White tattoos form a unique type of design. The way they look on the skin could help make other tattoo inks look even better. However, there are many problems with white tattoo ink because of its color and pigmentation. One of the most prominent problems is the fact it might turn yellow in the future!
So do white tattoos turn yellow? They might turn yellow due to quite a number of reasons. It won’t happen right away, but you can be sure that white tattoos have a chance of becoming yellow or some other color. That is why it is important to know why it can turn yellow, how it will look like when it does, and why tattoo artists generally avoid doing white tattoo designs. So make sure you get to know that from here to make up your mind about white tattoos.
Key Takeaways
- There are many reasons for your tattoo turning yellow, most of which are dependent on the tattoo aftercare and your skin type.
- A tattoo artist fears a white tattoo because of the level of difficulty and inexperience with white ink, along with the appearance.
- There are ways to take care of your white tattoo so that you can prevent it from becoming yellow sooner.
Causes for White Tattoos to Turn Yellow
As I have mentioned that white tattoos do in fact turn yellow. It is important to understand why white tattoo ink has a tendency to turn yellow over time.
Sun damage
The sun is most definitely the worst enemy for any kind of tattoo! The interaction of UV rays from the sun speeds up the breakdown of tattoo ink in your skin. As they are made of heavy metal pigments, the tattoo ink heats up, making it much easier for your body’s immune system to slowly break it down.
The case for white ink is that it happens much more prominently than any other lighter color tattoo ink. White ink will fade even faster under the sun, causing it to either turn yellow or even opaque in nature. The UV rays attack the white ink and make it break up faster than say black ink, causing it to turn yellow.
Fading over time
Your tattoo will naturally fade over time. Your body treats the ink pigments deposited in the dermis of the skin as a foreign substance. This promotes action from the immune system which sends out white blood cells to attack the ink and slowly break it down over long periods.
For white tattoo ink, it is dangerous because it can be more easily broken down by the white blood cells.
That is why over time, you will start to notice that your white tattoo is slowly losing its color. The tattoo will start to look more yellow on your skin while eventually, it will make the tattoo completely opaque, mimicking your skin color.
Changes in the skin
Due to the presence of heavy metals in tattoo ink, they will react to any changes on the skin. For example, if you have oily skin, the white ink will mix in with the oil more causing it to have a yellow hue. Even the pH levels of your skin will affect the white ink!
You will notice this less on black ink because it does not mix with the oil or get affected by the pH levels all that much. White ink is specially made, which is why changes in the skin have a great possibility of turning it yellow.
Healing differently
White ink also heals differently too! This is because your skin is more wounded when getting the white ink injected. All tattoos are open wounds, but white tattoo needs a lot of ink to be placed in the same area than other ink colors. The same area has to be pierced more than usual just to be able to inject the ink, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to see the ink at all! Due to this, the normal 1 month that you would need for the tattoo to heal will be prolonged!
During this prolonged healing period, white ink is more susceptible to change. Your tattoo aftercare will determine how your tattoo will look like. That is why if the healing is hindered during the new tattoo phase, your white tattoo will turn yellow over the next months to a year. And you will start to notice the yellow hue of the tattoo much sooner than any other ink!
Type of white ink
White tattoo ink is made up of pigments from zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, and corundum or aluminum oxide.
Each of these heavy metal pigments will react differently on your skin. Depending on the oxidation of these chemical compounds, your tattoo will turn yellow, where zinc oxide is probably the most prone to turning yellow than titanium or aluminum.
That could very well be another reason why your tattoo will start to turn yellow faster than other white tattoos!
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Reasons Why Tattoo Artists Reject White Designs
Due to these white tattoos turning yellow, some tattoo artists will not work on white tattoo designs whatsoever! Here are some of the reasons in detail why a tattoo artist like myself will not want to work on white tattoo designs.
Appearance of White Tattoo
The appearance of a white tattoo might look good when you are just out of the shop, but I have had clients come back with their white tattoos in a completely different appearance! This could be for several reasons, with skin complexion being up there as the main reason. White tattoos don’t really look good on pale or white skin as it will like the tattoo is scarred or look like a skin disease.
This is because the white ink will fade over time and cause the tattoo to look like this. When it turns like this, even people with darker skin complexions will notice how it looks like they have a scar on their skin instead of a tattoo ink. The tattoo will appear yellow or even opaque within the first 6 months, which makes me not want to do white tattoo designs.
Difficulty in tattooing
I will admit, I am not the best when it comes to using white ink. They require years of practice to even get right in the first place! The area that is being tattooed with white ink has to be constantly pierced over and over again just to be able to pack the ink properly. This could end up hurting the client and become the reason why the tattoo will take longer to heal. During this long healing process, as I have mentioned before, the tattoo will start to change color sooner than later.
Ink and blood
When you are getting tattooed, you will bleed! It is a known fact because the needles are piercing the skin through to the dermis layer. Here, there are small capillaries that carry blood to your skin. When they are pierced, the blood will flow to the top of the skin and mix in with the white ink. When it does, the white ink will have traces of blood on them, turning them pinkish. It makes it harder to know if the white ink is being packed properly or not. I have had such an experience that made me pack more ink than what was needed and the client complained later that their tattoo is leaking more than usual.
These are the reasons why I would not want to attempt a full white tattoo design. While a bit of outlining with white ink is fine, a whole white tattoo design is not!
Tips to Keep Your Tattoo from Turning Yellow
As with any tattoo, there are ways to ensure that your tattoo stays the color it was supposed to be for a longer time. White tattoos are more unique in that regard due to their different pigmentation and lighter color. So here are some tips to make sure that a white tattoo remains as it is for longer.
- Artists experienced in white tattoos: look at their portfolio of white designs to see which type of white tattoo are they best at.
- Sunscreen: use a moisturizing sunscreen with an SPF rating of at least 50 to best protect your white tattoo.
- Start small: only do a small white tattoo design so your skin isn’t as traumatized.
- Touch-ups: a touch-up every couple of years can keep your white tattoo from turning yellow.
- Aftercare: be sure to follow any aftercare tips suggested by your tattoo artist. They will know best how to keep your tattoo from turning yellow.
FAQs
What can you do if your white tattoo ink is turning yellow?
The best thing you can do to keep the white tattoo is to get touch-ups every few years. Otherwise, you could opt to get a cover-up over the tattoo instead.
How long before the white tattoo turns yellow?
It could range from a few months to a few years before you start seeing your tattoo turning yellow. It mainly depends on you and how you care for the tattoo after getting it.
Can you fix a white tattoo that turned yellow?
It is possible to add a bit of different color to the white tattoo. For example, adding blue or red can help the tattoo stay whiter for longer and prevent it from turning yellow sooner.
Final Thoughts
Overall, white tattoos are pretty hard to do right. You will need an artist that is well-versed in the art of white tattoo designs to actually get a white tattoo that is good. Even then, the white tattoo will start to fade within the first 3 years and turn yellow. There is nothing much you can do other than doing proper aftercare and getting touch-ups to keep the white design intact. With this, I hope that you understand more about white tattoos and why they have a tendency of turning yellow.
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