White ink tends to be thicker. Extra effort is required to get the ink in, and to top it off, a lining needle is used which also generally hurts more. White ink takes the tattoo to whole other level, and really makes the tattoo pop.
Ink Consistency:
White ink can be thicker and more opaque compared to other inks. This thickness may require the tattoo artist to apply more pressure to work the ink into the skin, which can lead to more discomfort.
Color does not affect pain level although white would have to be laid alot thicker to see on your skin than black so white will be a little more painful as the artist will have to lay more ink for it to be visible. I'd say the most painful part of tattoos is the shading and placement of the tattoo.
White ink has a thicker consistency. White ink isn't usually being manufactured for outlining work. The thicker consistency makes it harder for artists to achieve clean lines that stay crisp after healing. It can also cause a raised appearance, causing the scarred look.
White is one of the inks that changes the most once healed because it will especially show the undertone of your skin. Unlike painting on a black canvas with acrylic, which would show a great contrast, skin is the opposite. The darker the pigment, the less you'll see the white once it's healed.
White ink fades very quickly, the general rule is the lighter the pigment the quicker your body can break it down, white is the lightest coloured pigment you can get and the quickest to fade away. White ink can discolor, over the years we have seen white tattoos that have gone yellow, green and grey.
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.
The application of white ink introduces a stunning contrast, transforming a once-dominant black tattoo into a complex tonal interplay. Here, the black serves as a shadow, highlighting the ethereal quality of white ink and creating depth where there was none.
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.
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.
Contrary to what you might expect, many people report that the shading hurts significantly less than the outlining of the tattoo. If you've already made it through your line work, pat yourself on the back. You've likely conquered the most painful part already.
While red causes the most problems, most other colors of standard tattoo ink are also derived from heavy metals (including lead, antimony, beryllium, chromium, cobalt nickel and arsenic) and can cause skin reactions in some people.
Needles used for lining are the least painful. Whereas magnum needles used for shading and coloring have larger tips and can be applied a bit deeper into the skin to get the desired effect. Areas with more nerve endings and less flesh feel more painful.
Tattoo ink, no matter the color, feels the same going into the skin. If you use one style of needle and try every color, you won't feel a difference. How much ink needs to be deposited for certain colors makes the difference. Darker ink doesn't need as much color packing.
Friction fades tattoos! Ink placed on the hands, neck, and face will lose vibrancy quickly, especially if artwork features colored tones like pink, yellow, and red.
Yellows and Greens with Cadmium
Yellows and bright greens often contain cadmium, which can cause skin irritation and has been associated with other health risks. They also tend to fade or change color over time when exposed to sunlight.
The Key Stages Of The Tattoo Healing Process
Scabs will start to form towards the end of this stage. Flaky Skin (Days 7-14) – After about a week your skin is going to start to peel and flake. This can get incredibly irritating and the temptation to pick at the skin will be strong.
One of the most common concerns about red ink is whether there is potential for its ingredients to cause cancer or other diseases. This is a real concern, as doctors have seen skin cancer occur in only the red parts of tattoos.
The author has, however, covered many tattoos on her left arm, including a gray-and-black rose design. For years, Von D had traditional-style roses across her upper arm, a portrait of her sister Karoline on her forearm, and a 1942 Varga girl on her left bicep. All have seemingly been covered by Von D's blackout tattoo.
White ink tattoos can become raised due to the additional trauma once they heal. It's also important to note that when a white ink tattoo heals, the ink will, like all other tattoos, be resting underneath the topmost layer of skin. This makes the tattoo more natural-looking and, unfortunately, less vibrant.
The most commonly used neutralizing color is a deep orange to cancel out the blue and blue-green shades of common tattoo inks. For tattoos with dark black ink, you should use a deep red neutralizer.
For those unfamiliar, white ink is notorious for being the most painful part of a tattoo session.
Black ink tends to outlast any other color because it is super pigmented. Other darker colors like dark blue, dark green, gray, and dark purple will have a similar lifespan to black ink. Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks.
White ink tattoos fade more quickly than more colorful tattoos because the ink itself is much lighter and is already difficult to see on the skin. Direct sunlight should be avoided as much as possible with white ink tattoos.