| Fading tattoo question |
Question:
If you have a tattoo that starts out jet black, like those traditional
Japanese tattoos, and you've got it for 15 years, what colour does
it fade to? This is on black skin, on the back of someone's hand.
Answer:
- My son, owner of several tattoos, says: Assuming modern dyes and
tattooing techniques, it will fade to a sort of bluish grey, and
it will blur too. This is also assuming there haven't been any
subsequent touchups.
He says the traditional dyes will do pretty much the same thing.
When it's done by hand, rather than by machine, the speed at
which it can fade changes.
He says, even if someone's doing the tattoo by hand, assume it
was like the modern work because the effect will be the same.
- It depends on what kind of ink was used. The old "black" tattoo ink that
was common in the USA faded to a blue (and spread out). The newer black
inks seem to stay black. I don't know about the traditional inks used in
(e.g.) Maori or Japanese tattoos.
- The rec.arts.bodyart FAQ is at http://www.faqs.org/faqs/bodyart/ and
might have some of that information. Argh, if it's in there I can't
find it.
I'm pretty sure I came across something about that when I was doing
research for personal reasons, but if it's not there I don't know where
it is. I'd guess that the back of the hand would get a good amount of
sun exposure, and thus be more prone to fading.
- Fading to blue will do nicely. I don't think they used modern ink (these
are still the people with High Middle Ages tech level): it's done by
pricking the skin and rubbing some black powder in the pinpricks,
probably charcoal.
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