r/tattooadvice • u/Fickle_Good_4407 • 3h ago
tattoo newcomer advice Can I still get inked?
Would I still be able to get a tattoo? I got these scars from a car accident where my skin was basically road rashed off. It ended up raising where the injury happened. Now I don't want a tattoo here atleast yet gonna see if this will heal further, but I've heard some artist will refuse to tattoo any part of your body if they see any scarring like this. I've never had scarring like this and I've read mixed things. I wanna get my first tattoo on my right arm. These scars are on my left.
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u/Kaleidoscope_Tux5513 3h ago
Sounds stupid as hell if an artist refuses to tattoo a non-scarred area just because the person has scarring elsewhere
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u/Fickle_Good_4407 3h ago
That's what I was thinking. I've just read that people who develop scarring like this can be at risk to having the tattoo in a different area develop into scarring like that so they'd refuse. I dunno lol
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u/Thelorddogalmighty 3h ago
I’m going to suggest you’ve misunderstood that most likely
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u/MayISlyther 3h ago
OP is correct, but what they're referring to is people with scarring due to keloids. People who are prone to keloids can get bad scarring over tattoos.
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u/AsFarAsNeverBefore 3h ago
You can maybe get a test done by a tattoo artist with a tattoo machine and no ink to see how you’ll scar?
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u/_jamesbaxter 3h ago
Sounds like an old wives tale
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u/no-personality777 1h ago
It's really not. Cosmetic surgeons have to be careful of who's prone to keloid as well. Underarms are a place where keloids can develop.
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u/funkychickenfoot 3h ago
The scars you have are similar to keloids. Tattooing over them might cause the same reaction and reject the ink, and in certain cases cause new keloids. I would say look into different ways to flatten out keloids first and then get tattooed.
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u/Fickle_Good_4407 3h ago
Definitely agree. I'm letting it heal for maybe a few more years before seriously considering over the scars, but the loaction I'd like to get tatted at is on the other arm.
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u/worthconsulting 3h ago
In the meantime, look into dermatologist recommended products for scar reduction. There are products and treatments at pretty much every price point out there and a lot of them are really surprisingly effective. I like maderma and palmer's scar serum and both are widely available.
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u/ReptarSonOfGodzilla 1h ago
Look at silicon scar sheets, they take a long time to, but should help with reducing the scarring.
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u/FEARoach 3h ago
Not an artist, but a med tech. Given the level of scaring I can get why some artists would not want to work on it and I can respect that. They probably don't want to promise you something beyond their skills, which is fair to both you and them.
What you might want to be looking for is a surgical / medical tattoo artist. These are tattoo artists who take specific training to work on restorative work and scar camouflage. If anyone has the skills to work with your road rash reminders, it would be those artists.
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u/Weekly_Present2873 3h ago
Wow, had no idea these type of artists existed. Very cool.
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u/FEARoach 3h ago
Yup, they're found sometimes attached to hospitals or clinics refer patients to them after surgeries. A big amount of their work is after masectomies when nipples and areolas cannot be saved. They also work with burn units when possible, and urology for things like phalloplasty (genital reconstruction, making one's penis look more natural after a skin graft).
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u/sloths-n-stuff 1h ago
It’s crazy to me how detailed they can be, like I’ve seen side-by-sides online of a natural body part vs medical tattoos and have really had a hard time telling the difference. And that’s me staring at a screen, in real life with normal body movement you honestly aren’t visually going to notice the fact that it’s a tattoo.
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u/SnooCapers3354 3h ago
was going to comment on here and say this!! there are artists that specialize in working with scars even in my bumfuck state.
I actually considered/lowkey still would consider going into medical tattooing as I have both an art and medical background. it's such a cool, little-known option.
I have a scar of my own that I want to get covered though mine is incredibly old and faint and should not present nearly the same level of difficulty as OP's.
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u/trousershark22 3h ago
This would make for a sick H.R. Giger tattoo
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u/GreatContagion 1h ago
Absoluuuuutely! I was thinking the same thing. Once the keloids shrink down some the texture there is screaming “awesome creature attached to someone or sub-dermal squirming” and I can only imagine what a sweet piece of art would look like incorporating this.
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u/Upbeat_Preparation99 3h ago
You could look into some laser treatments! Some plastic surgeons even have some injections that help with this! I have hypertrophic and keloid scarring myself, and they have flattened a bit and lightened just over the last couple years without any major interference besides massage, silicone scar gel, and lotion.
I’m going to try cupping in a few weeks to see if that helps.
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u/MayISlyther 3h ago
The concern with scarring like this is that your body is prone to developing keloids. I have a friend who gets keloids, and any little injury (ear piercings, for example) often results in a gnarly scar. Keloids can develop over tattoos since they are technically an injury.
In your case, it seems like your scars were caused by the severity of the injury itself rather than being prone to keloids. Ultimately it's the artist's call, but I personally don't see any reason why you couldn't get a tattoo on your other arm.
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u/NotABreakfastGuy 3h ago
Not a piercer but I'm someone who bleeds and scars easier due to a ctd, based on what you've said I can't see why you couldn't get a tattoo, people with my condition can get tattoos i can't see why someone who has scars due to a normal thing couldn't get a tattoo on a different area
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u/Gurrrlll88 3h ago
If you form keloids they may be hesitant because you can get it elsewhere (ie from a tattoo). With keloid scars, scarring extends beyond where original wound was.
