What Causes Redness And Irritation Around The Tattoo On Lower Leg After Swimming?

Posted on Fri, 5 Aug 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 5 Aug 2016 Answered on

Mon, 22 Aug 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I had a tattoo done on the inside of my lower leg 2 weeks ago tomorrow. It was healing fine and I had no pain hardly any swelling. About a week after getting the tattoo I stepped into the kids pool without thinking trying to clean it out. Later that day I noticed that the tattoo area was red and irritated so I cleaned it and applied a topical antibiotic to it and wrapped it up. The next morning it was red and streaky around the tattoo and there was a little swelling and pain but nothing bad. Now the tattoo and about an inch all around is numb to the feeling. I'm unsure what to do.

Answered by Dr. Ralph Chambers (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Hello. This is cellulitis--a skin infection

Detailed Answer:
Hello, welcome to HCM,
I've seen the image and gone through your query,

The redness indicates a skin infection. Nothing too serious but the topical antibiotic cream probably won't treat it well.

If it continues to spread you'd need a course of systematic antibiotics from your doctor

Please let me know if you need any more information

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Arnab Banerjee