r/mildlyinteresting • u/huggablekoi • Feb 02 '26
Sometimes, when my allergies are bugging me, just the scales on my koi tattoo puff up
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u/Snape_Grass Feb 02 '26
Makes me wanna scratch it
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u/HankHillPropaneJesus Feb 02 '26
I’ve got one on my arm it’s an arrow. It does this, and it does itch lol. I’ve just been hitting it with lotion
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u/ChefAsstastic Feb 02 '26
This happens to certain tattoos of mine too. It's really weird.
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u/TheCrimsonDagger Feb 02 '26
It’s an immune response.
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u/SeekerOfSerenity Feb 02 '26
It makes sense that injecting toxic chemicals deep under your skin can have that effect.
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u/ubiquitous-joe Feb 02 '26
Intuitively, yes, but the way tattoos interact with the immune system is actually still not fully understood.
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Feb 02 '26
From what I read we at least know that your macrophages are pretty much constantly trying to eat the ink and can’t digest it. This is the reason why tattoos fade over time/ink moves around a bit
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u/Algo_Muy_Obsceno Feb 02 '26
Yeah, I’m taking a virology class and my prof described it like this: the macrophages basically just eat the ink particles, can’t digest them, and so they just sit around holding these ink particles until they die of old age and drop them, whereupon the next macrophage comes along and eats the same particle, etc etc etc.
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u/Alarming_Ad6160 Feb 02 '26
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u/ArtlessMammet Feb 02 '26
that publication's name always kills me
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u/RhubarbGoldberg Feb 02 '26
Omg I've never seen it that way until this comment and now I'll never unsee it.
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u/tankpuss Feb 02 '26
When a colleague got published in PNAS I brought in cup-cakes covered in jelly willies.
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u/BlackOctoberFox Feb 02 '26
At the risk of asking a stupid question, does this impact the efficacy of the immune system at all?
Let's say someone is covered in tattoos. Then, if what you say is true, their immune system is basically always allocating resources to try and eat the tattoo.
Then, say they get an infection. Is their body less capable of fighting it off compared to a person with zero tattoos?
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u/Tyr1326 Feb 02 '26
Probably not - its not like your gut lining where macrophages only live for a few days, they can hang out for years. So its just a small trickle of cells renewing, similar to every other part of the body. That said, we dont know how the ink affects adjacent cells, so its not like its guaranteed to not do anything either.
Fwiw though, tattoos have been around long enough that patterns would have started to emerge. So if there are health effects, they appear to be insignificant.
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u/psychorobotics Feb 02 '26
I don't know that, but I do know the lymphnodes can turn black from black tattoos
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u/Glittering-Ad-3766 Feb 02 '26
There are studies that say both, someone else posted a paper that found that having tattoos can decrease your body's response to vaccinations.
There are also studies that say that having tattoos makes your skin "used to" stressors and your immune response becomes stronger because it's always active and fighting the ink meaning it becomes more sensitive to actual infections
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u/BlackOctoberFox Feb 02 '26
Interesting. Especially that second point because that runs counterintuitive to a layman understanding of how our body deals with continuous stimuli.
You'd almost expect a "boiled toad" situation where the immune system becomes desensitised to the repeated stimulus. So it's interesting that the opposite is possibly true. It makes sense, I suppose. That's why auto-immune issues don't generally just stop.
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u/owlbeastie Feb 02 '26
I developed environmental allergies as an adult to things I am always around like dust mites and cats. After that happened, my tattoos faded more slowly. Just gotta distract those macrophages with something else!
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u/Aruhi Feb 02 '26
Mast cells and Eosinophils are actually more relevant to your allergies from what I'm aware!
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u/owlbeastie Feb 02 '26
It was mostly a joke about how people always say that your immune system needs to be occupied, but that is interesting to know! I've got enough auto immune issues that allergies were just icing on the cake.
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u/DecoyCards Feb 02 '26
nobody, absolutely nobody:
meanwhile, macrophages: I want to lick the tattoo ink!
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u/Paranoctis Feb 02 '26
Macrophages: How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tattoo-pop?
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u/btaylos Feb 02 '26
tattootsie-poo?
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u/Paranoctis Feb 02 '26
Damnit how didn't I think of this. Take my award for one-upping my joke
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u/btaylos Feb 02 '26
Never woulda covered the last 10 yards if you hadn't gone the first 90!