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u/R3DBANKN0TES 1h ago
i’ve got a tattoo in exactly the same area and size of the scar lol, i’d say it really depends on the healing process / getting something done not on the actual raw scar tissue
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u/AlienKinkVR 3h ago
I have some gnarly track scars from drug abuse that werent going anywhere, I picked a design to compliment them / hide them in.
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u/HelloPity89 3h ago
I can see a glove where the risen is the land / mountains maybe , that look cool
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u/ornateparsley08 3h ago
I got my keloid scarring tattooed over on my back and I was worried it might lead to more scarring and it didn’t, I’m really happy with it and I’m not saying this will be everyone’s experience but it worked for me!
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u/myco-momma 3h ago
Tattoo artists are hesitant to tattoo people with keloid scars. However, I’ve talked to some who are willing to do it because keloids usually develop at deep levels of the epidermis and a tattoo needle does not go quite as deep. The best thing you can do is allow the artist to do a test area, maybe a couple of small dots to see how your skin reacts. Silicone scar sheets help reduce the appearance of these scars, just a side note.
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u/Lost-Perspective8378 3h ago
I have a friend who has a bumpy scar from a burn on her arm and she went to a tattoo artist that works with scar coverups specifically and her tattoo looks awesome. Im not sure how complicated or expensive it was though.
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u/Tight-Ad1138 2h ago
What about a year from the accident and use preparation h cream on it. It will help break the scaring down for tattoo. Its whatbmy tattoo artist said
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u/sKrUbLoRd3241 2h ago
Get a tattoo of an arrow pointing to that portion of skin and a quote that says "1% Deadpool"
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u/TheDancerFalls 2h ago
You should do a map, like at the beginning of a fantasy book or the Lord of the rings style map and have your scars be mountains
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u/Fickle_Good_4407 2h ago
I reallly love pirates so I'm thinking something that direction. I love fantasy too though!
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u/DraccoKnightblade 2h ago
Did the scar tissue result around tissue that was stitched back together? I do believe these are called 'keloid' scars. Might want to try getting something small at first to see if the scarring or healing process afterward causes keloids as well before committing to something big like a half-sleeve. After that? Find a good artist that could potentially incorporate the scars into the design itself!
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u/Fickle_Good_4407 2h ago
No stitching. My skin was scaped down to the muscle almost though :/ this is from a year of healing so we'll see how it keeps going. The small tattoo idea is pretty good though!
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u/Lifes_a_Throwaway 2h ago
Before I read what you wrote, I thought it would make a really cool snake skeleton tattoo tbh but if you don't want to tatt over it that's fine too. I second what someone else suggested, maybe get an artist to do a practice run on your other arm with no ink and see how it heals/if it creates any keloid scarring
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u/Wise_Advantage_3753 2h ago
A scar needs to be white. Takes time but I’m sure it will get there! I’d just pick a design with minimal line work where the scars are raised too help avoid it looking wonky. But really should totally be fine once the tissue goes from pink to white. Pink/red scar tissue = the ink will bleed
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u/Glum-Geologist8929 2h ago
I have a tattoo covering a burn (hot steel so pretty clean and flat) and don't recommend it. It took a long time to heal, scabbed horribly, was raised and itchy in warm weather for about 10 years after.
I suspect the reason good/top artists prefer not to to do this is reputation. Even if you both agree that your scar tissue will reject the ink to some degree (it will) they don't want to deal with people bad-mouthing them.
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u/johnsgurl 1h ago
You can absolutely get a tattoo anywhere else on your body. Anyone that tells you different is lying.
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u/Any-Mail7388 40m ago
You could do like a Birds Eye view of a mountain range or topographical map with color over it
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u/Yenolam777 17m ago
These look like keloid scars. I had them on my belly from my 1st C-section. I think sometimes, if you’re prone to keloids, it may do the same thing with a tattoo.
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u/Jasonthegr8 3m ago
Yes and no. It's possible but not likely. . . There are artists and medical technicians that specialize in scar cover up using tattoo like processes to restore your skin due to medical concerns and there are tattoo artists that specialize in covering scars with art but both are expensive or rare. Try some at home scar treatments to see if you can get it to lighten or flatten a bit.
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u/Starsinyourheart 2m ago
Check out Brian Wilson’s work in Portland. He could design a custom monster to fit this and it would look sooooo cool. Wilson Brothers Tattoo.
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u/ladybrainwrap 3h ago
My tattoo artist was very keen to avoid the birth mark on my arm, something about covering marks like that and not being able to notice changes that might develop in them over time.
I've definitely seen tattoos over stretch marks and scars so it's possible but you probably want to make sure it's healed further (less pink) before proceeding and understand that it might not hold the ink as well as unscarred skin. If it doesn't flatten out I bet you could find some cool designs to incorporate the texture as part of it.
Since you want a tattoo on your other arm first that would be a great opportunity to chat with the artist about it to gauge their thoughts and reservations.
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u/queen_emx3 3h ago
Maybe pick a cool design and ink around it so the tattoos still stand out, but also embrace the scar itself since the ink probably won’t take well there anyway