Do you love your tattoo, but it just hasn’t held up over time. Here at Waihi Tattoo, we can breathe life into your old tattoos. If you feel like your tattoo needs more colour, needs to be larger or needs added details that have faded over the years, this is all within the realm of possibility, so book your free consultation with us and get your tattoo tuned up!
All tattoos will eventually fade with time. Tattoos on some body parts will fade more quickly. In addition, smaller details are more likely to fade and spread as well. Tattoos that have faded can be enhanced or reworked. Whether a tattoo has faded or not, it can also be modified to either alter the design or cover up an old tattoo entirely. Reworking can include replacing faded colour or adding shading and highlighting. Keep in mind that you can’t tattoo something light over something dark.
When tattoos are new, they look as though they might have come out of a high quality printer onto photography grade paper, but as the days and years wear on the colours are no longer bright and vivid, the lines become blurred and sometimes we receive dermal injuries which can lead to scarring over an image. In extreme cases, such as road rash from a motorcycle accident, entire sections of a tattoo could be erased.
One of the biggest enemies of tattoo longevity is the sun. In order to make your tattoo last as long as possible without needing a touch-up you should always wear sunscreen over the design. Without sunscreen, the ultraviolet rays can lead to damage and fade your tattoo; once the damage is done, there is no way to reverse it without going back for more ink to brighten the faded spots. Another tip for keeping your tattoo fresh and vivid is to use moisturizer over the design. However, if your tattoo is past the point where sunscreen and moisturizing can have any benefit, then it might be time for a touch-up.