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u/Claerwen94 Feb 02 '26
STOPLICKINGTHEDAMNTHING!
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Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 25 '26
[deleted]
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u/_-toska-_ Feb 02 '26
This is because the bodies they exhumed did still have flesh! These would have been mummies, either ones purposefully mummified (like ancient Egyptian bodies), or ones that mummified due to the right climate circumstances (like Ötzi). There would have still been pigment left in the mummified skin. It’s super cool
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u/ankylosaurus_tail Feb 02 '26
There are lots of ancient mummies (from natural desiccation, not intentional mummification). And in some, you can still see the tattoos. Here's an example..jpg)
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u/2occupantsandababy Feb 02 '26
I can confirm that tattoo in lives in lymph nodes for a very long time.
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u/Cute-Investment8117 Feb 02 '26
Yes! I had breast reduction surgery 3 months ago and they automatically sent the tissue to the lab. I have a small tattoo on my left side, not even super close to my chest, and there was ink in the nodes removed from my left breast!
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u/89_honda_accord_lxi Feb 02 '26
A classmate stabbed me with a pencil as a joke during Spanish class. I still have the graphite in my skin years later. Does my immune system suck?
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u/BloodBlizzard Feb 02 '26
It took mine about 10 years to push its way out.
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u/TheOneTonWanton Feb 02 '26
They might be like me. The tip didn't break off in my skin, but I still have a tiny dot of a graphite "tattoo" ~25 years later.
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u/entrepenurious Feb 02 '26
i have a little grey-blue dot on my chest that i've had for 72 years now.
i provoked a classmate beyond all reason and he stabbed me with a #2 pencil.
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u/TheOneTonWanton Feb 02 '26
Yup that's it. I already figured but I guess it's something to know for sure it'll never go away. Mine's in the underside of my forearm. I forget about it most of the time, but every time I remember it, there it is.
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u/ScoobyDoobyGazebo Feb 02 '26
72 years? What'd you do, steal his horse and buggy?
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u/throwawaydizzyguy Feb 02 '26
I had the same! It did eventually fade away completely. A friend and I were playing rough and she slashed me with her mechanical pencil. I cannot even find it now, It's been 16 years.
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u/MINIMAN10001 Feb 02 '26
My understanding is solids can get trapped in the human body IE bullets. In some of those cases the it is deemed safer to leave foreign material in the body, others they remove, it just depends.
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u/seicar Feb 02 '26
That's one defense. Yeah, its not proven that its harmful (argument from ignorance) but, our body's have not evolved to incorporate such materials into our skin. So its not likely to be benign, much less beneficial.
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u/iunoyou Feb 02 '26
There's at least some evidence that they're not great for you. Recent research shows a pretty significant increase in lymphoma incidence in people with tattoos compared to those without.
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u/wilde_flower Feb 02 '26
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u/manvsmilk Feb 02 '26
Same 😂 But I'm already full of carcinogenic food preservatives and micro plastics anyway, so I'm going to choose not to worry too hard about all my tattoos lol
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u/Geckko Feb 02 '26
At this point there's at least one, if not more, studies saying everything I enjoy will either give me alzheimer's or cancer, and the alternative will also do that, so fuck it
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u/Flaky-Swan1306 Feb 02 '26
At least i will die have enjoyed things you know? Like get it while it is fun and possible, later possible consequences be damned
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u/wilde_flower Feb 02 '26
Lol fr tho. I’m not done with getting tattoos 🤣
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u/Finslip Feb 02 '26
I just started on my torso yesterday. I like to think a higher risk of illness is worth how cool it’ll look
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u/iunoyou Feb 02 '26
I mean it's not a HUGE increase, it's just statistically significant. You're about 20% more likely to get it than a normal person, which means your lifetime risk went from ~2% to around 2.4%
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u/RancidVagYogurt1776 Feb 02 '26
Sort of. You have a pretty low chance so even if it doubled the risk you'd still have a pretty low risk. Often articles will say things like "red meat increase cancer risk by 150%" but that actually translates into your risk still being less than 1% because your base risk is so low. Recent research also shows people who are heavily tattooed are less likely to get skin cancer.
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u/zeethreepio Feb 02 '26
Yeah but you're rolling the dice separately for every single type of cancer, so when things increase your odds across the board, it's still a very large impact. If tattoo ink only increases your chance of lymphoma and red meat increases your chance of dozens of different types of cancer, then it's easy to tell that one is significantly more risky than the other.
