Time and
Tattoos
Throughout the course of time, tattoos have been used to
personify and represent someone’s affiliations, personal
preferences, and their creative outlook on life. Tattoos
are gaining in popularity these days as well with both men and
women. Research has shown that nearly 1 in 4 people have
at least one tattoo on their body.
By definition, a tattoo is a permanent marking on the
skin. The ink is injected by needle under the skin,
creating the image of the tattoo. The needle moves very
fast, puncturing the skin and depositing the ink into the
epidermis. As the ink is depositing into the epidermis,
the skin captures the color of the ink. The artist will
continue to clean the tattoo as he works on it, wiping it off
with antiseptic and disinfecting the wound.
Over time tattoos will chance with the skin on a constant
basis due to the wind, sun, regeneration, water, and other
things. The way a tattoo looks and the design must also
chance with the skin as it shrinks, stretches, and ages.
The pigment that makes up the tattoo must remain the way it is
over time, although tanning and wrinkles can affect the color
and clarity of the tattoo.
The overall length of time that a tattoo styles healthy and
vibrant in color all depends on how well it was taking care of
after it was completed and how the skin is taking care
of. Even though infection is always a concern with
tattoos, you must also promote healing in the sense of
retaining as much ink as you possibly can. Most tattoos
will heal completely within a few short weeks, although they
must be kept moist to prevent scabbing. If allowed to
scab, the scab that forms will remove some of the color from
the tattoo.
The number one enemy of tattoos is the sun. Just like
other colors that are exposed to sunlight, the pigments found
in tattoos will fade. Yellow and red are the hardest
colors to maintain over time, blue and black are the easiest
and most stable to maintain. Tattoos are considered to be
part of the organism of living skin and need to be maintained
to keep the color alive and fresh. If you are going to be
out in the sun, you should always cover your tattoos and wear a
quality sunscreen as well, just to be on the safe
side.
Tattoos that have been properly applied, properly healed,
and protected from the rays of the sun can remain their best
for years and years. Although the colors will remain
vibrant as well, time and the sun are definite enemies for
tattoos. No matter how well you take care of your tattoos
and protect them, there really is no escape from changes that
come as a result of time itself.
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