Areas of the body that have more friction and wear applied to them will lose their skin cells more easily and so your tattoo will fade more easily. These areas of the body often have stretchier skin that will distort your tattoo in the short and long run.
Best Tattoo Colors that Last the Longest
With proper aftercare, black and gray colors last for up to 10 years or longer before requiring a retouch. Dark blue: Like black ink, dark blue tattoo colors are suitable for dark skin. They have long-wearing pigments and can also last for up to 10 years.
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.
It will still look great as long as you take care of it and let it heal properly. 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.
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.
A closer look at the US data shows that 39% got their first tattoo between 15 and 19, and one in four went under the needle after they turned 30. A survey from Remember a Charity also found that 5% got their first tattoo after turning 60.
Those attracted to women saw a three-way tie between the upper back, shoulder and hips (with a 3.3 rating). The back: a top-rated tattoo location for women and men. The hip: a top-rated tattoo location for women. The upper arm: a top-rated tattoo location for men.
With proper care and maintenance, fine line tattoos can age well and maintain their sharpness over time. However, as with all tattoos, the aging process is influenced by factors such as the quality of the ink, placement on the body, exposure to sunlight, and individual skin type.
Some placements, like along the thigh as seen here, seem to be more popular with women getting tattooed, which gives them a “feminine” reputation. “I suppose the most common areas I get requested by women are on the wrist, ribcage, sternum, spine, tricep, hip, and top of the forearm,” says Ruiz.
Keep in mind: Of the people we talked to (the majority being teenagers to twentysomethings), a whopping 78 percent regret at least one of their tattoos. And 19 percent of participants with two tattoos regret both. Planning ahead is the best way you can make sure you don't suffer from tattoo regret.
Over time, cells from your immune system – called macrophages - gradually absorb the tattoo ink and disperse it, which can lead to some tattoo fading. On top of this, factors such as sunlight, friction and improper care of your tattoos can all accelerate the process of aging your skin and/or fading your tattoos.
Your epidermis regenerates in about two to four weeks. Over time, tattoos will fade as a body's immune system slowly breaks down the alien pigment particles and the macrophages take them away to be destroyed. But for the most part, the ink will stay with you forever.
A tattoo that is poorly maintained can begin to experience some very slight fading after the first year. A tattoo that receives the appropriate care may not experience noticeable fading for many years – even a decade! The standard falls somewhere in the middle of that.
As noted above, when you get a tattoo, the body's immune system immediately bolsters itself to fight off infection, but research has found that this happens not just at the “injured” tattoo site but throughout the entire body, and the response has shown to be cumulative.
Older tattoos may be raised due to scar tissue
Thicker lines, and more pressure applied during tattooing, can cause some scarring. It's nothing to be concerned about, but it can sometimes raise up, and this is generally caused by changes in body temperature or weather conditions, as well as general health.
Can You Have Allergic Reactions to Tattoos? One of the most common side effects of a tattoo is an allergic reaction to tattoo pigment. Allergic reactions to red tattoo pigments happen most often.
“Your tattoo will get a bit lighter or slightly thicker depending on how your body heals it,” Kim says. “Go with your artist's suggestion regarding placement, size, and detail.
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