Gates contracted cellulitis after getting a large tattoo across her whole leg done over the course of 12 hours.
Love & Hip Hop Atlanta's Sierra Gates is sharing her experience with a painful tattoo-related infection.
The 35-year-old businesswoman and reality TV star revealed in an interview with Atlanta's FOX 5 on Thursday, June 6, that she developed cellulitis, a bacterial infection, after getting a tattoo that covered her entire right leg. The tattooing session lasted 12 hours.
Gates, who appeared in seasons 6 through 10 of the MTV series, has been getting tattoos since she was 16. She was prepared for the extensive tattoo and lengthy session with the help of numbing cream, and the artist successfully completed the design. However, the next day, she woke up in severe pain.
"It felt like my leg was literally on fire. I had never been set on fire, but it was burning so badly I thought I saw flames around my leg," Gates described to FOX.
"I expected some pain once the numbing cream wore off, but not to this extent," she added.
A few days later, Gates was hospitalized and diagnosed with cellulitis, a bacterial infection that can become serious if not treated promptly.
Her nurse, Brittany Gould, explained to FOX that the infection had advanced beyond the superficial stage, putting Gates at risk for complications such as sepsis.
"She was suffering from severe cellulitis in her right leg," Gould said. "Bacteria can move quickly through the body, and we were concerned about sepsis because she developed a fever while in the hospital."
"Typically, cellulitis can be treated in about five days, but hers took about twice that time," Gould noted.
According to the Mayo Clinic, cellulitis is often caused by injuries like cuts or burns that allow bacteria to enter the skin. People with weakened immune systems, skin conditions, or those who are overweight are at higher risk of contracting the infection.
Untreated cellulitis can lead to serious complications, including bacteremia (bacteria in the bloodstream), toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing fasciitis, a severe infection of the deep tissue.
Most cases of cellulitis can be prevented by cleaning cuts and scrapes with soap and water, covering wounds with bandages, and seeking medical attention if necessary.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advises anyone suspecting an infection from a tattoo to contact their tattoo artist to identify the ink used and prevent future infections.
Gates emphasized that her faith was crucial during her recovery and advised others to approach large tattoos with caution.
"Take your time," she urged tattoo enthusiasts. "Do it in smaller sections. Don't rush through it just because you can't feel anything."
The Quran - Chapter Ar-Rahman : 05
The sun and the moon ˹travel˺ with precision.
الشَّمْسُ وَالْقَمَرُ بِحُسْبَانٍ (The sun and the moon are [ bound ] by a [ fixed ] calculation...55:5) This verse draws attention to two of the celestial bodies from among the bounties of Allah.
They are especially mentioned presumably because the entire system of this world depends on the movement of these bodies in their orbits in perfect succession, according to precise calculation that is never delayed nor disturbed.
The word حُسْبَانٍ husban with dammah [=u ] on the first letter is, according to some lexicologists, used in the sense of hisab, the infinitive, meaning 'to calculate', like ghufran [ to forgive ], 3 subhan [ to declare purity ], قرآن Qur'an [ to recite or read ]. Other lexicologists feel that husban is the plural of hisab.
The meaning of the verse, according to the former lexicologists, would be: The two bodies, on which depends man's entire life, run on fixed courses. They are subject to certain laws and they perform regularly, punctually and unerringly their allocated tasks - alternation of night and day, change of seasons and determination of years and months.
If we go by the latter lexicologists' interpretation that husban is the plural of hisab, then it will refer to the fact that each of the sun and the moon has its own calculated orbits.
The entire solar system is proceeding on the basis of different calculations, and each one of them is so firm and accurate that no deviation has ever occurred, since millions of years, even for a second.
