A woman who wanted to immortalize her deceased brother through a tattoo on her left calf faced a serious health emergency when the tattoo became infected, resulting in the leaking of green and yellow pus.

Quiniece Washburn said her brother died from an overdose and she ‘wanted to get the tattoo so I knew that he would be with me.’

She added: ‘We were pretty close and grew up in the same household, so he and my brothers would look after me.’

The 36-year-old mother of two had paid $350 to have her brother’s face tattooed on her calf. While getting the tattoo done, she felt a slight burning sensation and experienced pain when the artist cleaned the tattoo.

Upon leaving the tattoo session, she observed that the tattoo was leaking ink. Subsequently, it started oozing a mixture of bloody and yellow pus, causing her intense pain that made it difficult for her to walk normally.

‘When it got worse, I was having to drag my leg to walk, and I was limping. It was a horrible time for me. The pain was traumatizing, and it was upsetting because it was the face of my brother,’ Washburn said.

She went to the hospital where she received antibiotics but would wind up needing to return for IV treatments around 10 times before she was finally admitted to the ICU for the infection. 

There, doctors diagnosed her with bacterial cellulitis, which can cause high fevers, chills, numbness, burning, and a host of other painful effects. 

Within days of getting a tattoo of her deceased brother’s face, Quiniece Washburn’s skin swelled and erupted in blisters

Getting treated quickly is crucial to stop cellulitis from spreading and causing serious complications.

Doctors often start with antibiotics — either pills, injections, or IV drips for severe infections. 

In tougher cases, surgery may be needed to drain pus or cut away dead tissue.

Washburn said: ‘There’s a picture where it looks like there’s green infected stuff oozing out of me. That was taken while I was in the hospital.’ 

While not exactly sure what the source of the infection was, Washburn said: ‘The hospital never said it was from dirty products, and I watched him unpack my needles, but people say if the gun isn’t properly wiped, then that can cause infection as well,’ she added.

‘Someone else’s fluids may still have been on the gun.’

The most common bacterial infections that can result from a tattoo are Staphylococcus or Streptococcus, which include strains that lead to necrotizing fasciitis (decaying flesh) and toxic shock syndrome.

The artist she saw was new to her, but she had done her research and liked his work.

But during her session, she felt a burning sensation, especially when the artist wiped his work to clean away excess ink, blood, and plasma (the clear fluid your body leaks when it’s injured).

Doctors treated her with an aggressive regimen of antibiotics and recovered after about a month

Washburn said the tattoo became darker and covered in dead skin. Washburn experienced so much pain that she had to drag her leg behind her when she walked. The pain was ‘traumatizing’

When the ink penetrates the skin, a mix of ink and bodily fluids rises to the surface.

After Washburn’s session with the artist, plasma began leaking from the tattoo more than what is typical.

Fluid began to leak beneath the surface of her swollen skin, forming oozing blisters until her brother’s face became unrecognizable.

‘I could stick a white paper towel on the tattoo and the whole picture would be on it,’ she said.

After around two weeks of aggressive treatment with oral and IV antibiotics, ‘it’s pretty ruined.’

She added: ‘It has a lot of scar tissue on it and it’s cracked. His face doesn’t look the same at all, and it’s kind of dark.

‘I’ve been told not to touch it for a year, so I’m going to leave it as it is.’

Ultimately, the artist refunded Washburn the full price of the work and gave her an additional $200.

‘I’d tell people to watch your tattoo artist and make sure everything is clean,’ she said.