August 8, 2025 | Personal Injury
As many as 32% of Americans have at least one tattoo, using body art as a unique form of personal expression or commemoration. Unfortunately, not everyone who gets a tattoo has a positive experience or obtains the results they were hoping for. In some cases, tattoos can lead to unexpected complications.
Tattoo infections can develop when proper safety protocols aren’t followed, equipment isn’t adequately sterilized, or aftercare instructions aren’t clearly communicated. These infections may start with mild symptoms but can quickly escalate, potentially leading to scarring, bloodborne illnesses, or other serious health problems.
Whether caused by professional negligence or improper aftercare, understanding the signs of an infected tattoo and knowing your legal and medical options can help you protect both your health and your rights.
Signs of Infected Tattoos
After getting a tattoo, you can experience all manner of symptoms. Your skin is healing, and that could cause a bit of swelling and discomfort, but infection in a tattoo quickly makes itself known by causing a number of complications.
For one thing, you’ll notice that the swelling and redness, which should improve with time, are actually getting worse. They may spread, too. The pain will likely get more severe, as well. You can experience dull throbbing as well as sharp, shooting pain. Some people also have significant itching.
You may start getting chills, which could point to your body’s immune system kicking in and causing a fever. This is when you may also notice pus or other foul-smelling discharge oozing out of the tattoo.
If the fever continues or gets worse, it’s time to get medical help. That’s because it can quickly progress to a system-wide infection that could result in sepsis, which is a catastrophic injury.
How Infected Tattoos Occur
The most frequent reason tattoo infections occur is negligence on the part of the provider. You trust that they will maintain a clean environment and sterilized tools, but that’s not always the case. If they fail to maintain professional standards and breach their duty of care toward their clients, you can hold them liable for any injuries they cause by filing a personal injury claim.
Negligence could also involve the provider of the tattoo not advising you on how to safely recover from the process. You will need full instructions for how to keep the area clean and what you should avoid doing as you heal. If they fail to give you this information, they could be liable, too.
Taking Legal Action
If you have developed a tattoo infection because of negligence on the part of the provider, filing a personal injury claim can help you recover the losses that you may have sustained. In instances when a loved one dies from sepsis or other severe consequences of an infection, you can begin a wrongful death claim.
To be able to receive fair compensation, you need to hire a personal injury lawyer. They will know how to investigate the case and gather the most pertinent evidence to demonstrate that negligence resulted in your injuries.
Being able to receive compensation will mean negotiating with insurance companies, and that’s never easy to do. Your attorney can take care of these negotiations so that you can continue getting the treatment you need to heal. If the negotiations aren’t going as planned, having legal counsel gives you the chance to take the case to court.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm in Florida
As you begin the process of pursuing a personal injury claim, look for attorneys with experience in these types of cases. With the right people helping you, the process can go more smoothly, and you can increase your chances of obtaining the compensation you deserve.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, please contact our experienced personal injury lawyers at Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group to schedule a free consultation today. We have three convenient locations in Florida, including Vero Beach, St. Petersburg, and Port St. Lucie.
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – Vero Beach
2651 20th St
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 758-1966
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – St. Petersburg
200 Central Ave Suite 304
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
(772) 569-8155
Graves Thomas Rotunda Injury Law Group – Port St. Lucie
10805 SW Tradition Square Unit 024A
Port St. Lucie, FL 34987
(772) 677-0373