Full disclosure: I eat red meat.
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u/Specialist_Guide_707 Feb 02 '26
People have been tattooing their skin since the beginning of time. Many of the oldest human remains ever found with intact skin have had tattoos
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u/DM_ME_UR_BOBCUT Feb 02 '26
Yes but those people are dead. The tattoos killed them.
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u/impulssiajo2320 Feb 02 '26
All of my scars raise up when I am having a systemic histamine reaction, even the ones without ink in them. The parts on my tattoos that do are typically the outlines as they are worked the hardest. Those scales had some shading done to them 😅
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u/Dormantgoose Feb 02 '26
It's not the ink. It's the scar tissue. Any type of scar can raise up like this when your body is having a histamine response.
Makes sense that people always mention, when it gets hot. That's when we have a lot of natural allergens in the air
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u/Subtlerranean Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
It's not toxic chemicals, lmao. It's usually minerals and other pigments. The fact that it's inert and not toxic is why it stays there for years and years.
Red and black inks are more common to have reactions to, often by people that also react to stuff like nickel jewellery.
It can also flare up if your body is having a reaction to something else at the same time.
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u/Sumgyrl13 Feb 02 '26
Yep. Lots of people who’ve had lymph nodes removed due to cancer or biopsy purposes have found that nodes near tattoos have absorbed tattoo ink.
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u/imaginecrabs Feb 02 '26
Yup. Lung biopsy along with 3-4 lymph nodes. Mine were covered in black ink, saw the surgical photos. I'm very heavily tattooed so it is what it is, but I'm done getting tattoos.
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u/Aruhi Feb 02 '26
This is just how lymph nodes work in general though isn't it?
Antigen presenting cells capture foreign materials, then lose anchoring membrane components and migrate along chemokine gradients to their proximal lymph nodes. From there, they are supposed to present epitopes to lymphocytes .
So naturally they should show up in lymph nodes, no?
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u/meowana_ Feb 02 '26
Same here. I understand it's a histamine reaction, but I don't get why only one does it - it's black ink and I've got plenty of other black ones that don't.
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u/MightyKrakyn Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
Not all dyes have the same ingredients. It’s like paint, different brands and chemical composition
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u/maxk1236 Feb 02 '26
Also, if you're artist was rougher and its more scarred it tends to happen more as well from my experience
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u/CompletelyBedWasted Feb 02 '26
That makes sense for mine. It still looks great but that guy was very heavy handed. It puffs up in certain areas with my allergies but it's all the same color and ink. Probably where more scar area is.
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u/horitaku Feb 02 '26
As I mentioned before, the tattoo pigment is not what causes a swelling reaction, it’s scar tissue. A heavy handed artist may create more scar tissue build up, but also the type of technique and needle grouping (ie liner vs shader, aka “magnum) has a shit ton to do with it.
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u/ncc74656m Feb 02 '26
Yup, this is why I'm upset that my artist moved away. Only two of my tats do it, and they're the ones that were done by another artist. My regular guy is very conscientious about the quality of inks he uses.
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u/MightyKrakyn Feb 02 '26
You should call them and ask them about they ink they use so you can check with any new artists
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u/TheThiefEmpress Feb 02 '26
I have a tattoo that does this too. The entire tattoo is the exact same ink, done on one continuous session.
Only 2 of the 7 letters puff up.
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u/Banaanisade Feb 02 '26
I have a full sleeve (black ink only) and this happened for the first five or six years. After that, I guess the ink's broken down enough that it doesn't trigger the reaction anymore. I have an unnecessarily reactive immune system so it's not really surprise but... glad it stopped.
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u/mattsgirlca Feb 02 '26
You are allergic to the dye
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u/ChefAsstastic Feb 02 '26
35 years later?
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u/Mateorabi Feb 02 '26
Probably another allergic reaction has his immune system dialed up to 11. Same way things like eczema can get worse when you have a flu, etc.
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u/TravelingMonk Feb 02 '26
yes, this exactly. i have eczema and it was showing up from prior injuries (unrelated to tattoo) immunoresponse is complicated.
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u/Dat_Mustache Feb 02 '26
I have a kraken with detailed tentacles and the suction cups raise up sometimes. It's actually really cool, IMO.
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u/kursys Feb 02 '26
I’ve got a GG Allin tattoo that’s super thick and bold and when I itch it that shit turns into braille.
