White tattoos:

Q: I am thinking of getting a white tattoo, but I have heard that white tats can sometimes turn out to be a cream color or even light brown. Shannon of BME fame says that one of his is even a bluish shade! Is this because of the transfer color, the speedstick (used in transferring the design -ed.), inferior quality inks, or what? Does anyone know? I don't mind if mine comes out a light cream color, but I would prefer it to stay white if possible . I am very light-skinned, btw.

   Is there such a thing as a white transfer, or could the artist draw the design in white ink, like a white gel pen?

Zokbar

A: I would love to see Shannon's white, that is the first I've heard of such an anomaly. As for your other questions, there is nothing in the application of a stencil that would cause discoloration, at least by most standard types of application. The Gentian Violet in the stencil and the blue in the speedstick are non permanent, non lightfast colors.

    The discoloration in white tattoos is either caused by the skin's own natural color, or from scarring due to the fact that many artists accidentally overwork lighter colors, leaving a scar. These colors are on the top of your skin, where the pigment rests between the layers below. You always have to look through your own pigment to see the tattoo.

    My best advice is to choose an area of your body with very smooth light and tender skin, such as the inside of your arm. Also choose a design that does not require shading. An outline provides a denser and more consistent field of color. Shading with white or using a solid white will cause your tattoo to look blotchy, with bright spots and spots of bare skin.

  This does not apply to white highlights in a tattoo. When done properly, the white looks brighter because of the contrast with the colors surrounding it.

  Also, there are two whites on the market for tattooing, always choose the brighter titanium whites, the other one (zinc, I believe) has a higher tendency to turn brown.  Laser removal also causes certain whites and any colors mixed with it to turn brown.

Albert