Can you have a tattoo if you have acne?

The process of getting a tattoo may be complicated by the presence of acne in the area. Acne pimples are fluid-filled bumps. If a tattoo needle pierces a pimple, and deposits ink within it, there will be more ink in that spot than there would have been with normal skin. More ink in that spot means that, if and when the pimple heals, there will still be a darker than normal dot where the pimple once was.

There’s even a question about whether or not it will heal, first and foremost. The acne pimple may not heal, because the tattooing would aggravate what is essentially an ongoing infection. Then the chance of the pimple turning into a scar increases. Even worse is if the pimple turns into a larger lesion that has difficulty healing.

A second scenario that may happen with tattoos and acne, is that the acne pimple will remain untouched during the coloring process. When the pimple heals though, it will be an uncolored spot of skin in an otherwise colored area. So, given the two scenarios that may happen, the acne should be dealt with, before a tattoo is done.

Accutane treated skin is more sensitive and prone to scarring. Therefore, no tattooing should be attempted until at least 6 months after discontinuing Accutane use. The ability to heal well is critical to recovery from getting a tattoo.

Some people are trying to cover acne-scarred skin with tattooing. Whether or not this can or should be done, should be discussed with the doctor and the tattoo artist. A talented artist may be able to work with the scarred area. If your tattoo artist of choice does not feel comfortable doing so, you may shop around for someone who does.

One tattoo artist has the following to say about tattooing over acne scarred skin:
1. It will take more time, because a line may be have be drawn twice or thrice into the scarred area. Scar skin takes ink less well.
2. Scarred skin is more sensitive than regular skin, because the nerve endings are closer to the surface.
3. Black ink will stay, whereas color ink will bleed, from a scar.
4. The scar tissue should be at least a year old.
5. Try a small test tattoo to see if your scarred skin has any of these or unseen issues.

The professionals whom you consult may suggest not doing so, based on the skin surrounding the scar. They may feel that the acne will come back, and advise you to hold off on tattooing until you get the acne under permanent control.

If acne occurs after a tattoo has been done, it may be an allergic reaction to the dyes (red ink is especially irritating) or the healing ointment supplied by the tattoo artist. Hopefully, discontinuing use of the ointment should bring this type of acne to an end. Another caution after tattooing is to avoid using benzoyl peroxide on the tattoo. It will bleach the ink and also is reported to be painful.