Thought I had lip tattoo to have 'plump lips' but ended up with swollen, thick lips

A woman suffered a stroke while getting her lips tattooed - Photo: Provided by the hospital

Ms. LTH, 39 years old, living in Binh Duong is one of these cases. Ms. H. came to the cosmetic skin department of Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital with swollen lips, thick crusts, and a burning sensation.

Hard to restore to original condition

Ms. H. said that she had previously had her lips tattooed at a beauty salon. A week after the tattoo, her lips continued to peel, the crust became thicker, and the burning and uncomfortable feeling increased.

Doctors said that Ms. H.'s case was allergic contact dermatitis after tattooing. Ms. H. was prescribed anti-inflammatory and anti-allergy treatment, and applied anti-inflammatory and anti-clogging cream.

Doctors expect that Ms. H.’s treatment will take a long time and that she will have difficulty recovering to her original state. If the allergic reaction continues, she may need laser treatment to gradually remove the tattoo ink particles that cause the allergy.

Currently, many websites advertise that lip tattooing will help "plump lips that attract all eyes", or that lip tattooing will give "perfect, beautiful lips that attract all eyes".

These websites all claim "Anyone can get lip tattooing if they want to have rosy, plump lips."; "It's done beautifully right away - Lip tattooing is painless and doesn't swell"; "Customers can choose from many colors such as orange-red, orange-pink, peach-orange, baby pink, natural pink"...

Dr. Tran Nguyen Anh Tu - Head of the Department of Dermatology, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital - said that lip tattooing is a beauty method that many women love because they believe that lip tattooing will help them have beautiful pink lips without having to use lipstick, even when eating or drinking or just waking up.

Nowadays, women have a high demand for lip tattooing, which leads to many lip tattoo complications. Lip tattoo complications account for the highest rate of tattoo complications that come to the Department of Dermatology, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital.

On average, each month, Ho Chi Minh City Dermatology Hospital receives 3-5 cases of complications due to lip tattooing, while complications from tattoos in other areas such as eyebrow tattooing, eyelid tattooing... are only about 1-2 cases/month.

Lip tattooing has many hidden risks of complications.

According to Dr. Anh Tu, lip tattooing carries many risks of complications. First of all, there is the risk of infection, viral infections such as hepatitis B, C, HIV... if the person performing the procedure does not ensure a sterile environment and technique.

Next, using poor quality, cheap tattoo ink can cause severe allergic reactions at the tattoo site such as swelling, redness, blisters...

However, even if you use good tattoo ink, you cannot completely eliminate allergic reactions to tattoo ink, especially red tattoo ink.

And finally, aftercare is also very important. Most cases of complications occur because the tattooing place does not advise or advises incorrectly on aftercare.

It is important that if there is an accident caused by lip tattooing, you should go to the hospital early for timely treatment. Absolutely do not treat it yourself because the injury is likely to become more serious and recovery will be more difficult.

Doctor Anh Tu advises that it is best for women to prioritize the use of lipstick. Using lipstick is also more fashionable, because it can be changed quickly according to trends.

Especially those who have a history of allergies to tattoo ink particles, especially red tattoo ink on other tattoo locations of the body, should avoid lip tattooing.

In case you still want to choose lip tattooing, you should research carefully, choose reputable facilities, skilled tattoo technicians, ensure sterile equipment and procedures, and the tattoo ink used must be of good quality and have a clear origin.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tuong-xam-moi-de-co-lan-moi-cang-mong-ai-ngo-moi-sung-dong-mai-day-20240626111015392.htm