Bolder, deeper and darker linework looks better with age. Tattoos done in black or grey ink tend to hold up over time and are the least likely to fade when regularly protected and treated with care.
While many things get better with age, tattoos do not always fall into that category. Even if you take the best possible care of your ink, the aging process can leave your design looking washed out. If your tattoo has seen better years, it's time to contact your artist.
Simple, minimalist tattoos are enduringly popular, but bold tattoos tend to last the longest. You can count both the size and the thickness of the lines as two of the reasons why these tattoos age well. "Bold, black text and traditional American tattoos still look badass when they fade," Villani says.
They'll Change
Lyle Tuttle, a big-name tattoo artist, told the San Jose Mercury News that as your skin changes as you age, so too will your tattoos. They can stretch and sag as your skin does, wrinkle, of course, as your skin does, and sometimes even become a less clear, blurrier image.
Try to place your tattoos in an area where you are least likely to gain the most weight or deal with skin sagging, such as the neck, upper back, hands, forearms, ankles, and feet. Most facial tattoos are long-lasting since we tend to take better care of the skin on our faces than any other body part.
Tattoos can make you look younger or older depending on the placement and size of your design. For example, smaller tattoos are going to age you less than larger ones. A small tattoo located on a delicate part of your body like the wrist or neck will be much more youthful than a large one on the back or chest.
While many people think that tattoos are only for millennials, that is not true at all. We've seen celebrities like Eva Longoria who have had their tattoos for years now, proving just how timeless these designs can be. So don't worry if you're thinking about getting a tattoo - it won't go out of style anytime soon!
The short answer to this question is no. You're never too old to get a tattoo! As people age and become more independent, they also become more confident and want to express themselves more than they were allowed to in their younger days.
Guess how tattoos stay there forever, even as your skin cells die and are replaced? French researchers say they have found the answer, and it's a little bit surprising. They found that immune system cells called macrophages eat the ink, and then pass it to their replacements when they die.
As skin matures, its surface layer, the dermis, begins to thin. Moreover, aging skin is slower to heal. These two factors, lessened elasticity and slower healing, can potentially complicate the tattooing process.
If you're thinking about getting a tattoo, you can't go wrong with a traditional design. Traditional tattoos are bold, eye-catching, and steeped in history. If you're looking for a timeless tattoo that will never go out of style, a traditional tattoo is the way to go.
Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks. Some white inks and pastel inks have trouble lasting longer than five years. Watercolor tattoos also tend to fade faster as the ink is lightly colored and very fine.
Black ink and black and gray tattoos tend to last longer and require fewer touch-ups than most color tattoos. Color tattoos, specifically pastel ink colors or watercolor-style tattoos, tend to fade much faster than black tattoo ink and require more frequent touch-ups over the years.
Tips for Long-Term Tattoo Care
"For long-term tattoo care, keep your tattoo moisturized, avoid direct sunlight while healing, exfoliate, and use sunscreen to preserve color," says KVD Beauty's global director of tattoo artistry, Miryam Lumpini. So, say it with us: Sunscreen is your best friend.
The location of the tattoo can affect fading
Areas of the body tattoos fade most include the hands, feet, elbows, armpit and inside of the arms. The reason is simple: friction. For example, tattoos on your feet fade quicker as socks and shoes are constantly rubbing these areas.
Your tattoo will naturally fade over time. For some people, it can take only a couple of years for them to start to notice that the ink doesn't look as strong anymore. For others, tattoo fading won't be noticeable for decades.
In a best-case scenario, they may just end up fading and looking indistinct. More intricate pieces can quickly become blurred blobs as the ink naturally bleeds into the surrounding skin. But this doesn't mean that fine-line tattoos are a bad idea — they just need to be approached thoughtfully.
Ultimately, you can get a tattoo at any age, and you shouldn't care about what society might think regarding your personal choices.
Tattoos that are drawn in clusters close to each other, may also blur over time, due to the skin's natural process of cell regeneration. The ageing your skin and hence the change in the elasticity of it, could also affect the boundaries of your tattoo, and cause blurring.
Basic Minimum Age
Countries like Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Germany, Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, and Slovakia, allow people to get a tattoo when they are 16 years of age.
We found that 63 percent of people with a tattoo smaller than the palm of their hand regret it. However, only 2 percent of people with full-sleeves or longer, regret their tattoo.
The criteria for a tattoo to be deemed “classy” is highly subjective. However, there are styles that are more aesthetically pleasing to even the most highfalutin eye. You will want an artist that specializes in black and grey styles, and/or a tattooist with a penchant for clean minimalist lines.
Social media has played a major role in tattoo popularity
So, as everyday users become influencers, the sub-cultures they represent get put on the main stage, and it fosters acceptance for “alternative” looks.