White ink fades quickly. When they do, the color can change to a yellow or off-white color that isn't very attractive. This sometimes makes it more difficult to touch up or regain their original brightness. In reality, many people end up covering them.
White ink tattoos can be more prone to fading than traditional black ink tattoos. Typically, they may need to be touched up every 1 to 3 years, depending on various factors such as skin type, placement, exposure to sunlight, and aftercare.
All of the lighter and brighter colours such as pink, yellow, light green/blue etc Will always fade faster than the darker colours, as well as the black and grey ink.
White ink can discolor, over the years we have seen white tattoos that have gone yellow, green and grey. The chemical composition of White ink is different to black ink, which means it spreads in the skin a lot more than black ink, which means delicate and detailed designs will spread and look blurry.
Generally speaking, there are no ``bad'' colors of tattoo ink. The FDA regulates tattoo ink and requires that all inks and pigments used for tattoos be approved for use in cosmetics and be non-toxic.
Red ink is still the most likely color to cause skin problems. Why? Red tattoo inks are the most likely to cause health complications, including rashes and pseudolymphomas, both symptoms of an allergic reaction.
The primary pigments under restriction are Pigment Blue 15 and Green 7. The ban took place in January 2023 following an additional one-year derogation period granted for these two pigments. The European Union ink ban allowed the derogation period to allow businesses more time to find safe alternatives.
White ink tattoos are very conservative and are great for professional settings. However, they are generally more expensive, can change color, and white ink is notoriously harder to work with.
White ink tattoos might also be considered more painful because of how many times the design must be tattooed. In order to completely saturate the intended area with ink, the artist will likely need to go over the white ink several times during multiple appointments with time to heal in between.
For those unfamiliar, white ink is notorious for being the most painful part of a tattoo session.
Black ink lasts the longest and is least likely to blur, making it the best choice of ink color for long-lasting tattoos. Black ink is so reliable it is usually used to help hold in color molecules.
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.
Specifically, lighter colors like white, yellow, light blue, and pink are the most difficult to remove, as are green, red, and neon colors. White ink (and light colors that were made by combining darker ink with white ink) sometimes turns darker before it begins to fade.
So is white ink tattoo removal even possible? Board-certified plastic surgeons and medical aestheticians agree that white ink tattoo removal can be done but it will be very difficult. Based on what has been observed so far, white ink laser tattoo removal takes more sessions and leads to less predictable results.
White tattoo ink is often used to create a more delicate look or to add contrast to black ink. It can also help cover up existing tattoos. White ink is more expensive than black ink, and it's also more likely to fade over time. Ultimately, the choice between white and black tattoo ink comes down to personal preference.
Typically, colored tattoo ink fades more quicker than black and gray ink. Red ink tends to keep its color more than other ink colors, but as a whole, colored ink doesn't always hold its vibrancy. It's more common for ink allergies to appear in colored ink as well.
White ink or not, we got you. To recap on why white ink has this notoriously more painful aura than other ink colours, here is what we have learned: ✨ Pigment Size and Density: Larger particles mean deeper injections and more pressure.
Unfortunately, white ink molecules do not hold in place well and require extreme stretching of the skin and heavy applications to be visible. As a result, white ink tattoos over ten years will become distorted and faded. Most end up looking like a scar rather than a piece of artwork.
White ink tattoos don't last as long as other tattoos. White ink fades into a color similar to caucasian flesh, making them much harder to notice after a few years. You're good to go if you want to tattoo over your white ink tattoo with a darker color when you feel confident you'd like to commit.
Simply put, white ink is very unpredictable. Body lotions, chemical sunscreens and sunshine are all notorious for affecting white ink tattoos. It's very common for people to experience allergic reactions with white ink and some continue to have these reactions while in the sun years after the tattoo has been healed.
She notes that for most skin types and tones, the white ink will eventually begin to fade into the skin. “But when white ink tattoos are performed on dark skin tones, they tend to fade completely after the healing process, which is why many tattoo artists will not recommend these to dark-skinned individuals.”
Black & Grey vs.
White ink will fade the fastest. While black & grey might look less faded over time, again all tattoos will most likely fade at least a little at some point.
Dr. Kunin reports that black might be the safest permanent tattoo ink; it is often derived from a substance called carbon black and rarely causes any kind of sensitivity issues.
A new ban on colored ink for tattoos has come into force across the European Union on Tuesday, officials confirmed, despite opposition from tattoo artists across the bloc.
Signing a check or endorsing the back of a check in red ink could trigger trouble—that is, it could delay payment of the check. In extreme instances of fraud prevention, it could even void the check's validity. “Red ink has been considered a warning color since the Cold War era,” says Angleton.