White Ink Tattoos

White tattoos are made with white tattoo ink, and are a good choice for people who want a delicate looking or difficult-to-see tattoo. But here's the deal with a white tattoo: It's not always going to look white, or it might look like a scar. It looks different on everyone, because we all have a certain skin color. Whitework specialists recommend this kind of tattoo for anyone with very pale skin, or anyone seeking a more transient and temporary tattoo effect.

While not invisible, white ink tattoos they are very light and most effective when applied to a very pale person with a naturally low concentration of melanin. On the right skin color, white tattoos can even appear three dimensional, and look as if they are floating upon the skin. On the other hand, when done incorrectly or on the wrong skin tone, they can look like a skin disease, a scar or even fade totally or partially, looking like a blurry mess. These limitations lead many tattooers to avoid working with white.

Since all tattoo ink gets injected below the skin’s melanin, white can only ever heal as light as the person’s natural skin tone. For this reason, it’s controversial in some circles because tattooers and customers alike have been disappointed by this outcome. Many people say white “fades,” “disappears,” or “gets tinted,” but in reality all of these effects are caused by the skin’s melanin preventing clear visibility of the tattoo.