When I started my patchwork collection, I knew that it was going to be different from most of the tattoos that I’ve gotten. While I had always loved traditional tattoos, and while I still love them today, I also wanted to try something new.
So I went with blacklight tattoos.
How Blacklight Tattoos Work
Now, if you’re not familiar with what blacklight tattoos are, they’re tattoos that glow under blacklight. That means that, depending on the ink, they may be nearly invisible or clearly visible in ordinary light, but when you turn on a blacklight or other UV source, they fluoresce. These tattoos are created using special inks that fluoresce (i.e., emit light) when exposed to ultraviolet light.
I’m not sure why some people refer to these as “invisible” tattoos. It’s important to note that blacklight tattoos aren’t invisible at all. Depending on the ink, they can look faint or clearly visible in ordinary-light conditions. In fact, they can easily be seen by looking closely at your skin in normal daylight, especially if you have dark skin.
Invisible is a word that implies darkness alone has an effect, but nothing could be further from the truth. Invisible doesn’t work like that. The only way that anything can be invisible is if it emits no light at all. And that’s not how these kinds of tattoos work.
These kinds of tattoos use fluorescent inks that emit light when exposed to ultraviolet light. So even though the colors appear almost invisible in normal light, they emit visible light when exposed to the ultraviolet light from a blacklight.
Visibility After Healing
But there’s another thing about these kinds of tattoos that makes me cringe every time I hear someone refer to them as “invisible.” It’s when they say that they’re so “invisible,” that they won’t show up at all after healing. That’s simply not true. You can’t predict how any tattoo will look after healing, because every person heals differently, and every ink behaves differently in each individual.
And finally, there’s the issue of claiming that they’ll be “invisible” and then showing up in healed condition. Some people say that their tattoos looked really faint on their skin right after being done, but once they were healed, they showed up very clearly. But this is the same with any kind of tattoo. A tattoo might look really faint right after being done, but once it’s healed, it may be more vibrant. Or it might look really vivid immediately after being done, but once it’s healed, it might be duller.
So keep that in mind as you consider getting a blacklight tattoo. Just because your tattoo looks nearly invisible right now doesn’t mean that it’ll be invisible after healing. And just because your tattoo shows up very clearly right now doesn’t mean that it’ll show up clearly after healing. Even if the UV dye is hard to see in ordinary light, any scarring can still be visible.
The point here is that these kinds of tattoos are called “blacklight tattoos” because they show up in response to ultraviolet light. Nothing about them has to do with darkness. And just because they’re called “invisible” doesn’t mean that they’re actually invisible. Some are nearly invisible in ordinary light, while others remain clearly visible.
Clean designPlanning Your Blacklight Tattoo Design
So when planning your own blacklight tattoo, think about how you’d plan any other tattoo. If you want a nearly invisible standalone piece, go with that. If you want a visible tattoo that carries optional UV accents, go with that. Use the silhouette of the tattoo in ordinary light as a planning consideration. Think about how you want the design to flow with other pieces. Treat artists’ preferences as design options, rather than rules.
If you look closely, you can see the small patchwork fillers connecting the layout together. Each of those little pieces is independent, but together, they create a cohesive whole. This one is made up of many tiny pieces, but the idea is the same. It’s a small patchwork that fills in the space between larger pieces. For instance, the flower above the star could have been left empty, but I chose to add some color to it. The small star accents near the bottom could have been left empty, but I added a couple of stars.
That’s how I approach designing my own blacklight tattoos. I’ll start with a general idea of where I want the tattoo to go, and then I’ll choose a few elements that I know I want included. Then I’ll let the rest of the design flow from there.
Placement in Both Lighting Conditions
And placement is a big deal too. When considering placement, it’s helpful to think about how your tattoos will look in both lighting conditions. How will the placement of the proposed piece relate to the placement of other tattoos? What will the scale look like? Will there be neighbors? Will there be apparent gaps?
As you can see, the placement of the proposed piece affects the overall look of the design. Obviously, the placement also affects how the pieces will look in relation to each other. But if you look at this in ordinary light, you’ll see that it’s a fairly cohesive piece. However, if you look at it under UV light, it becomes quite clear that the design is missing some details.
So when placing a blacklight tattoo, it’s important to consider how it will look in both lighting conditions. As long as the basic shape and form of the tattoo will look good in ordinary light, you’ll be fine. Of course, it’s possible that the addition of a UV accent will change the way the design appears in ordinary light, but that’s part of the fun.
My favorite blacklight tattoos are those that include a regular ink design along with optional UV accents. For instance, I love the way that Kayla Newell uses UV ink on her tattoos. She often places neon ink beside a dark color to make the contrast stand out.
When choosing where to place your blacklight tattoo, remember that the actual placement of the piece matters much more than the placement of the tattoo itself. That means that if you’re placing a tattoo on your arm, you need to consider how it will look on your arm. You can’t just assume that the way that the tattoo looks on the paper will translate perfectly onto your skin.
