Reality TV star Sierra Gates opens up about health scare after tattoo session

ATLANTA - Sierra Gates, known for her appearances on "Love And Hip Hop Atlanta," recently shared details about a severe health scare following a tattoo session, emphasizing the lessons learned from her experience. 

"I have them all over my body," Gates said, referring to her tattoos. 

Her first foray into body art began at the age of 16, but the extensive tattoo she got in April, which spanned from her stomach down her right leg, proved problematic. 

The 12-hour session, made more bearable with numbing cream, seemed manageable at the time. However, the next day, Gates experienced severe discomfort. 

"On fire. Like literally on fire. Like I'd never been set on fire. But I swear it was burning so bad I felt like I seen flames around my leg," Gates described. 

Her body was still recovering from the prolonged tattoo session, which contributed to her distress. 

"I knew when the numbing cream wore off, it was going to be some pain, but not to this extent," Gates said. 

Nurse Brittany Gould, who treated Gates a few days after the tattoo, diagnosed her with cellulitis in her right leg, a serious bacterial infection. 

"She was suffering from cellulitis to her right leg. It was pretty bad," Gould explained. "Bacteria just kind of moves through the body. You're at risk of becoming septic, which we were worried about with her because she ended up getting a fever while she was in the hospital." 

With antibiotics, pain medication, and plenty of rest, Gates recovered enough to be discharged after nine days in the hospital. 

"Usually, cellulitis can be treated in, like, five days is the average, and hers was about double that," Gould noted. 

Two months later, Gates' leg is still in the healing process. 

"God had already gave me a message, and he told me that I was going to be perfectly fine, and I'll be okay. So, I just had to trust him in that process. But in that process, for him, it was it was it was scary," Gates said. 

Gates offered this advice to tattoo enthusiasts for their next session: "Take your time. Do it in smaller sections. Don't just be like a tattoo junkie and just because you don't feel anything."