UV Tattoos

A UV tattoo, also referred to as blacklight tattoo, is that art that employs a special ink to create tattoos that fluoresce in the blacklight or ultraviolet light.  The inks used in blacklight with the intension of light emission are collectively known as photoluminescent inks.

The UV tattoos are invisible during the day or in white light but when blacklight sets in it glows.

This art came to be observed in the late 1990s among social or club members who were notorious for evening or blacklight meets.  The uv tattooees ranged from about 18-30 years of age.  This was their way of identifying themselves with time or, as in others, was a mode of being in good books with their neighbors who would not have liked the tattoo thing all together!

Since then UV tattoos have gained fame and now are being worn by all walks of tattooees.   Among them, there are those with no notion of sparingly wanting to show off their bodies' radiance in the blacklight only.

Pros of UV tattoos

1.       Adopting UV tattoo is the best method of concealing your artwork in the daylight (white light).

2.       UV tattoos maintain rapport with neighbors or those always in contact with the tattooee.  These people in the environment may appear to not receptive to tattoo as an art.  For instance, maintaining employee – boss relationship at workplace without suspicion.

3.       UV tattoos have fairly higher lifespan on the body than the ordinary ink tattoos.

4.       Tattooees have the pride of not limited to show their tattoos in visible light only. A tattooee can choose an art piece to be done with UV inks see-able in normal light and blacklight.

5.       UV tattoos favor administrators of social group members when it comes to sorting out their bona fide members in the blacklight.  
.       UV tattooist are higher skilled than contemporary ones because of extra diligence in the intricacy. 

Cons of UV tattoos

1.       UV tattoos are dearer than ordinary ink tattoos to impress.

2.       UV tattoos are more time consuming to create for given designs because the tattooists have to switch between blacklight and visible light now and then.

3.       Some inks have been feared to possess carcinogenic and allergic properties that would affect the body.

4.       On aging the skin appears not appealing.

5.       Outlines given by ordinary inks during tattooing may leave visible daytime marks.  These visible marks would destroy the aim of putting on the UV tattoos had it been for blacklight purpose only.

6.       The application currently only favors the white tattoo color for one state visibility.  Other inks UV tattoos are visible both in white light and blacklight.  The design of colored UV tattoos is thus rendered limited to lighting system.

7.       The invisibility of the white tattoo may result to irregular finish intensity because of the application of transitions between visible light and blacklight.

8.       Most tattooists do not like applying it to their clients due to risks and extended cautions involved.

9.       Since UV tattoo inks are characterized as photoluminescent, some of their inks used react with electromagnetic radiation and turn out to be harmful.  For this reason, UV tattooees are  discouraged taking X-ray radiography around affected body parts.

Choice of UV tattoos ink

If you have chosen your design and you want it to be done using UV ink, you must have the following keys point to note:

1.       Under what state do you want the UV tattoo to be visible?  Is it in blacklight only or in both blacklight and visible lights?

Your dependent factors dictate sensitivity to your human neighbors or loved ones, club belongingness and the theme expressed by the UV tattoos.

2.       Colors of the UV tattoos

Multicolored UV tattoos are visible even in the visible light.  This limits your choice to white UV tattoos if you are biased to blacklight only.  Even so remember the scarring made by the machine can be seen in ordinary light.

3.       The extent of toxins of UV ink upon the body.

So far, the white ink (Chameleon ink) has been proven safe.  This ink was initially used in animal tracking.  It is made of titanium and was commission in 1995.  Many UV inks have not passed rigorous tests to make them safe, especially with respect to time on human body by FDA.

4.       The region of placing the UV tattoo

The major driving force is the element of pain and the type of design.

The discomfort of pain may force you to go for less painful areas.  On the other hand, the theme may determine both color and place.  For instance, enthusiastic lovers have been secluded to placing designs resonating with mutual appeals in private body parts.  These regions would fluoresce in romantic blacklighting system.

5.       Method of UV tattoos' applications or impressions

As white tattoo ink is only luminant in UV light, during the impression of the tattoo, the tattooist has no alternative but to switch between UV and visible light at intervals cleaning the tattoo.  The cleaning has to be done in visible light then the tattooist goes back to blacklight to go on with the creation of the UV tattoo.

Blacklight obscures visibility and therefore white tattoo ink application demands a lot of expertise.   The ability to be seen in both lights eases the impression of colored photoluminant designs for a similar design. 

UV tattoos aftercare-Overview

In relation to a specific design, UV tattoos take longer time to heal because they are more reactive and thinner than ordinary (non-luminescent) inks.

During the healing process, the tattooee will be expected to observe all measures as given by the tattooist or make a follow up, if forgotten, by the brochure given.

The aftercare is no different from that of ordinary tattoo only that UV tattoos grants extreme in relation to strong radiation.