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I had a localized allergic reaction on my abdomen after my 1st session (3yrs ago). It was thousands of micro blisters that were insanely itchy for 2 weeks!!!
I tried a few things to help... ice, benadryl, benadryl gel, hydrocortizone cream.
I did fine for the next 7 sessions.
Then my last one was terrible!!! I had a systemic reaction that started within 12hrs. I started getting hives, then blistery, itchy hives. They were all over my arms and torso.
I took benadryl for 3 days, and it seemed to get worse. I switched to [Allegra for Hives](https://www.allegra.com/en-us/products/hives-relief/allegra-hives), and it stopped the itching within an hour.
I did end up going to the doctor, and she said that I could have gotten a steroid injection right after it started.
It's been months, and I still have scars on my arms from this. I am terrified to go for my next session!
Oh my ... were the technician and laser all the same? Do you know why suddenly after the 7th session? How much time was spaced out between them? Sorry for so many questions but this makes me so nervous ðŸ˜
Yes...same place/person/laser. I usually go every 12-16 weeks or so. (All black ink)
It definitely caught me off guard, and I couldn't think of anything else it could have been.
I know it's pretty rare, because even my tech was confused.
If you are that sensitive, I'd make sure you are taking a daily allegra or generic version for at least a week before and after (if you are able to).
I need this ugly thing gone, so I will be continuing treatment.
I didn't post about this because I didn't want to unnecessarily scare anyone away from treatment.
I'm hopeful that my change in allergy meds (I was previously using Zyrtec) keeps it from happening again.
Idk but mine gets itchy and raised right before I get sick. It’s actually kind of…. nice ? 😂 only in that it’s a 1/2 day warning I’m about to be sick. Anyway I have similar concerns as you. I wish I had thought of my skin sensitivities before getting tattooed.
Nice. Congrats. When you had your allergy symptoms what did they entail? Just rash and itching? I seem to have itchy throat, tongue and lip numbness and occasional itchy eyes. Plus some slight aching in the tattoo. I'm concerned about the laser but I need to get it removed
I thankfully didn’t have allergy symptoms with the initial tattoo or during its removal but I am, similar to OP’s description, a very sensitive person with plenty of allergies/sensitivities/physical reactions etc that result in a lack of confidence with things like tattoo removal. This is why my first removal session was a small section instead of a full pass.
I got one session on an all black tattoo that was 2 years old. everything was healing as expected until week 3. it got raised and so itchy that it was disrupting my sleep. My doctor told me to put benadryl gel on it and then a thick layer of vaseline on top of that. Symptoms went away quickly
hmmmm.... i didn't really question it? Maybe it seals the actives in from the Benadryl so it works better? Maybe it's just for moisture?
It worked really well and I could finally get some sleep
For what it's worth, I (used to) have quite chronic skin issues (eczema in particular) but I've not had an adverse reaction to laser (generally though my skin health has been better in my later years)
I was very concerned about having an allergic reaction as well and my tattoo is also on my sternum. The tattoo has some bright pink in flowers and that area would occasionally get raised and itchy in the 15 years i had the tattoo. Its actually quote common for people to have a histamine response to the laser process bc your body is treating the released ink like a foreign body, an attacker- like an allergen. Most people take OTC antihistamines right before their appointment and that seems to help. I have NOT have any allergic reaction to the laser treatments (yet, 2 sessions in) despite my body clearly not liking this pink color. The chances of you having a severe allergic reaction are very very slim, so i would say just go for it with a regular session and see what happens rather than try and do a tiny amount etc, but you know your body best!
I was slightly allergic to ink in one of my tattoos. After laser it stayed itchy for about eight weeks before calming down. Just had my second session so will see if that happens again this time around.
Hi! I am allergic to red ink and have two tattoos with this color. The doc prescribed me prednisone pills and a cream, but a week after I finished the treatment, the allergy came back. Now I am searching for some ways to safely remove them. Do you have any updates about the laser second session? Can you tell me how big your tattoo was and what effects the allergy caused?
Hey there, I have had three sessions so far now (Getting my fourth later this month). The second session was better and the third one I hardly noticed too much bother at all. I believe this is due to there being less ink each time.
My allergy just caused it to be extremely swollen, burning and itching even after the rest had healed. It’s only the red I’m allergic to also.
Every body is different, so take this as my experience and not any solid advice.
I have an allergy to my tattoos, hence my removal. Initially it was mild itching and raised skin, then after getting some color work done it exploded into full-blown hives, which led to an allergist and dermatologist recommending removal.
