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19 Aged Tattoos: Before and After Pictures
Good tattoo artists spend hours crafting and perfecting each of their tattoos. Since the tattoo is permanent, the artist wants to make it perfect. However, it’s up to the client to maintain the tattoo as it’ll fade over time. The tattoo might be vibrant and stunning initially, but aged tattoos are a different story. There’s a lot to learn from aged tattoos before and after images.
Tattoo shops often give tips on preventing fading and infection. For instance, avoiding touching the tattoo or scratching scabs during the healing process is crucial. Keeping the area clean and using special lotions will keep it from fading. Of course, the type of ink, color, and placement also play a part in tattoo fading. For instance, white ink tends to fade quickly, especially if it’s cheap ink. Also, exposed tattoos on the feet or hands are more likely to fade. At the same time, tattoos on the back, chest, or shoulders have a better chance of survival.
19 Aged Tattoos: Before and After Pictures
1. Faded Lightsaber
Clearly, this lightsaber lost its last battle. According to the post, this small lightsaber tattoo on the finger faded within a week. Small tattoos on the hands tend to fade quicker. At the same time, tattoo artists recommend constantly getting tattoo touch-ups on hands and fingers to maintain the art.
2. Faded Wizard
In 1997, tattoo artist Rodney Raines designed this cool tattoo of a wizard looking into a crystal ball. Roughly 17 years later, the client returned to reveal the aged tattoo. In an Instagram post, Raines explains that tattoos often fade over time. He points out that the magenta almost disappeared while the black ink held up much better. The older tattoo has thicker lines as well.
3. Faded Bird
Smaller tattoos that are exposed often fade at a faster rate. For instance, this small bird tattoo is almost gone after only a few years. Indeed, several older tattoos are in much better shape than this bird tattoo. This tattoo may be on the feet or hands, which is part of the reason it faded so quickly.
4. The Waves
This tattoo proves that sunscreen lotion is vital to maintaining tattoos that get a lot of Sun. Apparently, the two pictures are roughly four years apart. The bright, vibrant blue color is now dull and faded. Tattoos exposed to UV rays tend to disappear at a faster rate. Therefore, keeping tattoos covered during the healing process is essential.
5. Fresh Zombie
A fresh tattoo often looks fantastic and impressive. For instance, this old tattoo looks like a real zombie from a big-budget horror movie. The details are perfect while the red blood pops. However, the tattoo aged poorly with the color gone, and the details disappearing. It now looks like a zombie from a low-budget independent horror flick.
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6. Fresh Tattoo
Initially, this fresh tattoo had incredible detail with the perfect white and black ink mix. Fifteen years later, the tattoo is blurry and fading quickly. Indeed, the white ink disappeared with the black ink taking over. According to Ink Regret, the client is undergoing tattoo laser removal after noticing the faded color.
7. Faded Lotus
These original lotus tattoos on both hands featured gorgeous vibrant colors with incredible details. However, hands are a terrible spot for tattoos, especially with that much color. The second image shows that the tattoos faded dramatically over fifteen years, losing their color and details. Tattoos with lots of color and details require frequent visits to the tattoo parlor for regular touch-ups.
8. Shark Attack
A good tattoo still fades over time but maintains its shape. For example, this shark tattoo faded after 13 years but still looks pretty good. The thicker lines helped keep the form, and the black ink held on well. The red around the mouth is gone, but the tattoo remains in good condition.
9. Faded Mouth Tattoo
Tattoos are painful on any part of the body. Despite this, many people still cover every inch of their skin in body art. Of course, tattoos tend to fade on specific body parts quicker. For instance, this mouth tattoo probably hurt a ton and, even worse, has faded away. This tattoo didn’t have a chance with the location and thin lines.
10. The Sun Doesn’t Set
The original tattoo featured a beautiful sunset with vibrant colors and amazing details. It really feels like the Sun’s setting behind some gorgeous mountains. After three short years, it faded and became blurry. The thin lines, minor details, and shape are gone. It barely resembles the original tattoo.
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11. Lipstick Finger Tattoo
Certain tattoo ideas might seem great at first. However, small tattoos with major details on fingers often result in fading. For example, the lipstick finger tattoo looked terrific at first. However, it quickly faded and now looks like a drawing. The color and shape are gone, with only some remnants left behind.
12. Disappearing Finger Tattoo
Finger tattoos usually don’t last as long as a larger tattoo. For instance, the original body art was a unique tattoo design on the finger. However, the location and fine lines doomed the tattoo from the beginning. The tattoo is five days old in the first image. One month later the finger tattoo is almost gone.
13. Faded Spine Tattoo
The best tattoo designs are simple with black ink but not cheap. Indeed, cheap ink will ruin a tattoo before the client walks out the door. For example, this spine tattoo was an excellent idea. The old tattoo resembles three holes on the back that reveal the spine. The tattoo faded over time and now looks more like a cheap sticker.
14. Not Purple Skull
The tattoo color is usually the first to go when the body art begins to fade. In this case, the small tattoo with a purple skull faded dramatically after 14 years. The old tattoo pops with a vibrant purple color. Unfortunately, the color is completely gone, and the fine lines around the skull appear blurry.
15. Musical Notes Tattoo
Watercolor tattoos are at high risk of fading quickly. Of course, sometimes, the risk is worth the reward. This gorgeous watercolor tattoo took a lot of time to create. Indeed, the client visited the tattoo artist over the years to get the tattoo touched up. The second image is only a year after the original tattooing. It has already started to fade and lost most of its color. As noted, the client continued to get tattoo touch-ups to maintain the vibrant body art.
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16. The Gecko
This gecko tattoo is another tattoo that has actually aged well over the years. Instead of losing the color, it became darker with thicker lines. It faded a bit but stayed in good condition. Indeed, the secret is using sunscreen or covering it up in the Sun during the healing process. It clearly worked in this scenario, as the tattoo still looks good.
17. The Key
The key tattoo is similar to the previous gecko body art. As a matter of fact, both tattoos belong to the same person. They also did a good job taking care of the key tattoo over the years. The key looks almost as fresh as the first day it was inked. It retains the same shape, and the color is only slightly faded.
18. The Faded Bow Tie
The bow tie tattoo is another cute idea but isn’t the best design. The small tattoo and location make it difficult to maintain. Clearly, the second image proves it faded badly over a short time. It’s fading rapidly and will soon be gone. A tattoo like this requires a good amount of touch-up.
19. Peace Foot
Aside from the hands, the feet are a tough spot for tattoos. It seems like a great tattoo idea until it fades away. The peach tattoo was a cute little idea, but it didn’t hold up. Indeed, it faded quickly and lost most of its color.
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