From a tradition between rulebreakers, warriors, and sailors to becoming an official art, tattoos have come a long way in history. Traditionally, only black tattoos exist because it’s the easiest color to produce and inject.
However, with the rise of colored tattoos, one might ask, “What colors last longest in a tattoo?“
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This question is natural since we all want our tattoos to last long and look great all the time without needing to maintain much. We hope to uncover that in today’s article and provide you with some extra helpful information about colored tattoos.
What Colors Last Longest In A Tattoo?
What Tattoo Colors Last Longest?
Generally speaking, the darker the color of the ink is, the harder it is to fade. Thanks to the boldness and resistance of the colored inks, black and grey tattoos will stand longest.
On the contrary, lighter colors such as pink, red, green tend to fade much faster. What’s more, they even smear everywhere on your skin before going away, leaving an ugly look. That’s why a more vibrant-colored tattoo will need more touch-ups and care.
Which Tattoo Colors Fade The Fastest?
As we mentioned, colorful skin arts tend to fade much faster than dark tones like dark and grey. However, the quickest change in color is the white tattoo.
Since human skin tone can get darker in the sun, and many factors can affect the skin’s surface where the art lies, the color of a white tattoo will be the most visible. According to some tattooists, a white tattoo will start to change or fade as early as 45-60 days.
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When the skin gets darker, or when you have the white tattoo for too long, it can appear like scars or ugly yellow lines instead of new outlines like in the beginning.
So if you want to have a life-long tattoo that always looks great, lighter-colored tattoos and white tattoos are not the best choices out there.
Do Color Tattoos Hurt More?
If you are afraid of pain, this might come to your mind. But please don’t worry; the color of the inks will not contribute to how you feel while inking. All ink colors are the same regarding their fluidity or essence. The only difference you will realize is how they look.
The contributing factors to pain that you should care about instead of ink colors are your pain tolerance and the tattoo’s spot on your body. For example, a tattoo in more sensitive areas like the inner thighs, head, etc., will hurt more.
It also depends on the tattooists’ technique and their tools. But ink colors? No way.
Do White Tattoos Glow In Blacklight?
One of the most widespread misconceptions about white tattoos is that all of them glow in blacklight. It is not true. While some specific white tattoos will, some won’t. It is because, for a tattoo to glow under sunlight, it needs a layer of UV ink.
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Consult your tattooist on this. If you want to have a glowing tattoo under blacklight, a layer of UV ink is needed, not the white ink per se.
White tattoos only make it easier to glow under UV light.
What Is The Best Area For Color Tattoos?
You should consider the best places for a tattoo based on your preference, your pain tolerance, but most of all, its tendency to change over time.
As we age or have a weight change, so is our skin. For example, when you get older, your skin will appear looser and have more wrinkles. Some areas of the body are much more susceptible to these changes than others.
You can see that the clavicles, shoulders, ankles, and other bony parts have stretched skin, so they tend to hold the art much longer than areas that have much fat such as abdomens, thighs, etc.
Colored tattoos usually require fill-in, making them much more susceptible to skin change, so it’s more important to consider this next time you have one.
Another factor is the thickness of the skin on the spot in question. The thicker the skin is or, the more exposed it is to the environment, the faster your colored ink will fade.
Thicker-skin parts like palms or feet soles tend to generate new cells and change faster, so they will bring the ink away. Also, they tend to sweat and contact more, making it even harder to hold for long.
Pros/Cons of Tattoo Colors
The first and foremost benefit of a darker tone like black or grey is that they last longer. Also, they are monochrome, simplistic, and tend to age well, in terms of art, of course. Black and darker tones also appear much more classic and elegant, so they are more suitable for newbies.
Lastly, they are suitable for all types of skin tones. Black tattoos are always the best choice if you have darker skin tones since they stand out the most.
Black will always be the most popular color with its high contrast and authenticity, and who says they are boring?
On the contrary, lighter colors will appear much more vibrant and youthful. What’s more, they provide you with a plethora of creativity, making your artwork much more lively and remarkable.
The details on colored skin art will appear much more visible and easier to see. And then, of course, they are more fashionable and can go well with colored outfits. Still, they do come with some costs. Colored ink tends to fade faster and is not always suitable for darker skin tones.
Tattoo Colors for Different Skin Tones
A general rule of thumb is, the darker your skin is, the darker the tattoos. Your skin is like a sheet of canvas to draw on. The most versatile is always white and lighter tones, which helps the colors stand out more.
So if you have lighter skin tones, you can aim for really vibrant colors, and they will look great.
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On the other hand, sticking to a darker ink-like black is preferable if you have darker skin tones. That is not to discourage you from getting colored tattoos. You can certainly get whatever skin tones you like. It’s just a matter that some colors are more suitable for certain skin tones than others.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The Best Color For Tattoos?
The best color for your tattoo is what you like and feel comfortable and suitable with the most. Consult your tattooist on the artworks that you prefer, consider your skin tones and get it.
For a classy look, black is seemingly the no-brainer.
What Are Some Spots For Colored Tattoos?
Stretch-skin areas will help your tattoo stay beautiful the longest. Consider clavicles, upper chest, inner arms, and wrists.
How Do I Stop Tattoo Color From Fading?
The first thing to consider is the quality of the ink. Make sure your tattooist is a good one and use quality ink. Cheaper ink tends to fade much faster and will smear over time.
Never forget to wear sunscreen since UV light can damage the pigments of your ink and make it look worse. What’s more, don’t forget to take care of the art’s skin area with moisturizer and clean them regularly.
Conclusion
To wrap up, we hope that our article is enough for you to know what colors last longest in tattoos?. If you want to wear colored tattoos, you can totally get one, but remember to take care of them and go to a reliable tattooist.