Tattoo ink not sticking in skin

So I recently started tattooing earlier this year and I’ve taken months to learn as much as possible and practice on fruit/ fake skin. And on fruit i was doing amazing so I decided to tattoo myself (this is the now 3rd time tattooing my own skin and I had the same issue with the others) I’m running my machine at 6-7V I’ll tattoo and it’ll look really good scabbed, but then peels to reveal gray lines or nothing. I know im hanging my needle out enough because it works the skin. Any advice on how to get better would be great

*hadn’t had problems with the others

a photo would be a great help with dianosing the problem....

Your photo don't work for me can't open it. Sounds to me like it ain't going deep enough if it's fading when healing...

Here’s the picture

thank you and I’ve started to go over it hanging the needle about 2mm out and it seems to be taking better. Im struggling to use the full depth of the needle I guess on my ankle I didn’t have this issue ‍

Alot fell out eh... most people here know alot more than I do but the only thing I can see it being is depth. Which stretch also affects depth if that makes sense.

Yeah it hasn’t been a fun tattoo I loved it when I first did it but the scab fell off then the ink fell out, it was pretty weird. I understand gotta stretch the skin

BxnnyBabe said:

thank you and I’ve started to go over it hanging the needle about 2mm out and it seems to be taking better. Im struggling to use the full depth of the needle I guess on my ankle I didn’t have this issue ‍

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That's because the skin on your ankle is much thinner, thus needs less depth. Places where bones are relatively close to the skin are just like that, and those are the places that tend to hurt more then others when tattoo-ing. There's no "golden" rule about depth, it always depends on where you tattoo.

Hmmm….needle hang shouldn’t make much difference unless you’re riding the tube, and then 2mm would be pretty aggressive for most body parts (if not all). You should try to start to get a sense for when the skin literally grips the needle and provides some resistance, concentrating on the vibration too. I know these kind of expressions sound almost mystical at the start, but once you’re thinking about them they’re surprisingly simple to perceive.

I’ve had two ‘ages’ of tattooing, 1984-96, and I started again in 2016. The first time I rode the tube for lining and colour (no b&g then), but I could still sense the skin grip when lining. I’ve literally put thousands of hours into learning to tattoo off the needles to ‘do it properly’, and this same sensation really helps me. I’m still not there, but i have seen big improvements on skin (where it counts), and I maintain that riding the tube or tattooing off the needle (or riding the needle) still requires us to develop a sensory relationship with our machines and skin types, not just a mechanical one, though that knowledge is also important.

So, this could be because of 1 of 2 things - You didnt go deep enough, or you overworked the skin. [Another cause which is also a factor here could be the amount of Aquaphor / AnD you used when healing.]

Ye

KyleBl4ck said:

So, this could be because of 1 of 2 things - You didnt go deep enough, or you overworked the skin. [Another cause which is also a factor here could be the amount of Aquaphor / AnD you used when healing.]

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ah I can definitely understand overworking the skin. That’s what i was afraid of but how can I avoid overworking the skin?

BxnnyBabe said:

Ye

ah I can definitely understand overworking the skin. That’s what i was afraid of but how can I avoid overworking the skin?

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So many things but your machine and hand speed are important, optimising the ink saturation with the minimum trauma. For lining, but more so colour, moving from the shoulder more than the wrist to keep a consistent depth, overlapping circles and working from small area to small area, mentally subdividing larger spaces. Either bog to absorb the force (coils/give machines) or a supple wrist for rotaries, allowing the skin to ‘push back’ a bit. Also your stretch is super important. These are a few things that could be quick fixes, and more will come with experience.

As another quickie, watch a pro tattooist laying colour (or lines) on youtube. See how much or little blood appears, compare with yours. Also compare redness and/or swelling during application. Tattooing is (at its best) a very controlled and ‘gentle’ art, despite the pain clients feel.

Keep in mind: Maximum ink, minimum trauma.

marked 4 life said:

Here’s the picture

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Looks like you’re using a bad ointment…
I’ve seen people use triple antibiotic ointment on tattoos and it ruu it ins and draws out the ink…