White areas turn yellow over time

kingpin79 · 15 May 2021

Hi there,

I wonder what white ink is best for this "sticker tattoo". My biggest concern is will be white areas turn yellow over time. I know it depends mostly on the customer’s skin, but I want to know what's your experiences with white after healing. What do you think, which ink you recommends.

Thanks

MalligaMallan · 15 May 2021

You can add a tiny tiny drop of ice blue (= not greenish blue) in the white. That can give the white an impression of being "whiter". Experiment first.

KyleBl4ck · 15 May 2021

It's from their plasma mixing with the white and being pushed back into their skin during the tattoo process. White is a really hard color to get into the skin, make sure you wipe away plasma to keep it from going into the new patch of white you're laying down on every pass.

Another trick is what was said previously - Add a very small amount of blue to the white and it will pop out more. It won't look more white, it'll just look "less" yellow.

Eventually white fades anyway though because its so easily diluted by other colors. [It's the opposite of black afterall.]

NotJasper · 7 Aug 2021

KyleBl4ck said:
It's from their plasma mixing with the white and being pushed back into their skin during the tattoo process. White is a really hard color to get into the skin, make sure you wipe away plasma to keep it from going into the new patch of white you're laying down on every pass.

Another trick is what was said previously - