Why white ink tattoos hurt more — MARKD TATTOO | SYDNEY TATTOO ARTISTS (2024)

FAQs

Why white ink tattoos hurt more — MARKD TATTOO | SYDNEY TATTOO ARTISTS? ›

White ink tends to be thicker. Extra effort is required to get the ink in, and to top it off, a lining needle is used which also generally hurts more.

The process of tattooing involves puncturing the skin, which naturally leads to some level of pain. However, when it comes to white ink, the repeated passes over an already tattooed area and the potential for deeper penetration can irritate the nerve endings more intensely.

Because white ink is thicker in consistency it is a lot trickier to line with. White ink fades very quickly, the general rule is the lighter the pigment the quicker your body can break it down, white is the lightest coloured pigment you can get and the quickest to fade away.

During the healing process, a white ink tattoo may look raised or puffy. This is temporary, and as the skin settles, the true nature of the white emerges. The initial lack of contrast may give way to a stunningly different appearance, as the tattoo fully takes shape.

The skill and technique of the tattoo artist can influence the amount of pain experienced during the session. An experienced artist with a light hand and a smooth, consistent technique may cause less discomfort than an artist with a heavy hand or inconsistent technique.

The reaction can start within a week of getting the tattoo or months to years later. White ink used in tattoos can cause allergic reactions. Body lotions, chemical sunscreens, and sunshine can all affect white ink tattoos.

Below is a pain chart from Tattoos-Hurt.com that explains it all using color, with yellow being the least painful to purple being excruciatingly painful. It's not surprising that the most painful areas are also considered the most vulnerable areas of the body.

Unfortunately, white ink molecules do not hold in place well and require extreme stretching of the skin and heavy applications to be visible. As a result, white ink tattoos over ten years will become distorted and faded. Most end up looking like a scar rather than a piece of artwork.

Do white tattoos fade faster? You may have heard people speaking about this drawback of white ink tattoos, and the answer to your question is yes. This is because the pigments that make up the ink are light, and light pigments generally fade faster than darker pigments.

Though white ink tattoos can be really cool and striking, they may require more frequent touch up than other tattoos because of how quickly they fade. Some clients report that faded white ink tattoos can look like scars, which is appealing to some, while others may not like the look.

What is tattoo pain comparable to? ›

Tattoo artist JoJo Roman compares the sensation of getting a tattoo to the feeling of a constant cat scratch (all my cat people out there know what she means). Other people say getting a tattoo feels like someone is continually scratching a hot needle across your skin—because that's kinda what's happening.

Tattoo Shading

Color and shading simply provide more dimension than line work. Contrary to what you might expect, many people report that the shading hurts significantly less than the outlining of the tattoo. If you've already made it through your line work, pat yourself on the back.

In Summary. Color ink is not inherently more painful than black or grey ink. Getting a tattoo with color canbe more painful than a black or grey tattoo because some colors require more ink, which means thicker tattoo groupings and more passes over the same spot with the tattoo gun.

It's especially difficult to remove flesh-colored or white ink and permanent makeup tattoos because the pigment in these colors can oxidize, turning black, when treated by laser. After the pigment has oxidized, it can't be treated by laser.

"When getting white over black, just be aware that the tattoo will not be as bright as if it were over fresh skin," Will adds. "[White ink on black tattoos] tend to hold together much better over time when the artwork is pretty bold and graphic.

Most clients agree that the outlining of a tattoo is the most painful aspect. This is because a liner features as few as three pins--and even when it has more, the pins are grouped very tightly together.