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Tattoos: touching up?

Sdashiki

Sdashiki

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Aug 11, 2005
3,529
11
Behind the lens
Ive googled quite a bit on the subject and just cant seem to find any direct answers to questions about touching up tattoos.

Granted, alot that I did find did touch on the subject of touchup within 2-6months after the initial work; but this doesnt help my situation as my tattoo is 6yrs +


My tattoo is not detailed, I made sure of that as I am sure in 20-50 years things might shift a bit and detail would be lost...however it is very colorful. Lots of large solid color areas. Which look "bangin" when really bright.

While this tat is on my spine its difficult for me to get a real direct look at it. However, common sense tells me that over the years (i.e. the rest of my life) it will fade and the colors would need to be overdone to bring out the bangin' brightness.

Does anyone have any comments or experiences with tattoo retouching on older tats? As in, tats not done in the last couple of years.

On a side note, getting the tat on my spine from top to bottom...somewhere in the middle of my back a nerve must have died cuz I have this "numb" area ever since. Kinda neat.
 
Tattoo's will fade and blend together especially if they are intricate designs

axlrosetatoolu3.jpg
 
See, thats why I didnt want details...cuz that happens.

And I dont know how you feel about it, its your body and your choice, but I think that sucks complete ass (that it faded) and looks like it too.

Did you ever retouch it at all?
 
nothing wrong with getting tattoos touched up after that long. might not be the most comfortable thing, but certainly possible. your best bet is get in contact with a local tattoo studio/artist and talk to them about what they think. if its worth it and needed. or even possible.
 
Mine are here
The first one has been recolored once and needs it again. NOT looking forward to that. The last one is my newest and favorite. Because of the way it is done, I think that it will age (fade) gracefully and lend itself well to recoloring when it does start to smudge.

I will be getting another one on my foot this summer, hopefully, and I'm going to take into consideration the aging process this time. Thin lines, less color, more detail, with good line spacing where possible.
 
Prof. said:
Now i'm afraid to get a tattoo. When I do, it will be an intricate design; more so than that one.
Click to expand...

the heavier and bigger the design the longer it will last too. size does matter in terms of lasting tattoos. the smaller the line weight the sooner it will fade and diminish compared to tattoos that are heavy and larger. this is why some artists won't do things below a certain size: to prevent things from degrading too soon.

and faded color is going to happen, even if the tattoo gets little light, your skin is always regrowing and you're always shedding it. it happens. but the more sun the tattoo gets, the sooner it will fade.
 
PlaceofDis said:
and faded color is going to happen, even if the tattoo gets little light, your skin is always regrowing and you're always shedding it. it happens. but the more sun the tattoo gets, the sooner it will fade.
Click to expand...
I use a tanning bed, and I know that has caused mine to fade much more than it would have otherwise.
 
PlaceofDis said:
the heavier and bigger the design the longer it will last too. size does matter in terms of lasting tattoos. the smaller the line weight the sooner it will fade and diminish compared to tattoos that are heavy and larger. this is why some artists won't do things below a certain size: to prevent things from degrading too soon.

and faded color is going to happen, even if the tattoo gets little light, your skin is always regrowing and you're always shedding it. it happens. but the more sun the tattoo gets, the sooner it will fade.
Click to expand...
The tat I am planning on getting will look similar to this one. It's not that incredibly detailed so would I still have the "running together" problem?
 

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