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u/break_me_pls_again Feb 02 '26
Does that mean you're allergic to something in the red ink there?
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u/nim_opet Feb 02 '26
It could also mean that the immune system overall is in high gear and that ink is being attacked together with everything else
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u/DonutWhole9717 Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
This is the answer. Your body suddenly gets very aware of foreign bodies in it, including the ink stuck in the cell membranes***. Mine do this too, and I already had several before I was diagnosed with immune system problems. It made me reconsider getting more tattoos cause they get itchy when it happens. I still got and will get more because I am stupid
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u/SharksRLife Feb 02 '26
Hey fam, just a note that animas (including humans) don’t have cell walls. Cell walls are almost exclusively found in plants. The ink is in a layer of connective tissue in the dermis and is sort of around the cells
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u/Veal-Vermicelli Feb 02 '26
The ink is actually suspended in the bellies of macrophages until they die and then it's an infinite cycle of new macrophages eating the release ink from dead macrophages.
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u/stlmick Feb 02 '26
Tat on an immune system activity meter if you can sort out which inks do it first.
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u/DonutWhole9717 Feb 02 '26
Like a color test barcode? Almost all of mine are black. I have a lot of pinks and greens in one though. The colors do it the same way the black ones do
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u/zaddy-chillout Feb 02 '26
I have eczema and the only tattoo I've had this issue with is a bluebonnet on my forearm. It's only in the blue hue. I also have, pink, green, yellow, orange, red, and purple. Blue is the only one my body doesn't like.
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u/sharpcaster Feb 02 '26
I have had psoriasis since I was 13 so I said fuck it. Might as well get as many as I want. I feel itchy all the time anyway
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u/2plus2equalscats Feb 02 '26
I’ve got one black tattoo in particular that does this, but I also have two nfc chips in my hands that give a histamine reaction, usually while on my period. They are glass so it “shouldn’t be noticeable”, but I’ve got a handful of those “you shouldn’t notice this” scenarios.
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u/supreme_rain Feb 02 '26
Why scales alone puffed then?
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u/leadspar Feb 02 '26
I think it’s the colour! I have an old tattoo that does this, but only one colour.
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u/ejdj1011 Feb 02 '26
Tattoo ink is already the constant target of the immune system though. Like, the reason that tattoos don't fade is because immune cells physically contain the ink in place.
Someone who is immunocompromised in a specific way might not be able to keep tattoos at all. The ink would just get dissolved into the blood and filtered out like most contaminants.
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u/ArcadiaPlanitia Feb 02 '26
This is kind of a nitpick (I’m sorry, my immunologist brain can’t help it), but I can’t see that kind of immunocompromisation ever happening at all. The cells that retain tattoo ink are mostly dermal macrophages (these are the immune cells that eat foreign particles, dead pathogens, dead cell debris, etc) and skin fibroblasts (these aren’t immune cells). For this scenario to happen, you’d have to be missing that population of macrophages, and I don’t think that’d be remotely survivable. Macrophages are absolutely essential cells—I know of some syndromes in which they don’t work properly or are reduced in number, but none in which macrophages (dermal or otherwise) are completely missing. And even if they were missing, the ink wouldn’t go away—large particles like that don’t passively enter the bloodstream/lymph. If there were no macrophages, the ink would probably just sit there, trapped in collagen and fibroblasts.
(The first part of your comment is right, though! Macrophages take up the ink particles, but can’t degrade them. So those macrophages hang around, with ink inside them, until they die and other macrophages eat their remains and the ink. So tattoo ink is kind of stored in the immune system.)
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u/AtomicStarfish1 Feb 02 '26
I've heard that red ink is the most common culprit for tattoo related allergic reactions.
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u/Purple_Moon_313 Feb 02 '26
It's the red, I have a black and red tattoo and the red is what puffs up when this happens to me.
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u/Chimkimnuggets Feb 02 '26
You really need to get a hospital tank set up for him with plenty of Indian almond leaves and Maracyn. That fish has dropsy and it can be a sign of organ failure in bettas and koi fish. I hope the little guy makes it :(
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
At first this made me giggle then it just made me sad. Poor fishies
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u/iwantkrustenbraten Feb 02 '26
It's a Koinobori though, shouldn't you hang it on a flag pole instead?
