What If I Get A Cut On My Tattoo

Cuts, Scratches And Grazes On A Tattoo

Medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer T. Haley, M.D., FAAD

Independently fact-checked by Chronic Ink Tattoo

Getting a make new tattoo is a hugely exciting experience for most people – especially when you lot've been waiting in anticipation for your tattooing session for what seems like a lifetime.

Sometimes, though, the aftercare procedure doesn't e'er become according to plan, and for any reason, y'all may have an blow which leads to cut or grazing your new piece of work of art.

Getting a cut on your tattoo can be extremely worrying; the terminal thing you want is for your tattoo to go permanently blemished.

However, there are many variables that dictate how much damage a cut or graze will actually do to your ink, and in that location are many times when you won't take to worry about any long-term damage being washed to your tattoo at all.

Getting a Cut on a New Tattoo Can Cause:

Increased Healing Times

A cutting can lead to your already-damaged and healing tattooed skin condign even more damaged. This tin can, in turn, crusade your tattoo to take longer to heal.

Excess Scabbing

Cut or grazing your tattoo tin can cause areas to bleed, which often leads to scabbing.

Scabbing is not normally likewise much of an result equally long as the scabs aren't prematurely ripped off, as this can lead to loss of ink and patchiness in the tattoo.

Visual Blemishes

A deep cutting or graze tin pull ink away from the tattoo, leading to patchiness, fading, and fifty-fifty scarring if the cut is deep enough.

Infection

A cut in the already-wounded skin tin can make the area even more than vulnerable to germs and leaner, which can go along to crusade an infection if the wound isn't properly cleaned.

Factors That Will Define How Much Damage a Cutting or Graze Tin Do

How New The Tattoo Is

Unsurprisingly, the newer the tattoo is, the more sensitive it is going to be.

When a tattoo is first created, information technology is essentially merely a large open wound. Therefore, you should do your very best to protect information technology while it heals over the starting time 2-three weeks.

If you lot graze or cut a tattoo that is still healing, you are much more likely to crusade lasting impairment.

Your pare is already trying hard to heal the trauma caused by the needles during the tattooing process, and whatever additional damage is probable to further reduce your peel'south healing abilities, leading to possible long-term damage, such equally scarring.

Equally the tattoo slowly heals, the less amount of lasting damage a cut will probable cause to the area. This is because as time passes, the ink begins to ready in place under the lower layers of pare, and the upper layers begin to regenerate. This means the cut has less of a risk of reaching the of import layers of a tattoo.

If y'all cutting or graze a tattoo that has fully healed and has aged for at least a few months, and then a small-scale corporeality of harm shouldn't impact the tattoo at all.

The skin over the area will be completely regenerated and will exist fully protecting the tattoo below it.

Whatever surface cut or graze volition likely await worse than information technology actually is, and should do no lasting damage to your ink.

How Deep The Cutting/Graze Is

Every bit mentioned in a higher place, once your tattoo is healed, nigh minor scratches and cuts should non affect your tattoo in the slightest in the long term.

Notwithstanding, the deeper the cut goes, the more of a take chances it has at leading to permanent damage.

Even though the cut may not get correct down to your tattoo, it can still cause enough damage to the tissue to a higher place the tattoo for areas of the skin to scar.

When your tattoo is new and however healing, a scrape or cut of any depth can crusade potentially permanent damage to a tattoo because the pare is still extremely sensitive at this point.

How Much Leaner Got Into The Wound

When yous cut your pare, you are creating an opening for nasty germs and leaner to enter. If you cut yourself with something that is dirty/unsanitary and so yous have more of a risk of contracting an infection, which tin bear upon the appearance of a tattoo if information technology isn't treated fast enough.

If yous believe your tattoo may take become infected, then information technology's always all-time to consult a doc as soon as possible. The sooner you become treatment, the less chance there is of permanent visual damage being caused to the tattoo by the infection.

How Well You Care For Your Tattoo

Later cut your tattoo, yous should care for it with the utmost care.

You lot should ensure you clean it straight away, and continue to wash the area often to minimize the risk of infection. You lot should also protect the area as best as possible from farther cuts or knocks.

Finally, keep the skin well-nourished and moisturized to ensure it's in the best condition possible to heal quickly and efficiently.

The best tattoo lotion I've always personally used is a vegan aftercare product called After Inked Tattoo Aftercare Lotion. This stuff works amazingly well during the healing procedure; not only by keeping your tattoo actually well hydrated simply also by soothing whatever annoying itching and irritation. When using information technology from the very commencement of the healing process, this balm will assist to decrease tattoo healing times and work towards eliminating any lingering dryness and scabbing.

How Proficient Your Pare/Body Is At Healing

Some people are but genetically better at fully recovering from peel damage than others.

The more effective your immune system is at protecting you, the quicker and more efficiently you lot are probable to heal.

You can assistance to ensure your wound heals equally speedily as possible by getting good slumber, drinking adequate amounts of water, and eating a salubrious, balanced diet.

What to Do if a Cut or Graze Has Damaged Your Tattoo

Before worrying too much and jumping to conclusions, you should look at least two-three weeks subsequently cutting/damaging your tattoo earlier confirming whether at that place has been any lasting effect to the area.

Cuts and grazes can accept quite a while to recover, and while they may initially look bad, they very often disappear without leaving any lasting impairment – fifty-fifty on tattoos.

However, if you discover a cut or graze has in fact left some scarring, fading or blemishing on your tattoo, then you lot should consult your tattoo artist as they will exist best at deciding what the next best movement will be.

If the leftover harm is small plenty, a skilful artist should exist able to cover it upwardly then it blends in ameliorate with the rest of the tattoo.

One More Time…

Do not worry if you cut, graze or otherwise slightly impairment a tattooed surface area of skin. Your skin is remarkable and can overcome many various scenarios unscathed.

A cut on an older tattoo very oft clears up without leaving any lasting damage any.

Fifty-fifty if you cutting or graze a new tattoo, it has every chance of fully recovering without leaving a single trace that information technology ever happened.

Take every cut, bump, scratch and graze as it comes, and almost of the time your tattoo volition pull through while still looking perfect.