One of the best ways to get a feel for how a tattoo will look on your body is to use the layout tool in your design software. You can move, scale, rotate, and layer the design until it looks right. Once you’re satisfied with how it looks, print it out and check the layout on your skin.
Of course, I’m not saying that you should ignore your artist’s advice, but just understand that his/her preference is based on experience and artistic taste. He/she may prefer small dots or small sections of color, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t experiment with bold designs. It’s all about finding the style that works best for you.
Clean designChoosing Fluorescent Ink
Another consideration when planning your blacklight tattoo is to determine exactly what kind of ink you want to use. Do you want a fluorescent ink that glows brightly under UV light, or a low-key ink that gives a subtle glow? There are a variety of inks available, so it’s important to decide which type of ink you want to use before you begin designing.
Some companies claim that their inks are invisible, but that’s not necessarily true. Some inks are just darker than others. Others are formulated in such a way that they won’t show up at all in ordinary light. Still others are specially formulated to fade quickly, so that you can get your money’s worth of glowing tattoos out of your investment.
Tattoo Ink Safety and Risks
The FDA does oversee tattoo inks, but there isn’t a single pigment that has been approved for cosmetic injection into skin. The FDA considers tattoo inks cosmetics and their pigments color additives. The lack of approved pigments for injection doesn’t by itself tell you whether a particular ink is safe or unsafe. In addition, the FDA says that it’s difficult to evaluate the safety of tattoo inks because there are so many varieties and combinations available. So the FDA can’t tell you whether or not a particular ink is safe.
It’s important to know that just because a company claims that its inks are safe, that doesn’t mean that they’re guaranteed to be safe. Contaminated-ink infections and allergic reactions are possible risks with tattoos, though the FDA says reports of allergic reactions to tattoo pigments have been rare. And just because a product comes sealed in a container or has a sterile label doesn’t mean that it’s free of contamination. Contamination is possible with any product, regardless of how it’s labeled.
There’s also the question of whether or not UV-specific inks pose a greater risk than conventional inks. No one has established a comparison between UV-specific inks and conventional inks regarding the rate of infection or allergic reaction.
The key thing to remember is that just because a product is labeled as “UV-specific” doesn’t mean that it’s automatically safer. UV-specific inks may or may not contain harmful ingredients. Again, it depends on the specific brand, the specific product, and the specific formulation. So if you’re concerned about the safety of UV-specific inks, ask yourself the following questions:
• What kind of ink am I proposing to use?
• What color is the ink?
• What information about the ink is available?
Then ask yourself the following questions about the general category of tattoo inks:
• Are there any general risks associated with tattooing?
• Are there any specific risks associated with tattooing?
• Are there any specific risks associated with the type of ink I’m proposing to use?
Clean designFading and Possible Touch Ups
Finally, keep in mind that just because a tattoo is “invisible” doesn’t mean that it’ll stay invisible forever. Fluorescent inks do fade over time, and since everyone heals differently, it’s impossible to predict how any particular tattoo will look after it’s healed. The only way to be sure is to talk with an experienced artist who has worked with the ink you’re interested in.
An experienced artist who has worked with fluorescent inks will be able to tell you how the ink fades and how long the ink lasts. Of course, every person heals differently, so even if you find an artist who has worked with fluorescent inks, he/she may not be able to give you a definite answer about how long your tattoo will last. But he/she should be able to give you an estimate, and that estimate should take into account the individual variation in how people heal. Ask to see healed examples of the ink you’re considering, in both ordinary light and UV light. Find out which ink was used and how much time had passed when each photo was taken. Then use those examples to talk about fading and possible touch-ups, without treating someone else’s results as a promise about how long your tattoo will last.
Keep in mind that the length of time that a tattoo lasts varies from person to person. One person may find that their tattoo lasts a lifetime, while another finds that hers fades within a year or two. And again, this has to do with the individual, the ink, the application, and the care given afterward. Every person heals differently, so no matter how long a particular ink lasts on one person, it may last much longer or much less on another person.
That said, some people do report that their tattoos fade after initially satisfactory results. If you’re concerned about fading, talk to your artist about touch-up options. Most artists offer touch-ups for a reasonable price, and many artists will offer to do the touch-up themselves.
Care During the Healing Process
And finally, remember that while it’s generally true that all tattoos require care during the healing process, some tattoos require additional care. For instance, some tattooists recommend keeping the area away from UV exposure during the healing process, while others recommend applying lotions that contain UV protection. Still others recommend completely avoiding UV exposure during the healing process. Newell described her own aftercare process as the same as conventional tattooing, while other accounts describe additional healing precautions. Those different accounts don’t give you one set of instructions that applies to every blacklight tattoo. Ask your tattooist for aftercare instructions for the tattoo you’re actually getting, as the FDA advises.
Whatever your artist recommends, follow it carefully. If you have any concerns about how your tattoo is healing, contact your artist. If you have any concerns about how your tattoo is healing, contact your health care professional. If you have any concerns about how your tattoo is healing, contact your health care professional.