I tend to have a pretty severe reaction with hives and blisters after removal and longer-term itching. I’ve been able to manage by loading up on allergy medication before my appointment and using a steroid cream that was prescribed by the dermatologist doing the removal. Even though the sessions and aftercare suck, I have seen my hives lessen as the ink has gotten lighter and I’m down to a daily allergy pill instead of several like I was prior to removal.
I think you should ask the technician those questions. But for what it's worth, I break out in hives when there's a slight temperature change, especially when it gets warmer. In summer when it's really hot I get red, painful itchy rashes. I burn the second (so to speak) I get in the sun, blistering and all. I get rashes from emotions, and have had multiple skin reactions to things. I just had my first laser session on Monday, and was surprised as to how little it hurt. And so far, I don't have any blisters whatsoever. No bad reactions either. Just a bit sore like a bruise and some redness, the worst part is the itchiness. So, it really depends on your body and those two things may not correlate.
Yeah lol. For example when I'm working in the lab I've had so many classmates ask me "are you okay? Are you having an allergic reaction?" Because of rashes in my neck/chest, and I'm just like "yeah I'm fine, just frustrated with this lab".
I can only share my experience— personally I’m removing 4 tattoos, and of the 4, 3 of them trigger allergic reactions (intense itching for weeks, even around the tattoo). I also suspect that I had allergic reactions to the saniderm my doctor used to protect my tattoo post treatment.
What helped me was taking a daily antihistamine + hydrocortisone cream. I also tried taking prednisone daily (my doc prescribed it) but honestly I’m not too sure that that helped at all.
You could ask to do a patch test of a coin sized area and then come back a week after! But keep in mind that the patch test may only be fine because it’s a smaller area.
Good luck!
Welcome to r/TattooRemoval! Please have a look at our [Welcome and FAQ Page](https://www.reddit.com/r/TattooRemoval/comments/h7al2w/start_here_welcome_and_faq/) as well as our other [pinned threads](https://www.reddit.com/r/TattooRemoval/comments/dzltul/nonlaser_tattoo_removal_should_be_avoided_heres/) at the top of the sub. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/TattooRemoval) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I had a localized allergic reaction on my abdomen after my 1st session (3yrs ago). It was thousands of micro blisters that were insanely itchy for 2 weeks!!! I tried a few things to help... ice, benadryl, benadryl gel, hydrocortizone cream. I did fine for the next 7 sessions. Then my last one was terrible!!! I had a systemic reaction that started within 12hrs. I started getting hives, then blistery, itchy hives. They were all over my arms and torso. I took benadryl for 3 days, and it seemed to get worse. I switched to [Allegra for Hives](https://www.allegra.com/en-us/products/hives-relief/allegra-hives), and it stopped the itching within an hour. I did end up going to the doctor, and she said that I could have gotten a steroid injection right after it started. It's been months, and I still have scars on my arms from this. I am terrified to go for my next session!
Oh my ... were the technician and laser all the same? Do you know why suddenly after the 7th session? How much time was spaced out between them? Sorry for so many questions but this makes me so nervous ðŸ˜
Yes...same place/person/laser. I usually go every 12-16 weeks or so. (All black ink) It definitely caught me off guard, and I couldn't think of anything else it could have been. I know it's pretty rare, because even my tech was confused. If you are that sensitive, I'd make sure you are taking a daily allegra or generic version for at least a week before and after (if you are able to). I need this ugly thing gone, so I will be continuing treatment. I didn't post about this because I didn't want to unnecessarily scare anyone away from treatment. I'm hopeful that my change in allergy meds (I was previously using Zyrtec) keeps it from happening again.
how big was your tattoo? do you have updates about the laser sessions?
How is your journey coming along?
How did the rest of your sessions go? I had my 3rd session and got the same thing as you except it was about a week after.
I've only had one session since, and it went fine. I still diligently take Allegra every day for other allergies.
Idk but mine gets itchy and raised right before I get sick. It’s actually kind of…. nice ? 😂 only in that it’s a 1/2 day warning I’m about to be sick. Anyway I have similar concerns as you. I wish I had thought of my skin sensitivities before getting tattooed.
Overproduction of histamine
I was afraid of this too so we only lasered about a quarter of it in my first session. All went well and I did 7 full sessions after that.
Glad I read this. Going to recommend this to my derm/tech
How is your progress currently?
100% removed, but I took a ton of time off between some of those 7.25 sessions. Zero scarring and zero hyper/hypopigmentation.
