of your new tattoo healing, but it could also be a sign that your tattoo is not healing properly.
So why is my tattoo cracking? There are a few reasons why your tattoo will start to crack. With the many different types of cracked tattoos out there, it is important to understand why your tattoo is cracking. With a cracked tattoo, it might be time to see and observe if you did anything wrong in your tattoo aftercare. So let’s dive straight into why your tattoo might be cracking!
Key Takeaways
- There could be many reasons why a tattoo might start to crack, but there are 4 major reasons that make the tattoo crack.
- There are many types of cracked tattoos. Some of them are part of the natural healing but others are signs of your tattoo not healing.
- With proper tattoo aftercare and the tips provided below, you can help prevent cracks to form on your new tattoo.
- Old tattoos do not crack, there might be an underlying skin condition that is causing the skin and tattoo to crack.
4 Major Reasons for Tattoo Cracking
There could a variety of reasons that your tattoo is cracking. It is also not uncommon for these reasons to occur simultaneously as well! That is why understanding the 4 major reasons why your tattoo is cracking is important. So let’s see these reasons in more detail.
1. Lack of Moisture
Lack of moisture or hydration of the skin is one of if not the most common reasons for your new tattoo to start cracking. Your new tattooed skin has undergone a lot of trauma from being pierced. An open wound and your new tattoo aren’t that different either. To allow the skin to heal from the wound, fluid will leak and dry on your skin. This contact with air leaves the skin feeling dry. When it becomes very dry, that is when your tattoo will start to crack.
2. Scabbing
When that yellow liquid, more commonly known as plasma, leaks onto the surface of your skin. Your body will react to this and start to form clots on the wound. When this happens, a scab form over the wound. Now imagine many thousands of these scabs forming on your new tattoo! This is all the body trying to prevent any infection from occurring on your skin.
However, this is bad for the tattoo! The scabbed skin means that the skin is dried and prevents it from being in contact with the air around it. While it is protected, your skin will feel incredibly dry and hinder the healing process. This drying will make it so that your scabs start cracking over your tattoo as well!
3. Allergy and Infection
In rare cases, there are times that you might get an infected tattoo or have an allergic reaction to the tattoo ink. This will cause the skin to become cracked and start to leak pus and have a bad smell around it, accompanied by fever. If that is the case, you should immediately call for medical assistance as you won’t know the extent of the infection until it is too late!
4. Improper Aftercare
Lastly, the dryness of the tattoo and the cause of the infection all stem from improper aftercare of the tattoo. If you are not taking care of your tattoo, you will risk running into many different problems. One of them is the cracking of the tattooed skin. This could be because your tattoo has been over-moisturized, or using scented lotions. These all can lead to the drying of the tattoo and eventually cause other problems on the skin like bleeding or peeling of the skin. So make sure that you take very good care of your new tattoo after having it done!
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7 Types of Cracked Tattoos
There are many types of cracked tattoos out there. We just saw the reasons for the cracking, so now let’s take a closer look at the types of cracked tattoos and whether you should be concerned about it or not.
1. Cracked and itchy
Itching is a normal part of the healing process of a new tattoo. The skin will be sensitive and will produce the chemical known as histamine which causes the itching sensation. A cracked and itchy tattoo is a sign that your new tattoo is not healing properly. For this, you should start using soothing creams to stop the itching sensation and moisturizer to reduce the cracking.
2. Cracked and redness
Redness around the skin of your tattoo is another indicator that your tattoo is healing properly. But when the redness starts around the time that your tattoo is cracking, that is when should start worrying a bit. While the redness is showing you that your skin is undergoing inflammation and is normal, the cracking along with it might mean that your tattoo is not healing. A little concerning for tattoo healing, but it can be easily remedied with anti-inflammatory substances such as aloe vera.
3. Cracked and raised
After undergoing the trauma from the tattoo machine, the tattoo will become raised. This is due to the pressure applied during the tattooing process that typically can cause the tattoo to become raised. There is no need for concern as the raised part could also come from the tattoo scabbing as well! Just make sure to not touch the tattoo when it scabs and raises and you will be fine when you wash and moisturize it. But if the tattoo cracks and raises after the first few weeks, then it should be cause for concern. Immediately go to the doctor if it starts doing so in the late stages of the tattoo healing or after the tattoo has healed.
4. Cracked and peeling
The peeling of the skin is a perfectly normal part of the healing process. It is when the skin is trying to get rid of the dead skin from the tattoo to promote the formation of new skin cells. During this time, it is also normal for the skin to start to crack and flake too. It is perfectly normal for this to happen in the first week of tattoo healing. Any time after that, you should start being more aware that the tattoo is not healing properly.
