Why am I experiencing pain in an old tattoo?

[mouse34]

I have a tattoo on my sternum I received 4 years ago. About 2 months ago I noticed raised parts of the tattoo accompanied by a burning sensation that spread across my chest causing pain even when my clothes touched my skin. My doctor treated for a fungal infection but that did not resolve symptoms within the tattoo. The sensation has become painful to touch that area of my chest and sometimes comes on at random radiating to my back. I have no redness or rash just constant pressure/pain in that area ( lower sternum radiating to ribs). What could be causing this?

[purple1234567]

From what I understand, you can get an allergic reaction to the dye- 4 years later, I'm not sure if that is what is happening, but I suppose it could be possible.  Here's a post that one of our doctors answered that had similar symptoms to yours-
https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Dermatology/Burning-sensation-in-healed-tattoo/show/675909

It's always best to consult your doctor and let them know that the cream didn't work.  Also, some fungal infections can be a pain to get rid of, so it's possible that even if the cream didn't work, that could be the root cause of the issue still.  

Give your doctor a call, let them know you are still having symptoms, and let us know how you are doing!  Get better soon!

[mouse34]

Thank you for the response! It’s strange because I’m not experiencing itching or redness consistent with an allergy just pain in distinct spots not the entire tattoo. My concern is potentially scarring beneath the surface or a growth of some sort. I was able to book a dermatologist but still a few months out.