Deep Dark White Secret

Barely visible, yet unbearable to bare. White ink tattoos are the latest trend gaining momentum among celebrities.

The emerging trend of white ink, tattoo designs created with nothing but white ink are a bit of a contradiction to traditional tattooing.  Traditionally, tattoos are bold, often colorful designs intended to standout and draw attention; and while white ink tattoos do stand out and draw attention, it’s done in a different manner.

The lure of white ink is apparently its subtlety.  White tattoos are discreet and unnoticeable, unless you are looking for them.  And the put off of white tattoos; white ink tats are prone to fading and discoloration, which can be disappointing. 
 
Ironically, white ink tattoos are best on light or fair skin tones, as darker skin cannot absorb enough of the white ink for tattoo images to appear.
 
Getting white ink is much more painful than traditional tattooing.  The white ink used is thicker than other tattoo inks, thus requires a larger, very sharp needle for injections.  Also, white tattoos require several passes over the area to make sure that the white ink sinks fully into the skin

When a white ink tattoo is first applied, it looks puffy and distorted, much like a burn, and often appears yellowish in color. Once the tattoo heals the white ink leaves a ghostly image that looks quite different from a traditional tattoo. 

The downsides to white tattoos are they are notoriously hard to heal; absolutely cannot have sun exposure, as white ink fades tattoo almost twice as fast as a regular tattoo inks; and white ink commonly causes skin reactions with swelling and itching that leads to the ink oozing from the tattoo.

Despite all of this, there are still people with white ink tattoos, who are extremely satisfied.  However, the majority of us mistakenly confuse white ink tattoos for scars or brandings.

If you are considering a white ink tattoo, do your research carefully, as these tattoos can easily go very, very wrong.

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