What you need to know before getting a white tattoo
Educational Program A Life / / January 05, 2021
What is the peculiarity of a white tattoo
All-white works bear little resemblance to tattoos in the classical sense. They are barely noticeable, very graceful and really unusual.
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White rose for my friend Julia πΉ
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Once healed, white tattoos look more like scars than skin designs. Therefore, they are often chosen by people who like the result of scarification, but the process scares.
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Healed white snake, before and after touch up <3
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What designs are suitable for a white tattoo
Most often, in white they perform patterns - ligature, lace, mandalas, as well as flowers and silhouettes from simple lines. And this is the most profitable option for a pure white tattoo.
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β awesome mandala tattoo by @erik_huebner
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Since the white color is not visible as well as the others, after healing the shadows and transitions are simply lost, and the tattoo looks like an incomprehensible spot.
Galina Bashmakova
Tattoo master
The recipe for a quality white tattoo is few details and a thick or medium outline. Dots, dense shades and shadows are best left to dark pigments.
Also, white paint is not good for small tattoos with closely spaced lines. White tattoos often remain slightly more prominent than black and colored ones. This can make a small drawing an incomprehensible point.
How to choose a master for a white tattoo
The technology of working with white is somewhat different from hammering with black and requires some experience and special care.
Irina Furiyanova
Tattoo master
Before direct tattooing, the pattern is transferred to the skin using a transfer. Mostly it comes in blue. When you pierce the skin with a needle with white dye, there is a chance of driving that blue under the skin. And then the tattoo will be with blue and blue spots. Therefore, the transfer should be washed almost to zero. And this, naturally, complicates the work.
In order not to make a "dirty" tattoo, but at the same time not to get confused with the lines of the drawing, the masters use different techniques.
Galina Bashmakova
I divide the process into two steps. First, I erase the transfer almost imperceptibly with alcohol and draw the drawing so that it is barely visible. Then I completely erase the rest of the transfer with alcohol (it hurts, but it is necessary to leave the white color without contamination), and apply the white at full strength.
When choosing a master, find out if he has experience in applying white tattoos, or find similar works in the portfolio.
If you want to hammer in a person without such practice, for example, because you are crazy about his work or have already come to him several times, skills and abilities in general will play a decisive role.
Tattoo artists claim that, despite some differences in application, white tattoos are, in general, no more difficult than black or colored ones.
Irina Furiyanova
If the master has never done a white tattoo, but he has experience and a clear understanding of how to work, he will fill it without any problems.
How painful it is to get white tattoos
Many people find that white does more pain during application. In fact, white paint differs from the rest only in pigment, and soreness is explained by the time it was applied.
Galina Bashmakova
Previously, pure white tattoos were rarely done and of poor quality due to the lack of suitable pigments. White was used only as a component in black or colored tattoos. And since it is necessary to apply shades from dark to light, so as not to "stain" the picture, the white pigment was always clogged at the end of the session, when the skin was already irritated and injured. Therefore, it was more painful.
If you already have black tattoos, a white tattoo session can also feel more painful. The fact is that the dark lines are clearly visible, but for a light drawing, the master can walk along one contour 2-3 times to provide greater brightness and make a tattoo without contamination with a transfer.
What does a white tattoo look like after healing?
Probably the most important thing to know about such tattoos is that they will not remain pure white after healing. And it's not about the quality of the paint, but about the characteristics of the body.
Kirill Sklyar
Tattoo master
White tattoos remain so only in the photo in the tattoo artist's portfolio, in life everything is different. When applying any tattoo, there is a slight injury to the skin. As a result of healing, a thin layer of new skin forms over the already finished tattoo, which, like a photo filter, slightly βyellowsβ the picture.
With black and white tattoos, this is hardly visible, but with colored or white drawings, the effect is more noticeable. After 3-4 weeks, when the white tattoo is completely healed, it will most likely turn yellowish.
Irina Furiyanova notes that after healing, the tattoo becomes less flashy, especially from afar. Depending on the color of the skin, the pattern becomes yellowish or pinkish, and the outline is slightly blurred. Although this is not so noticeable compared to black tattoos.
Will correction be needed soon?
Galina Bashmakova notes that a second session can be carried out immediately after healing.
Galina Bashmakova
In 90% of cases, correction is needed, since white, like any other color lighter than skin tone - light pink, yellow, orange - does not heal as brightly as many clients would like the first time.
Further, it all depends on the characteristics of your skin and how you will look after for a tattoo.
Kirill Sklyar
Absolutely every tattoo needs to be smeared with sunscreen, as they really don't like the sun. Under the influence of UV radiation, the drawings fade and quickly "age".
How to get rid of white tattoos
A white tattoo is easy to hide with foundation, and even without it, it will not be conspicuous. But if you want to completely get rid of the drawing, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.
Most often, tattoos are reduced using laser. Is consideredLaser-Tissue Interaction in Tattoo Removal by Q-Switched Lasersthat a laser beam breaks up paint particles and destroys cells with foreign pigments, after which the "debris" is removed by the body's immune system. But white absorbs light much worseCan You Remove White Tattoos?than the rest of the colors. We can say that the laser simply "does not see" your tattoo, so it will not be easy to remove it.
What's more, white paint contains titanium or zinc oxide, substances that darken when exposed to light. So, after a laser removal session, your tattoo may not only not fade, but also change color to greenish.
In the future, it is still possible to get rid of a white tattoo, but this will require much more sessions than for color and black drawings.
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