bloody noses and REALLY itchy tattoos

This little cold snap has led to both sides of my nose bleeding now. It’s just fantastic. My nose has always been sensitive to the air in Atlanta, but it usually only bleeds on one side. It was nice to wake up this morning with several napkins covered in my blood, making my side of the bed look like a crime scene. I guess it could be worse, right?

Other than my frequently bleeding nostrils, I have been having a major issue with my red panda tattoo lately. As you may recall, I got this tattoo a LONG time ago, and it has long since been healed. However, recently, I guess my body decided that it was allergic to blue ink, and as such, I feel like I have industrial strength poison ivy on my calf. What’s strange, is that it waited this long to have any reaction. My other tattoos have had random flair ups of itchiness, but it has never been anything like this. I read that it can take up to five years for your body to stop reacting to allergies from ink, and I really, really hope that isn’t the case for this one. If anyone has any advice, or similar stories, please share, this shit itches!!!!

16 Responses to “bloody noses and REALLY itchy tattoos”


  1. Gravatar Icon 1 Shan Jan 21st, 2008 at 2:36 pm

    My friend Dani is allergic to most reds and she often doesn’t see the reaction until months or years after she got the work, and it usually seems to be seasonal. :(

  2. Gravatar Icon 2 duane Jan 21st, 2008 at 2:57 pm

    Shan, isn’t THAT just craptastic!?!?! Yeah, I know I am allergic to red; the cherry blossoms on my right leg still have a little bit of a reaction to them. Weirdness…

  3. Gravatar Icon 3 Greg Jan 21st, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Just hack the skin away :P

  4. Gravatar Icon 4 Rightwing Bugboy Jan 21st, 2008 at 6:32 pm

    Just say “no” to tattoos. If you are bored with yourself, lift weights, start yoga, run, swim, bike etc. IOW, love yourself, don’t tattoo yourself.

    We’ve already had the “mutilation/not mutilation” argument, so I’m not going to start that again. But that is one awful thing to be doing to your beautiful body. You and your BF both look younger than me, and it’s always bugged me to see younger people do that to their bodies.

  5. Gravatar Icon 5 duane Jan 21st, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    Bugboy, I totally respect your opinion on tattoos; however, it really doesn’t apply for me, because I personally think that they enhance the body, and make it more beautiful.

  6. Gravatar Icon 6 Rightwing Bugboy Jan 21st, 2008 at 11:15 pm

    That’s the problem: you don’t think your body is good enough as it is.

    Why won’t you try my suggestions? I think your body type would respond very well to weightlifting.

  7. Gravatar Icon 7 duane Jan 22nd, 2008 at 10:52 am

    So… my body is fine just as it is, but you think that I should change it by lifting weights? Which is it? I don’t think that people get tattoos to make their bodies better; at least, I don’t. I get them because I love them, and I really love how they look and what they mean.

  8. Gravatar Icon 8 Simon Jan 22nd, 2008 at 5:42 pm

    I was undecided whether or not to get a tattoo but I think you’ve helped me make up my mind.

  9. Gravatar Icon 9 Rightwing Bugboy Jan 22nd, 2008 at 6:53 pm

    “So… my body is fine just as it is, but you think that I should change it by lifting weights? Which is it?”

    Both. Lifting weights will make you healthier, and would be a better alternative than tattoos.

    “I really love how they look and what they mean.”

    They look trashy and mean low self respect (as evidenced by the fact that you think they improve you).

  10. Gravatar Icon 10 duane Jan 22nd, 2008 at 7:54 pm

    Bugboy, I have never said that I think that they “improve” me. YOU think that they are trashy, but that doesn’t make them trashy; LOTS of cultures have tattooed for millennia, and the trend is gaining major steam in modern day society. There are many cultures in which you would not be considered human without tattoos; there are differences of opinion, and you clearly differ from mine. Does that mean that they are trashy? Absolutely not… only to you.

  11. Gravatar Icon 11 Rightwing Bugboy Jan 22nd, 2008 at 10:46 pm

    “I have never said that I think that they “improve” me”

    Then you agree with me.

    “LOTS of cultures have tattooed for millennia”

    All of those cultures are modern day failures.

    “There are many cultures in which you would not be considered human without tattoos”

    You mean these wonderful people are that intolerant? They sound very rigid and backwards.

    BTW….do you like clothes from Macys? I do agree with you on “retail therapy”, and Macys.com has some very good sales going on right now.

    I was in the store about 10 days ago and they had very little on sale. But if you go to their website and click on “sale” on the right side of the screen, you will see.

    I really like the shirts they have. Not the formal button-ups, but the graphic T-shirts and thermals, and similar things that I might wear to clubs. I just got 6 nice things, with the most expensive being $14.99. Check it out, you might find something you like.

  12. Gravatar Icon 12 duane Jan 24th, 2008 at 2:24 pm

    Bugboy, many of those societies were predecessors to our own society; so I don’t see them as failures. The fact about tattooing, is that it has had a large cultural history, and it will continue to thrive; even if it is only as a fringe art. There are those that like them (like me), and those that don’t (like you), and the only real consensus should come in what we want for ourselves. If you don’t like ‘em, don’t get one!

  13. Gravatar Icon 13 Rightwing Bugboy Jan 24th, 2008 at 5:28 pm

    They aren’t considered advanced today, was my point. I wish you’d reconsider getting any more.

  14. Gravatar Icon 14 Robguy Jan 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    I guess I’d try benedryl to see if that reduced the reaction. Often things that we aren’t normally that sensitive to, can flare when we’re under greater stress.

  15. Gravatar Icon 15 Icelandersue May 19th, 2008 at 12:12 am

    thanks for the benedryl tip I needed some ideas aswell, and we all got alot more too, but I have to say, hahahaha Robguy’s response could be used for both conversations the itchy tattoo and the itchy views of others!! hahahahaha Um for sake of upsetting the one against tattoo’s it is thought that 35% of the population in North America WILL NOT
    have tattoo’s, in about 20 years, I think that statistics refers to the too young and the folks who choose not to have them. Looks like tattoos are becoming on of our expression cultures too!! Just another view, thanks again for the benedryl tip!!

  16. Gravatar Icon 16 Jenn Oct 7th, 2008 at 7:30 pm

    Def try the benadryl but you should get that checked out. It might be a more general reaction and it started where you have your tat because your skin might be more sensitive in those areas. To the dude against tat’s, I respect your opinion against them but it’s a completely different story when you start calling ppl “backwards”.

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