Hey Pam, I'd encourage you to go to your doc. This happens to me prior to getting a really bad cold/stomach flu. My tats swell up and my piercings excert puss. Sorry, I'm probably not very helpful on this post!

Its actually pretty common. It happens to most people I know who have some ink work. I have a few that do the same. I've done a lot of reading and its a form of an allergic reaction but with no serious side effects. Nothing can be done best I've been told or read.

Speaking to other artists like myself, its just something that happens to lots of people. So i guess we all react differently. Some people have different reactions to different pigments, red and yellow being the most common. So hopefully this helps.

Now if your raised area is severe, then I would go see a doctor, a skin doctor will be the best. If you scratch and it gets infected due to the scratching and breaking of the skin then it could get worse. So I always pat my tattoos when they get in this mood of itchy and raising.

Hey guys, thanks for your posts. I actually wound up going to an MD and having hydrocortizone shots in the tat. It was raised so much that is was distorting the tattoo, and I actually made an appointment to have it removed b/c I didn't think there was anything that could be done. The doc said we could try the shots and a cortizone tape covering and see if that would help if I wanted to keep the tat (which I did). It has worked great! I've gone for 2 rounds of shots, and may have to go for one more. My tattoo is flatter, and there is no distortion. Doc said it was an allergic reaction to the red ink which is the most common color to have a reaction to.

Thanks again for your replies. 'Preciate it!

Pam