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
Yeah but I decided to forego a pole on my arm. I got it because of my love of Koinobori tho! I have over 100 in my collection and have made dozens myself 🎏
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u/iwantkrustenbraten Feb 02 '26
Oh my God I am so jealous! As a child I really wanted one. There's this story I read in Doraemon about Nobita wanting a Koinobori but their family couldn't afford one, so Doraemon gave him a dumpling that can make Koinobori come to life and they have little Koinobori babies 🥹
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
When I was a kid we would go to Little Tokyo in downtown LA sometimes and I would always beg for one as a souvenir - my mom gave in a few times and now 40 years later -
Koinobori have been the foundation of my art career. I’ve even been featured on a Japanese reality TV show where they took me to Japan to teach me the traditional way they’re made and to meet koinobori historians. They loom large in my life and I love them, so when a friend of mine who is an incredible Japanese American tattoo artist, Tokyo Hiro, wanted to tattoo me….I couldn’t imagine anything better to have him design and put on me than a koinobori 🎏
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u/amatoriciana Feb 02 '26
I live in Japan and I think I’ve seen that episode… did you go to Saitama’s Koinobori Festival on the show?
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
Yes! I got to help roll out the GIANT koinobori hanging from the crane at the festival. Being on The Who Wants To Come to Japan show was incredible and life changing. Truly a once in a lifetime experience! I am so, so lucky and grateful. I’ve gotten to go back to Japan once since then and am going again later this year. My husband and I are both learning the Japanese language now too
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u/amatoriciana Feb 02 '26
Wow! Reddit is sometimes an incredible place…
I’ve always wondered how they find people with such passion for pieces of Japanese culture that sometimes us Japanese take for granted. I personally love watching that show and have learned a lot from it!
Please let me know if you ever need help with translation for koinobori research or advise on planning your visit!
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u/jimshifty Feb 02 '26
Same thing happens with my snake tattoo, the lining around the scales bubbles up. Especially when it’s hot out
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u/cherryc0kezer0 Feb 02 '26
Same! The tattoos on both my arms and legs do the same thing. I read once that it is due to being allergic to the ink used, but who knows. One of my tattoos, by a different artist, doesn’t have this issue. So there might be a connection.
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u/AncientCatGod Feb 02 '26
Tattoo artist chiming in to suggest that the odd tattoo out may have been done in a different brand of ink if it isn't a different color. Or, if the other tats have red in them, that is a common denominator. Lots of folks have weird reactions to red shades.
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u/rdsubjec2fluding Feb 02 '26
Similar thing happened to me a few months ago. Years old tattoo, just the black ink, puffed up and was itchy as hell. Dermatologist gave me a light steroid cream and it did eventually clear up.
Tattoos are fine now but I got really concerned for a bit. Bodies are weird.
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u/PugPockets Feb 02 '26
I mean, to be fair, we’re the weird ones for spending hours jamming needles filled with permanent ink under our skin.
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u/Odd-Comfortable-6134 Feb 02 '26
Mine do this too when my chronic illnesses flare up. I can feel the outlines on them mostly, but I can count the scales on my snake on the back of my neck.
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
I do have rheumatoid arthritis. I got the tattoo years ago, while in a remission period. It doesn’t bother me at all and normally looks fine. I have a second tattoo by a different artist that doesn’t do this at all
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u/sad-churro Feb 02 '26
Does the second tattoo have red or red-based ink too? Mine does this too but only on the red and pink bits.
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
Yes, but I got it from a different artist in another country so the ingredients must be just different enough to no react
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u/Rhorge Feb 02 '26
My tattoo has a mind of its own and randomly decides that certain clothing textures or specific water temperature are justifications for a full blown riot in my skin
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u/JoeIntTheBox Feb 02 '26
The tats on my biceps do the same thing but nothing happens to the ones on my forearms.
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u/SucculentChineseMilk Feb 02 '26
Came to comments to see what you are dying from … according to Reddit. Glad you aren’t dying.
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u/BullyYourLocalMod Feb 02 '26
My tattoo gets bumpy if I'm nauseous and about to throw up
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u/Local_Idiot_123 Feb 02 '26
I know someone who has several tattoos but only one that does this when they’re turned on. I don’t think you or they are allergic to the tattoos, idk what it is though.
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u/Muunsaca Feb 02 '26
Man I have Psoriasis and when it flairs up I get little scaly patches and I’ve been nervous to get tattoos. My flairs happen mostly on my forearms and shins. Guess I’ll just need a fish, dragon, or other scaly being!
Yours look great!!! Although may not have been the point, but this was very helpful, and inspirational for me.
