I did something really stupid and made it worse

Page 2 of 3 [ 36 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3 Next

Previous topic | Next topic

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 10:09 am

whirlingmind wrote:

Don't panic. If the hyaluronic acid is smoothing it over, presumably you will be left without the bumps.

Thank you. That's what I needed to hear

Quote:

When all healing has fully taken place, you may be left with discolouration, but that is easily remedied with skin lightening cream. There are loads out there. I can recommend a scar stick with harmless ingredients which does work called "Prefer On" which also flattens raised scarring as well as lightening the skin. Do not use any lighteners on broken or unhealed skin! Lighteners do take time and persistence, but they work. Needless to say, do not use any more acids on your skin. Save up for laser removal and you can buy special make-up for disfigurements you can put on the scars/tattoos if they bother you until you can get the laser removal done.

Based on a pretty bad burn I received on the back of my hand a year or two ago, the bumps/knots will go away. In that instance I was using a butane torch to mold some thick plastic, not wearing gloves (like an idiot), and a part of the plastic caught on fire and a flaming molten glob landed on my hand. That eventually turned into a very raised purplish lump that eventually went away. The fully healed scar is a barely noticeable patch that's actually slightly lighter in color. And that was a much deeper burn. I was more concerned with ending up with something that looks like this (which is actually special effects makeup):
http://www.kentaroyano.com/gallery/leverage.htm

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 10:27 am

eric76 wrote:

I've never understood why anyone would get a tattoo at all.

I'm curious why you tried to do the tattoo removal yourself? Why not go to a doctor and have it done?

As far as I'm concerned, if you can afford the tattoo, you can afford the removal.

Most people turn really stupid, get them and then end up regretting it. It's a very commonly stupid thing to do. That's the only explanation; it was #%&@! stupid and I was a #%&@! idiot. I did something really stupid that seemed like a fun idea at the time.

The tattoos cost a total of $120. The skin peel acid cost about $20. Laser treatments however run into the thousands are not covered by any kind of insurance. Normally the TCA acid treatment is effective on the type of small simple tattoos I got. And it's actually recommended before getting laser removal to lighten up the tattoo ahead of time.

Not meaning to get defensive, but this is something people usually take a kind of sanctimonious attitude towards. Like, "wow you were really stupid, I myself would never be as stupid as you are, you stupid idiot".

That's what I don't want to have to deal with. I know I made a really, really stupid mistake and badly wish I could take it back.
.

Last edited by briankelley on 22 Apr 2013, 10:28 am, edited 2 times in total.

eric76
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

22 Apr 2013, 10:27 am

Tahitiii wrote:

eric76 wrote:

As far as I'm concerned, if you can afford the tattoo, you can afford the removal.

That makes about as much sense as saying that if you can afford to get pregnant, you can afford to put the kid through college.

The guy didn't ask for opinions on what he should have done.
The only question is, now that the damage is done, what he can do to fix it.

If he wants to find out how to fix it, if it can be fixed, he really needs to see a doctor. My guess would be a plastic surgeon. But he already mentioned that he can't afford that.

One thing to keep in mind is that if he can come up with a portion of what plastic surgery would cost in the US, that might cover the cost of surgery in Mexico where medical costs are generally much lower.

Last edited by eric76 on 22 Apr 2013, 10:33 am, edited 2 times in total.

eric76
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

22 Apr 2013, 10:30 am

briankelley wrote:

eric76 wrote:

Most people turn really stupid, get them and then end up regretting it. It's a very commonly stupid thing to do. That's the only explanation; it was #%&@! stupid and I was a #%&@! idiot. I did something really stupid that seemed like a fun idea at the time. I get that.

The tattoos cost a total of $120. The skin peel acid cost about $20. Laser treatments however run into the thousands are not covered by any kind of insurance. Normally the TCA acid treatment is effective on the type of small simple tattoos I got. And it's actually recommended before getting laser removal to lighten up the tattoo ahead of time.

Not meaning to get defensive, but this is something people usually take a kind of sanctimonious attitude towards. Like, "wow you were really stupid, I myself would never be as stupid as you are, you stupid idiot".

That's what I don't want to have to deal with. I know I made a really, really stupid mistake and badly wish I could take it back.
.

I've made plenty of mistakes I wish I could take back, so I know how you feel on that.

I strongly dislike tattoos and tend to respond in a knee jerk reaction to remarks about getting them even if the best response would be to say nothing.

I wish you well on fixing the problem.

hanyo
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Sep 2011
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,302

22 Apr 2013, 10:32 am

eric76 wrote:

Getting a tattoo removed by a doctor is very expensive.

I have tattoos and didn't pay anything for them. I did them myself for free.

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 10:36 am

eric76 wrote:

Tahitiii wrote:

eric76 wrote:

As far as I'm concerned, if you can afford the tattoo, you can afford the removal.

If he wants to find out how to fix it, if it can be fixed, he really needs to see a doctor. My guess would be a plastic surgeon.

How many plastic surgeons read this site?

Actually I was just feeling really freaked out last night and simply wanted to air my angst. I'm not looking for medical advice of any kind. I was just airing my distress at having done something stupid and regrettable like people do here all the time, that's all. You know, like this is kind of a support group? Did you tell the person who posted here about being stressed out over backing into someone's car, that she needs to talk to an insurance agent, and then ask the group how many insurance agents are here? How high is that horse in your avitar? :lol:

Last edited by briankelley on 22 Apr 2013, 10:44 am, edited 2 times in total.

eric76
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

22 Apr 2013, 10:42 am

One nice thing about scars is that they often pale over time.

