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If you want a low maintenance tattoo that doesn’t require frequent touch ups, you’ll want to make sure to get a color and style that is long lasting. If you count them as colors, black and grey tattoos last the longest by far. You’ll want to stay away from any soft pastel colors such as pink, yellow, light blue, and light green. Darker colors such as a red or a bold purple or blue are better long-lasting colors if you must have colors in your tattoo.
How to Keep Your Tattoo From Fading
Tattoos fade for a number of reasons. Whether it’s from sun exposure or from your body’s natural exfoliation process, tattoos can fade over time. However, there are ways to keep your tattoo from fading. The most important is to keep the skin that covers your tattoo healthy. This means wearing sunscreen every time the skin will be in contact with the sun. Using a high quality lotion to keep your skin well moisturized and healthy is also a good idea. Drinking plenty of water will also make sure your skin is in tip-top shape.
Where Do Tattoos Age the Best?
The best place to get a tattoo is in an area that doesn’t have many crevices that move often (such as your palm or knee) and can stay out of the sun. As long as you don’t go around shirtless all the time, the back and chest are great places to get tattoos. Thighs and the top of your arm, which can both easily be covered with clothes while out in the sun are also great places for long lasting tattoos.
What Tattoo Style Lasts the Longest?
Any style that does a lot of thick black outlines generally lasts the longest. Examples of these include traditional Japanese style, classic Americana, and obviously black and grey tattoos. The tattoos that will not last very long (some artists even call these temporary) are water color tattoos or white tattoos. Color (especially light colors) eventually fades from a tattoo. If you want your tat to last the test of time, you’ll need black outlines.
When to Get a Tattoo Touched Up
If you want to make sure your tattoo doesn’t fade, you’ll want to get it in an area that can easily hold tattoos, make sure to get one with plenty of blacks, and take good care of it. But once you’re inked, don’t freak out if your tattoo starts to fade. Most tattoos will fade to some degree after a few years. And if you want to keep your tattoo looking fresh, you can help it out a bit by getting it touched up every few years. This is best done by a professional tattoo technician, preferably your original artist, but it doesn’t have to be.
You can get a tattoo ouches up as soon as the tattoo is fully healed, if desired. But you can probably go a least 2-5 years before getting your first touch up. You can get touch ups however often you feel you need one, with the average being about 5 years and some people going several decades without a touch up.
Conclusion
Tattoos are supposed to be a part of your life, not your life. So don’t stress out about keeping them looking fresh or changing up your ink. It can take some work, but it’s definitely possible to get a tattoo that lasts a lifetime. Make sure to do your research, pick a good tattoo artist, and keep up with touch-ups to make sure your tattoo lasts. Pick a part of your body that doesn’t move often and stays out of the sun, get a tattoo with plenty of blacks and dark colors, and take care to make sure your skin stays healthy to maximize your tattoo’s longevity.