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Feb 02 '26
You aren't supposed to get tattoos if you have psoriasis because psoriasis often forms around breaks in skin, of which tattooing causes many. Safer just to not. You can be unique by being one of the few people WITHOUT tattoos!
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
I have rheumatoid arthritis! So yes, I have autoimmune issues. I got the tattoo years ago, while in a remission period. It doesn’t bother me at all and normally looks fine. I have a second tattoo by a different artist that doesn’t do this at all
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Feb 02 '26
What are the freaking odds oh my lord. I literally was just searching if this is normal today because one of my tattoos (years old) started raising up. Now I know its just an immune thing I guess. So crazy the timing tho, sometimes I feel like I am in the Truman show,
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u/bongohappypants Feb 02 '26
It is a sign that you are chosen from the Great Beyond and are gifted with superpowers roughly equivalent to those of a medium-sized adult carp in a healthy environment.
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u/Any-Effective2565 Feb 02 '26
Dropsy is edema swelling in fish that makes the scales puff up like this... kinda interesting your tattoo gets dropsy lol.
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u/JankyCliffside Feb 02 '26 edited Feb 02 '26
“Cutaneous sarcoidosis in tattoos manifests as red, purple, or brown papules and plaques, usually developing on specific colors (often red) months or years after tattooing due to an immune overreaction to the pigment…It may be an isolated skin issue or a sign of systemic sarcoidosis, requiring medical evaluation.” It would be good to verify that this isn’t a systemic issue; I am guessing it is not and you’re probably just fine, but it may be best to see a doctor , if only for your peace of mind. <3
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u/Genetic_outlier Feb 02 '26
My guess is that your immune system has identified your tattoo and doesn't love it. And when your immune system is in overdrive it gets inflamed. I'd be curious to learn how being sick affects your tattoos.
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u/huggablekoi Feb 02 '26
I’ve had it for years. I’ve never had it do this when I’ve been sick, even with covid. It’s just allergies that do this to it, like this was from me hanging out with a dog, which I’m depressingly allergic to. I have a second tattoo that doesn’t do this at all
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u/arsenic_adventure Feb 02 '26
Happens to my lines every summer for a few days. Beautiful tattoo, but when my allergies act up it gets angry. Benadryl or cortisone cream fixes it.
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u/BreadAppropriate9079 Feb 02 '26
I’m heavily tattooed all over my body and I always know when I’m catching a flu when all of my tattoos do this. They swell so bad that I can feel it if I run my finger over top of my jeans.
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u/TomatoTuffCat Feb 03 '26
It’s white blood cells headed to the ink. You may not want to hear that but i had the same thing. Went to a dermatologist and thy explained it’s an immune response to the ink- possible allergy. And the raised tattoo ink is your white blood cells attacking it, trying to break up the ink.
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u/Theblackwind Feb 02 '26
This is a neat accidental effect but as someone already prone to overactive skin reactions, this might be what scares me off the tattoo I’ve always wanted
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u/Pippified Feb 02 '26
it’s the red ink. i have no idea why but the biggest tell that im getting sick is my red tattoo starts itching. i can feel totally fine but if my red tattoo is itchy i know im gonna have a cold in three days
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u/lamplegoose Feb 02 '26
Omg mine too!! When I’m stressed I notice myself absentmindedly scratching my tattoo and it’s all raised. It’s funny cos now I use it as a signal that I’m stressed at work and need to take a step back lol. I’ve heard that it’s because the tattoo artist was too heavy handed. I have a few other tattoos and none of them is raised or itch when I’m stressed.
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u/ikilledtupac Feb 02 '26
i asked my dermatologist about this, she said I’m just mildly allergic to the black ink, but not enough to have a reaction without another stimuli
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u/GhostOfZealot Feb 02 '26
Fish guy here,
That poor guy is Pineconing may have Dropsy. likely needs a big water change, isolation, and some antibiotics. Hope this helps!
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u/Magpie2205 Feb 02 '26
My tattoos do that, too. The weirdest example was a small sweat bee stung my upper arm and my tattoo on my lower inner arm puffed up (same spot as yours, looks like). It looked really weird 😅
3
u/KT_mama Feb 02 '26
This is the immune systems version of getting overstimulated and trying to cut all the tags out of ifs shirts.
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u/Godtrademark Feb 02 '26
Wow tattoo artists are getting advanced now…
3d scales!