What is an Ink Sack Tattoo – Simply Explain For You

Tattoos are a fascinating way to get artwork done with your body as the canvas. It has been done for thousands of years and has become common to see them on people everywhere. It might have influenced you to get a tattoo yourself. But while researching tattoos and their processes, you came across an interesting term that you never thought about when thinking about tattoos: tattoo ink sacks!

So what is an ink sack tattoo? When you finally get your new tattoo done, your tattoo artist may tell you to not worry about fluid forming underneath the wrap. If you are completely new to tattooing, you might be worried about fluid being trapped and making the bandage not work properly. Don’t worry, that is a known thing in the tattoo industry. The more you know about ink sack tattoo, the more you will realize the benefits it provides!

Key Takeaways

• Tattoo ink sacks are the fluid trapped underneath the bandage of a new tattoo, being made up of plasma, water, and tattoo ink.
• The plasma itself is important for the new tattoo in the ink sack because of the proteins present in it.
• There are many reasons why tattoo artists cover a new tattoo. It is mostly for the safety of the client’s new tattoo.
• It is pretty to remove the wrap over your ink sack. Follow the correct removal method to ensure that your new tattoo remains safe.
• If an ink tattoo gets too big, it might start leaking. This is bad and you should remove the wrap immediately.

What is Tattoo Ink Sack?

A tattoo ink sack is a fluid that gets trapped under the Saniderm and over your new tattoo. This fluid is mainly made up of plasma and leaked ink from the tattoo itself. The plasma is produced and leaked to the surface of the tattoo from the capillaries in the dermis of your skin, where the tattoo ink is placed and waits to set in. The plasma is straw-colored in nature, but the tattoo ink sack itself is a mixture of that with the tattoo ink, so the color will be a bit darker than that.

Are ink sacks normal?

Ink sacks are perfectly normal to have on your new tattoo. Think of it like this, it is an indication that the body that your new tattoo is starting the healing nicely. After undergoing the trauma of being pierced by tattoo needles so many times, your body reacts to it by sending plasma to the part of the tattoo. The makeup of the plasma is what promotes the healing of the tattoo.

Plasma: components and function

So now that we understand the plasma is there to heal the tattoo, we should understand what it is made of to help with the healing. Here are the components of plasma that helps with the healing of a new tattoo, which is mainly water and some proteins:

• Water: In fact, the plasma that you will see is made of 90% water. This helps gives it the ability to move around.
• Albumins: A protein that gives an increase in the viscosity which does not allow the plasma to enter the bloodstream from the capillaries it is leaking from.
• Globulins: This protein is what gives plasma its immune system response, to prevent the spread of infection.
• Fibrinogen: This is responsible for blood clotting and closing of the wound on the surface of the new tattoos.

Possibility of ink sack not forming

Unfortunately, if you have Saniderm on your new tattoo, you will form an ink sack. Even if you leave the tattoo uncovered, plasma will still be leaking from your skin. Instead of it getting trapped in the Saniderm wrap, it will leak out and spread everywhere. That is one reason why your tattoo artist will cover your new tattoo, but there are other reasons for covering your tattoo which we will get to in a bit

Safety of ink sack

Contrary to what anyone says, ink sacks on your tattoo are completely safe. In fact, it is actually beneficial to your tattoo! Most people would be frightened to see the ink sack forming but don’t let anyone tell you to remove the covering from your new tattoo. It is there to help your tattoo, not ruin it.

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Reasons for Covering New Tattoo

You should know that a new tattoo is like an open wound that needs to be cared for. This is why all tattoo artists should cover the new tattoo with a breathable adhesive bandage like Saniderm before the client leaves the shop. Here are some reasons why it is a new tattoo is covered under a wrap.

1. Prevent leaking

Your new tattoo will leak blood, plasma, and tattoo ink for the first few days. To make sure that you are not leaking this plasma everywhere, the tattoo is covered to make sure that the important plasma is working its magic under the wrap.

2. Promote healing and wound closing

Due to plasma’s healing and wound-closing properties, a new tattoo is covered. The protein present in the leaked plasma helps promote the healing of the wound, and over time makes sure that the wound itself is closing to prevent further leaking.

3. Protect from infections

With the wound closing, the tattoo is safe from becoming infected. If in contact with air, who knows what type of bacteria might enter your tattoo and cause it to become infected! The protein in plasma also helps to prevent such infections from spreading.

4. Prevent scabbing

Scabbing is the body’s response to closing up the wound with a layer of clot over it. But this is actually bad for the wound of a new tattoo because it will prolong the healing time by covering it up! If the ink sack is left on its own, the scabbing is prevented, and lets the tattoo heals naturally. Some peeling is still fine for the tattoo but scabbing will interfere with the healing process.

5. Layer between adhesive

Something that is missed when talking about the ink sack is the fact it acts as a layer between the adhesive and the tattoo. While the Saniderm adhesive isn’t bad for the new tattoo, it might get sticky and take off a bit over the top of your tattoo when you remove it. So the ink sack over the adhesive makes sure that the tattoo is not sticking to the adhesive of the bandage.

Tattoo Ink Sack Removal

So with understanding everything about tattoo ink out of the way, it is time to remove the tattoo sack. If you have a Saniderm wrap on, your artist should be telling you to remove it after the first 24 hours of having the tattoo.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Run warm (not hot) water over the Saniderm and the ink sack
2. Stretch out the bandage so it comes off the skin. You can also apply oil over the edges of the wrap to break down the adhesive of the bandage.
3. Pull the wrap downwards slowly, in the direction your hair grows
4. Wash the tattoo area with antibacterial green soap
5. Pat dry your tattoo with a clean paper towel, don’t rub it
6. Continue with the normal tattoo aftercare suggested by your tattoo artist.
7. Optional: if your tattoo artist has suggested a wrap healing method, you can apply another breathable adhesive bandage. Make sure that you cut the bandage so that the edges of the tattoo have about 1 inch of space.

When Ink Sacks Become Too Big?

There are times when your tattoo ink sack will become too big. This might be an indication that you should remove the wrap as soon as possible. If the ink sack becomes too big, it might have a chance of leaking from underneath the wrap itself! This can have serious consequences as the spread of infection is that fluid can grow. If there is a leak, it means that bacteria and other pathogens can enter it too. So make sure that if it becomes too big, remove it as quickly as possible and then apply another bandage over your tattoo. This can save you from an infected tattoo which could ruin your tattoo and your skin.

FAQs

Can you pop tattoo ink sacks?

Never pop the tattoo ink sack! It might look tempting to poke at it but that’s fine. If you pop it, the ink, blood, and plasma will leak everywhere causing a mess and possible infection.

Will the ink sack ruin my tattoo?

An ink sack will not ruin your tattoo. In fact, it is there to help your tattoo heal properly. Your ink won’t be ruined under the ink sack.

When should you remove the Saniderm from your new tattoo?

Tattoo artists recommend removing the first wrap of Saniderm after 24 hours. The second and third wraps that you put on can be kept for about 3 to 4 days.

Final Thoughts

Ink sacks are completely normal and good for your new tattoo. It heals in healing the tattoo and protects it from any infection. The Saniderm is also safe to have over a tattoo because it will allow air to flow through but it won’t allow germs and dirt to enter. It is mainly the plasma that makes up most of the ink sack. It is a natural body response and perfectly normal. After removing that wrap, you should continue with the tattoo aftercare that was suggested by your tattoo artist. Always listen to them when it comes to that!

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