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.
Following the aftercare period, depending on the type of tattoo you have gotten, the tattoo can begin to fade almost immediately. If you've had your tattoo for decades, it may not even resemble the original art you first got because of these factors breaking down the pigment and causing it to appear muddled.
A fine line tattoo typically begins to lose its definition after about 15 years. Bigger, bolder lines maintain their look for longer with proper care. At 40, many people will still have their tattoo in great shape, but if not, a touch-up is a great solution.
Dull, faded tattoos
The skin renewal process slows down, and as a result, the topmost layer of the epidermis (the stratum corneum) gets thicker. Thicker stratum corneum blocks the light from going through and reflecting from the skin, as a result, the skin starts to look matt and dull.
Unfortunately, tiny tattoos may not age well. Tiny tattoos are small and have lots of detail in one concentrated space. These intricate details will be lost with time as your skin changes.
You should expect your upper arm and abdomen to sag more as you age, which can affect how a tattoo in those areas would look. "Shoulders and ankles have tight skin, and the skin does not sag and become as loose over time, unlike the upper arm or abdomen," Edgar Fincher, a dermatologist, told Allure.
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.
Tattoos are gaining popularity, now adorning an estimated 45 million Americans. However, regret often follows, leading many to seek removal. Research from the UK, US, Australia, Canada and surveys by notable organizations report that 78% of tattooed people regret at least one of them. In the US alone, 23% felt regret.
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.
Certain tattoo styles that use black and/or grey ink, such as Tribal tattoos, Greyscale tattoos, and American Traditional tattoos (as well as bold lettering or Zodiac tattoos) are known to age well. These different tattoo styles feature bold, detailed linework that is deeply injected into the skin.
The thing is, while tattoos theoretically last forever, they can fade over time. So to help you out in your fight against tattoo damage, we tapped two experts to get their best advice and pro tips on the dos and don'ts of caring for your tattoo.
Realism tattoos are a popular art form for many people, but most often go unrecognized for their design complexity and the aging factors that come with them. Realism tattoos look best when brand new, but fade over time due to various external factors.
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.
Older tattoos may be raised due to scar tissue
Many people notice the swelling happens during the summertime, when weather is warmer and humidity higher. This can cause the skin to swell slightly, including your tattoo.
After our first tattoo, our minds have subtly changed and… It doesn't matter if you have one or 100 tattoos, we can all agree that our lives change once we get inked. After our first tattoo, our minds have subtly changed and the way we are treated isn't exactly the same.
A judgment that harsh might be a little unfair but how much you like or dislike tattoos is obviously a personal decision. As tattoos become more and more popular they also become more and more acceptable. All indicators suggest this trend will continue but remember that social attitudes can shift quickly.
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!
Social media has played a major role in tattoo popularity
YPulse data shows the spike in tattoo popularity is fairly recent: in 2019, YPulse data shows only 21% of young people said they had tattoos, and that overall number has jumped to 40%.
Tattoo flu explained
So while you might be super chill mentally, your immune system might charge in like there's a four alarm fire. When the needle hits your skin, your pain receptors go into overdrive, giving you a nice jolt of adrenaline which then makes your ticker beat a bit faster.
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.
Tattoos are not going out of style. As stigma wanes and quality standards improve, tattoos are steadily gaining popularity and social acceptance. Tattoos are also known to be part of various cultures going back over 6,000 years, so it is safe to assume that they will never fully go out of style.
According to a recent surveys conducted in the United States, tattoos were common the most among Millennials. Indeed, only 57 percent of young adults declared not to have any tattoos. Millennials represents that part of population born between the beginning of the 1980s and half 1990s.