Can You Tattoo Over A Bruise – You Should To Know The Warn!

Getting a new tattoo requires a lot of planning. Let’s say you did your research and found your dream tattoo design, you even managed to squeeze time from your busy schedule for the appointment. Just before the appointment you accidentally get a bruise on the area you suppose to get a tattoo. What now? Can you get a tattoo over a bruise?

Getting a bruise is never cute as it gives you discomfort and takes time to heal. Getting a bruise where you suppose to get a tattoo is even worse. Even though it is not a crime to get a tattoo over a bruise but should you do it? I will elaborate on this topic today.

Key Takeaways

• Getting a tattoo over a bruise can cause excessive bleeding, delayed healing, infection, difficulty to work on, uneven ink distribution, etc.
• Getting a tattoo over a bruise that is in a certain part of the body such as the neck, armpit, or elbow pit can be more painful.
• Aftercare for a tattoo done over a bruise includes healing ointment, cold press, boosting immunity, and cleaning with antibacterial soap.
• A small bruise can heal within days while a large bruise can take up to 14 days.

Getting A Tattoo Over a Bruise

You can not a tattoo over a bruise but that does not mean you should. Getting a tattoo over a bruise can cause difficulty in making the tattoo, difficulty during the healing period, and negatively affect the end result. Not to mention most professional tattoo artists will not agree to do a tattoo on a bruise.

Why it is a problem to get a tattoo over a bruise? To understand that let’s go through what a bruise actually is. Bruise is a trauma caused to your skin that makes some of your soft tissue and blood vessels under the skin break. This breakage is responsible for the discoloration of that area. Now, would you choose to get poked by a needle a few hundred times in that same area? And try to make some colorful designs over the discolored skin? I think not.

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10 Reasons Why You Should Not Get a Tattoo Over a Bruise

There are multiple reasons for not getting a tattoo over a bruise. I listed the top 10 of them below:

1. Pain

A bruise can be extremely painful if it is big enough. Getting a tattoo is also painful. Does not matter how professional the tattoo artist is, and what method or size of the design you choose to get a tattoo, the procedure will still hurt. Getting poked a few hundred to a thousand times by a tattoo needle can never be painless. Pressing something or just putting a finger on a bruise hurts.  Now imagine how painful it will be if the tattooing procedure is done on an area that is already in pain or trauma. The pain will increase by a lot and could be unbearable if it is a serious bruise.

Depending on the area you got bruised can increase the pain while getting a tattoo over it. Like:

Instead of going through this painful process, just wait a few days until your bruise is healed, and then go for whatever tattoo you want to get.

2. Bleeding

A small amount of bleeding is normal when you try to get a tattoo. But a bruise can make it worse.

When you get a bruise you may get some bleeding on the inner layer of the skin which changes the color of that area. Bruise does not cause any external bleeding unless by accident you break the epidermis layer of your skin.

And while getting a tattoo, the tattoo needle will poke into the dermis layer by passing through the epidermis layer. This means your epidermis layer will break or get damaged. It will increase the amount of bleeding you face.

Too much bleeding can put your health at serious risk. Excessive bleeding may lead you to faint, have low blood pressure, etc.

3. Delayed healing

After getting a tattoo it takes around 2 weeks to heal the epidermis layer and 2-3 months to heal the dermis layer of your skin. If you get a tattoo on damaged skin that is in the process of healing, then your tattoo will take much more time to heal.

4. Infection

You won’t get an infection just because you got yourself a tattoo over a bruise. But tattooing over a bruised area can exhaust your body and overwork your immune system. As a result, your wound may become prone to infection.

5. Difficult to work On

It is very difficult to work on a bruised area. There are multiple reasons behind it. Such as:

• Excessive bleeding may hinder vision and make it difficult to work.
• Too much pain may cause you to move too much and make it harder for your tattoo artist to work.
• Bruise makes it difficult to follow the stencils for a tattoo artist.