When I was about eight years old, I fell on top of some metal that had just been cut with a cutting torch. It left an enormous brand on my arm that took many years to fade. Now, fifty years later, it isn't all that noticeable any more.

eric76
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

22 Apr 2013, 10:44 am

briankelley wrote:

eric76 wrote:

Tahitiii wrote:

eric76 wrote:

As far as I'm concerned, if you can afford the tattoo, you can afford the removal.

If he wants to find out how to fix it, if it can be fixed, he really needs to see a doctor. My guess would be a plastic surgeon.

How many plastic surgeons read this site?

Actually I was just feeling really freaked out last night and simply wanted to air my angst. I'm not looking for medical advice of any kind. I was just airing my distress at having done something stupid and regrettable like people do here all the time, that's all. You know, like this is kind of a support group? Did you tell the person who posted here about being stressed out over baking into someone's car, that she needs to talk to an insurance agent, and then ask the group how many insurance agents are here? How high is that horse in your avitar? :lol:

A few minutes after I posted that, I did realize how stupid my response sounded.

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 10:56 am

eric76 wrote:

A few minutes after I posted that, I did realize how stupid my response sounded.

Nah. And I wasn't upset or serious. You make valid points, that I myself would make. It's really no big deal and will work out fine I'm sure. I was just having a major panic attack and needed to spill my guts in the OP. And right now it's my bedtime and I'm really tired.

Maybe I kept some kid who read this thread from getting one

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 11:11 am

forums-posting-editpost

Last edited by briankelley on 22 Apr 2013, 11:37 am, edited 4 times in total.

Sweetleaf
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 6 Jan 2011
Age: 35
Gender: Female
Posts: 35,011
Location: Somewhere in Colorado

22 Apr 2013, 11:13 am

That sucks, I hope it heals alright.

If I ever get a tattoo I should probably make sure its one I really want, so I don't have to bother with removal.

_________________
We won't go back.

hanyo
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 30 Sep 2011
Age: 50
Gender: Female
Posts: 4,302

22 Apr 2013, 11:18 am

briankelley wrote:

For god only knows what reason I got a couple of tattoos on my forearms. They are a simplistic single line stencil type. Then I decided I wanted to get rid of them. So, I got some TCA skin peel acid. The idea of this stuff is that it burns off a layer of skin. You heal and then burn off another layer. The idea is eventually you bring the layer of the dermis containing the ink to the surface and then it peels away. This was a standard form of tattoo removal before laser removal existed.

I wonder if mine would be easier to get off since I did them myself. Maybe the ink isn't as deep? I used a sewing needle, thread, and india ink.

I also have my radiation tattoos but those are probably better to keep a good long while, at least until they are sure the cancer won't come back. When you get radiation they tattoo tiny dots on you and line them up with lasers to get the radiation in the same spot every time.

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 11:29 am

hanyo wrote:

briankelley wrote:

I wonder if mine would be easier to get off since I did them myself. Maybe the ink isn't as deep? I used a sewing needle, thread, and india ink.

Yes, it's said they are much easier to remove, because they're not as deep as ones done with a tattoo gun.

briankelley
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 24 Feb 2012
Age: 62
Gender: Male
Posts: 666
Location: STENDEC

22 Apr 2013, 11:35 am

Sweetleaf wrote:

That sucks, I hope it heals alright.

If I ever get a tattoo I should probably make sure its one I really want, so I don't have to bother with removal.

Actually I really like them a lot. It's just that the industry I work for frowns upon them and I later felt kind of guilty because of that. I thought that I'd at least go ahead lighten them up from black to light gray. Which I did. It's just those dang unexpected gnarly bumps and knots burn scars that caused me to freak.

eric76
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 31 Aug 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 10,660
Location: In the heart of the dust bowl

22 Apr 2013, 12:24 pm

I just thought I'd leave this here:

Si_82
Veteran
Veteran

Joined: 17 Sep 2012
Gender: Male
Posts: 525
Location: Newcastle, UK

22 Apr 2013, 12:27 pm

I started reading this and I will admit to thinking "How can someone make such a mistake?" ...then remembered I did almost exactly the same thing a couple of years back. A friend had just set up as a tattoo artist and I wanted a really fiddly design around my wrist. He could not manage to get the initial transfer positioned on my wrist correctly and, very time we had to redo it we shared the work of scrubbing the transfer ink off my wrist with a scrubbing sponge and chemicals. We tried 6-7 times and had to give up in the end but by that time my skin all around my wrist was badly damaged and looked like nasty burns. after an hour or two it started to look worse and scabbed over. I was told to tell him to stop when it hurt too much...except I didn't really know what too much was since I can tolerate quite a bit of physical pain if I decide to.

Healed eventually and no lasting scaring though so hopfully the OP's arms will heal just as well.

Si

_________________
AQ46, EQ9, FQ20, SQ50
RAADS-R: 181 (Language: 9, Social: 97, Sensory/Motor: 37, Interests: 36)
Aspie Quiz: AS129, NT80
Alexithymia: 137

Page 2 of 3 [ 36 posts ] Go to page Previous 1, 2, 3 Next

Jump to:

I did something really stupid and made it worse Post Reply New Topic

I did something really stupid and made it worse