This is more common with an unprofessional or inexperienced tattoo artist. So, if someone offers you a free tattoo so they can “practice”, you should think carefully before accepting.

An overworked tattoo will become obvious during the healing stage. You may notice:

• Blowout – this is when the tattoo looks cloudy, distorted, or smudged because the ink hasn’t been deposited in the dermis layer. It can be hard to tell at first, but once the peeling stage comes to an end it should be obvious.
• Oozing – some oozing is to be expected in the first couple of days, however if the oozing continues into the first week and you notice blood, gunk, and ink coming from your tattoo, this can be a sign that it’s overworked. It could also be a sign of infection, so check for other infection symptoms too (find the list above).
• Texture changes – you may notice as you gently clean your tattoo that there are dips in your skin or raised areas that weren’t there before. This is another sign of an overworked tattoo scar forming.

It’s important to note that oozing and raised lines are common in the first day (or even 3 days if you’re slow to heal) but should not last. So long as your tattoo is getting better – even if it’s slow progress – then you’re on the right path.

If things get worse rather than better, you’ve got a problem and are more likely to get a scar.

Tattoo Scarring Pictures

It goes without saying that most people don’t want to take a photo when a tattoo goes wrong – they’re more likely to cover it up and hope that no one asks about it!

If you do have a tattoo scar, there are some options. Read about these in the next section of our guide. But for now, let’s look at some infected tattoos to analyze what exactly has gone wrong and whether scarring is likely or not.

Starting with this blurry image, we can see the signs of either an overworked tattoo or the early stages of an infection. The tattoo line itself looks to be scabbed over or in the peeling stage, while the area around it is swollen and red in general.