6. Uneven Ink distribution

A bruised skin can be swollen and discolored. Trying to make art in such an area is very difficult. Even some of the most experienced tattoo artists end up doing an uneven ink distribution because of a bruise. Uneven ink distribution will ruin the design or the outcome you were hoping for.

7. Difficult to notice allergic sing

Many people get an allergic reaction from tattoos. It happens because of the tattoo ink to be specific.

Tattoo inks are made of many components and you may have an allergy to one or more of those components.

You can either notice the allergic sign such as redness, swollen or raised-up skin, rash, etc. during the tattooing procedure or during the healing process. Because of the bruise, it becomes very difficult to notice these allergic reaction signs.

8. Difficulty doing shading

If your tattoo requires shading, then it becomes almost impossible to do the shading in bruised or discolored skin without ruining it.

Even professional tattoo artist knows how precise they have to be when they do shading on a tattoo. That precision goes out the window when they are forced to work on discolored skin.

9. Difficulty making colorful tattoos

A combination of multiple colors makes bright and vibrant art become impossible on a bruise.

You can’t really tell how much ink is going, or how it is looking when you try to tattoo on discolored skin. A bruise can change its color quite a few times during the healing phase.

Making a tattoo on such an area and later when it is healed realizing that the coloring of the tattoo is awful, can be very upsetting for you and your tattoo artist. Remember, tattoo artist takes pride in their work. They won’t take a chance that can ruin their art.

10. Financial Loss

Color not being distributed evenly, wrong shading, no sharpness in design, etc. can happen if you tattoo over a bruise.

Later when you go for a touch-up to fix the issue, it will cost you money that you didn’t anticipate before getting the tattoo.

6 Steps to Follow After Getting a Tattoo Over a Bruise

Aftercare for a tattoo that has been made over a bruise is not so different from your regular tattoo aftercare routine.

Follow these steps to avoid any problems and faster recovery:

1. Use Healing Ointment: Using healing ointment becomes mandatory as you will need to heal the bruise and the tattoo. A healing agent applied from the exterior can be of great help during the healing process.
2. Cold Compress: The sensitive wound may cause inflammation or discomfort. You can apply a cold compress to reduce the discomfort and it can help with swollen skin.
3. Clean with Antibacterial Soap: Clean the area at least twice with antibacterial soap or cleanser to avoid any possible infection. Do not rub the area vigorously, instead rub gently with your fingers.
4. Moisturize The Area: Keeping it mildly moist will speed up the healing. Make sure to apply a soothing lotion to moisturize the skin once or twice a day.
5. Look for Possible Allergic Sign: Because of the bruise, it will be hard to notice any redness around the area. So make sure to look for other allergic signs such as:
   • Raised skin.
   • Inflammation.
   • Fever.
   • Shiver
6. Boost Immunity: Your body has to work twice as hard because it is healing not only the bruise but also the tattoo. So make sure to eat healthy food and keep yourself hydrated in order to boost your immunity to get a speedy recovery.

FAQs

Can I get a tattoo over a light bruise?

Even though it is not recommended to get a tattoo over a bruise, you may get a tattoo over a light bruise by discussing it with your tattoo artist first. A small bruise takes a day or two to heal and is less likely to mess with the tattooing process.

Can I get a tattoo over a scratch?

As long as the scratch is small you can get a tattoo over it. But if the scratch is big, you must let the tattoo artist know beforehand and have a discussion.

Can I get a tattoo over a mole?

No, you cannot. But you can get a tattoo around the mole, just not over it.

Can I get a tattoo over a scar?

Yes, you can. Make sure to choose an experienced professional artist as it may not be a cup of tea for any random artist.

Final Thoughts

Getting bruises right before your tattoo appointment can be frustrating. There is a high chance you won’t get the optimum result by getting a tattoo over a bruise. Like the uneven distribution of ink, delayed healing, and excessive bleeding. Not to mention the pain and suffering you will go through during the process.

So just wait a day or two until the bruise is healed before going for a tattoo. If it is a big bruise the most time it can take is 2 weeks to heal. Waiting a few days is worth it considering the potential risk of getting it done on a bruise.

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