5. Cracking under Saniderm
The derma wrap or Saniderm that is on your tattoo should be kept for only the first 24 hours. However, some tattoo artists prefer the wrap healing method and will ask you to keep your tattoo wrapped. Or, your tattoo artist might recommend wearing Saniderm for the first few days to avoid leaking tattoo ink and blood on your clothes, rug, and bedsheets. Your tattoo might start to scab underneath the Saniderm, making the adhesive not attach properly to your skin. However, this is perfectly normal for the wrap healing method as it will catch any ink and dead skin on the adhesive itself. You should remove the wrap once in a while to let the skin be able to fully breathe.
6. Cracked and bleeding
The one thing that you don’t want to see is your new tattoo bleeding. But, healing is the natural part of the initial healing process. This is the time, within the first week when your skin will try to push out as much as possible. Your tattoo artist will try to pack as much ink as possible so some of it is bound to leak during this time.
Although bleeding of the ink and plasma is fine, if the tattoo starts to crack and then bleeds, you will know that your tattoo is becoming way too dry. This could be for a number of reasons, where dehydration is a primary culprit. If you notice that your tattoo is cracking and bleeding at the same time, clean your tattoo and make sure it is moisturized properly.
7. Cracking with yellow color liquid
The yellow color fluid when your tattoo is healing is the release of plasma, the straw-colored liquid in your body that promotes healing. Within the first week, it is perfectly normal to see your skin both crack and release plasma but any time after the first week is when you should be a little worried. It could mean that your body is unknowingly releasing vital protein from your body due to an infection!
So from all of these types of cracked tattoos, it is evident that after the first week, you should stop noticing most of these signs along with your cracked tattoo. If you see these persist well into the 3rd week, that is when you should be concerned that your tattoo is not healing properly. Immediately observe your tattoo for signs of infection and make sure that your tattoo aftercare is being done properly!
Preventing Tattoos from Cracking
To avoid getting your new tattoo from cracking, it is important that you maintain proper aftercare. These tips, along with the aftercare instruction from your tattoo artist, will help prevent your tattoo from cracking.
- Applying moisturizer on dry skin; don’t moisturize skin that doesn’t need it
- Stop scratching the tattoo
- Stop using scented lotions and moisturizers; use only natural and fragrance-free ingredients
- Stop showering with hot water
- Don’t peel the skin or scab; let it fall naturally
- Don’t moisturize scabs
- Pat dry your tattoo after washing; don’t rub it
- Eat healthy food and drink plenty of water
- Avoid the sun; apply sunscreen if you are outside
- Try not to sweat on the area of your tattoo
Old Tattoos Cracking?
It is very unlikely that old tattoos will crack. It is possible that the formation of new skin becomes irritated, causing it to become dry and start forming cracks on your old tattoo. This is more common for new tattoos that have just ended their healing phase and the skin under the scab becomes very dry. The drying of this tattoo is the reason for your tattoo to start cracking.
However, old tattoos that are at least a year old won’t crack under normal conditions. At this point, it might not be your tattoo that is causing this. If it is your tattoo, it is somewhat likely that you have become allergic to the ink embedded in your skin. It is a rare case but it can happen. Otherwise, skin diseases such as eczema can be another reason that your old tattoo will start to form cracks. Skin conditions that excessively dry your skin will make your skin crack and may your tattoo to crack as a result.
FAQs
What are the signs of tattoo infection?
If you have a fever, pus leaking, bleeding, or excessive itching, it could be a sign that your tattoo has become infected.
When will my tattoo stop cracking?
Your tattoo will stop cracking around the end of the 2nd week of getting a new tattoo. After this time, if your tattoo starts cracking, it might be because your skin is getting dehydrated.
How long will a cracked tattoo take to heal?
A cracked tattoo will take about anywhere from a few hours to a few days to heal. However, expect your skin to stop cracking fully after 4 to 6 months. This is around the time that all layers of skin under the tattoo will be fully healed.
Is coconut oil good to keep tattoos moisturized?
Coconut oil is good for tattoos because of the skin benefits it provides. It is a natural ingredient that will help to keep moisture locked while not affecting your skin at all. Just make sure that you are not allergic to it before using it.
Final Thoughts
There might be a number of reasons that your tattoo is cracking, but do know that they are more or less the same reason. The main cause will be the lack of moisture or drying of the tattoo causing the cracking of the skin. It is perfectly normal for any type of cracked tattoo to be dry during the first week, maybe even the second. But if your tattoo is still feeling dry and starting to crack during the 3rd week, then you will definitely know that something is wrong. It is important to follow your tattoo aftercare as carefully as possible. With the tips I provided above, hopefully your tattoo will have a decreased amount of cracks forming on it.
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