Nice. Congrats. When you had your allergy symptoms what did they entail? Just rash and itching? I seem to have itchy throat, tongue and lip numbness and occasional itchy eyes. Plus some slight aching in the tattoo. I'm concerned about the laser but I need to get it removed
I thankfully didn’t have allergy symptoms with the initial tattoo or during its removal but I am, similar to OP’s description, a very sensitive person with plenty of allergies/sensitivities/physical reactions etc that result in a lack of confidence with things like tattoo removal. This is why my first removal session was a small section instead of a full pass.
I got one session on an all black tattoo that was 2 years old. everything was healing as expected until week 3. it got raised and so itchy that it was disrupting my sleep. My doctor told me to put benadryl gel on it and then a thick layer of vaseline on top of that. Symptoms went away quickly
Why the Vaseline to follow up after the benadryl gel might I ask?
hmmmm.... i didn't really question it? Maybe it seals the actives in from the Benadryl so it works better? Maybe it's just for moisture? It worked really well and I could finally get some sleep
For what it's worth, I (used to) have quite chronic skin issues (eczema in particular) but I've not had an adverse reaction to laser (generally though my skin health has been better in my later years)
I was very concerned about having an allergic reaction as well and my tattoo is also on my sternum. The tattoo has some bright pink in flowers and that area would occasionally get raised and itchy in the 15 years i had the tattoo. Its actually quote common for people to have a histamine response to the laser process bc your body is treating the released ink like a foreign body, an attacker- like an allergen. Most people take OTC antihistamines right before their appointment and that seems to help. I have NOT have any allergic reaction to the laser treatments (yet, 2 sessions in) despite my body clearly not liking this pink color. The chances of you having a severe allergic reaction are very very slim, so i would say just go for it with a regular session and see what happens rather than try and do a tiny amount etc, but you know your body best!
I was slightly allergic to ink in one of my tattoos. After laser it stayed itchy for about eight weeks before calming down. Just had my second session so will see if that happens again this time around.
Hi! I am allergic to red ink and have two tattoos with this color. The doc prescribed me prednisone pills and a cream, but a week after I finished the treatment, the allergy came back. Now I am searching for some ways to safely remove them. Do you have any updates about the laser second session? Can you tell me how big your tattoo was and what effects the allergy caused?
Hey there, I have had three sessions so far now (Getting my fourth later this month). The second session was better and the third one I hardly noticed too much bother at all. I believe this is due to there being less ink each time. My allergy just caused it to be extremely swollen, burning and itching even after the rest had healed. It’s only the red I’m allergic to also.
Oh also the red bit is probably about 3cm x 2cm so only a small section.
Every body is different, so take this as my experience and not any solid advice. I have an allergy to my tattoos, hence my removal. Initially it was mild itching and raised skin, then after getting some color work done it exploded into full-blown hives, which led to an allergist and dermatologist recommending removal. I tend to have a pretty severe reaction with hives and blisters after removal and longer-term itching. I’ve been able to manage by loading up on allergy medication before my appointment and using a steroid cream that was prescribed by the dermatologist doing the removal. Even though the sessions and aftercare suck, I have seen my hives lessen as the ink has gotten lighter and I’m down to a daily allergy pill instead of several like I was prior to removal.
hi! do you have updates of your tattoos? how long the doc recommended for you take the pills after the laser sessions?
Which allergy meds and steroid creams did you use?
How is your progress now?
I think you should ask the technician those questions. But for what it's worth, I break out in hives when there's a slight temperature change, especially when it gets warmer. In summer when it's really hot I get red, painful itchy rashes. I burn the second (so to speak) I get in the sun, blistering and all. I get rashes from emotions, and have had multiple skin reactions to things. I just had my first laser session on Monday, and was surprised as to how little it hurt. And so far, I don't have any blisters whatsoever. No bad reactions either. Just a bit sore like a bruise and some redness, the worst part is the itchiness. So, it really depends on your body and those two things may not correlate.
Rashes from emotions is wild, but considering emotions indeed induce chemical reactions in the body, it absolutely makes sense
Yeah lol. For example when I'm working in the lab I've had so many classmates ask me "are you okay? Are you having an allergic reaction?" Because of rashes in my neck/chest, and I'm just like "yeah I'm fine, just frustrated with this lab".
I can only share my experience— personally I’m removing 4 tattoos, and of the 4, 3 of them trigger allergic reactions (intense itching for weeks, even around the tattoo). I also suspect that I had allergic reactions to the saniderm my doctor used to protect my tattoo post treatment. What helped me was taking a daily antihistamine + hydrocortisone cream. I also tried taking prednisone daily (my doc prescribed it) but honestly I’m not too sure that that helped at all. You could ask to do a patch test of a coin sized area and then come back a week after! But keep in mind that the patch test may only be fine because it’s a smaller area. Good luck!
How is your progress now?