What you need to know before getting a white tattoo

What is the peculiarity of a white tattoo

The all-white works bear little resemblance to tattoos in the classical sense. They are barely noticeable, very graceful and really unusual.

Once healed, white tattoos look more like scars than skin designs. Therefore, they are often chosen by people who like the result of scarring, but are scared by the process.

What designs are suitable for a white tattoo

Most often, patterns are performed in white - ligature, lace, mandalas, as well as flowers and silhouettes from simple lines. And this is the most profitable option for a pure white tattoo.

Since the white color is not visible as well as the others, after healing the shadows and transitions are simply lost, and the tattoo looks like an incomprehensible spot.

The recipe for a quality white tattoo is few details and a thick or medium outline. Dots, dense shading and shadows are best left to dark pigments.

Also, white paint is not good for small tattoos with closely spaced lines. White tattoos often remain slightly more prominent than black and colored ones. This can make a small picture an incomprehensible point.

How to choose a master for a white tattoo

The technology for working with white is somewhat different from hammering with black and requires some experience and special care.

Irina Furiyanova Tattoo artist

Before directly applying the tattoo, the pattern is transferred to the skin using a transfer. It is mostly blue in color. When you pierce the skin with a needle with white dye, there is a chance of driving that blue under the skin. And then the tattoo will be with blue and blue spots. Therefore, the transfer must be erased almost to zero. And this, naturally, complicates the work.

In order not to make a "dirty" tattoo, but at the same time not to get confused with the lines of the drawing, the masters use different techniques.

Galina Bashmakova

I divide the process into two steps. First, I erase the transfer almost imperceptibly with alcohol and apply the drawing so that it is barely visible. Then I completely erase the rest of the transfer with alcohol (it hurts, but it is necessary to leave the white color without contamination), and apply the white at full strength.

When choosing a master, find out if he has experience in applying white tattoos, or find similar works in the portfolio.

If you want to get overwhelmed by a person without such practice, for example, because you are crazy about his work or have already come to him several times, skills and abilities in general will play a decisive role.

Tattoo artists claim that, despite some differences in application, white tattoos are, in general, no more difficult than black or colored ones.

Irina Furiyanova

If the master has never done a white tattoo, but he has experience and a clear understanding of how to work, he will fill it without any problems.

How painful it is to get white tattoos

Many people find that white is more painful during application. In fact, white paint differs from the rest only in pigment, and soreness is explained by the time it was applied.

Galina Bashmakova

Previously, pure white tattoos were rarely done and of poor quality due to the lack of suitable pigments. White was used only as a component in black or colored tattoos. And since it is necessary to apply shades from dark to light, so as not to "stain" the picture, the white pigment was always clogged at the end of the session, when the skin was already irritated and injured. Therefore, it was more painful.

If you already have black tattoos, a white tattoo session can also feel more painful. The fact is that the dark lines are clearly visible, but for a light drawing, the master can walk along one contour 2-3 times to provide greater brightness and make a tattoo without contamination with a transfer.

What does a white tattoo look like after healing?

Probably the most important thing to know about such tattoos is that they will not remain pure white after healing. And it's not about the quality of the paint, but about the characteristics of the body.

Kirill Sklyar Tattoo artist

White tattoos remain this way only in the photo in the tattoo artist's portfolio, in life everything is different. When applying any tattoo, there is a slight injury to the skin. As a result of healing, a thin layer of new skin forms over the already finished tattoo, which, like a photo filter, slightly “yellows” the picture.

With black and white tattoos, this is hardly visible, but with colored or white drawings, the effect is more noticeable. After 3-4 weeks, when the white tattoo is completely healed, it will most likely turn yellowish.

Irina Furiyanova notes that after healing, the tattoo becomes less flashy, especially from afar. Depending on the color of the skin, the pattern becomes yellowish or pinkish, and the outline is slightly blurred. Although it is not so noticeable compared to black tattoos.

Will correction be needed soon?

Galina Bashmakova notes that a second session can be performed immediately after healing.

Galina Bashmakova

In 90% of cases, correction is needed, since white, like any other color lighter than skin tone - light pink, yellow, orange - does not heal as brightly as many clients would like the first time.

Further, it all depends on the characteristics of your skin and how you will take care of the tattoo.

Kirill Sklyar

Absolutely every tattoo needs to be smeared with sunscreen, as they really don't like the sun. Under the influence of UV radiation, the drawings fade and quickly "age".

How to get rid of white tattoos

A white tattoo is easy to hide with foundation, and even without it, it will not be conspicuous. But if you want to completely get rid of the drawing, an unpleasant surprise awaits you.

Most often, tattoos are removed using a laser. Laser-Tissue Interaction in Tattoo Removal by Q-Switched Lasers is considered that a laser beam breaks up paint particles and destroys cells with foreign pigments, after which the "debris" is removed by the body's immune system. But white absorbs light much worse. Can You Remove White Tattoos? than the rest of the colors. We can say that the laser simply "does not see" your tattoo, so it will not be easy to remove it.

What's more, white paint contains titanium or zinc oxide - substances that darken when exposed to light. So after a laser removal session, your tattoo may not only not fade, but also change color to greenish.

In the future, it is still possible to get rid of a white tattoo, but this will require much more sessions than for colored and black drawings.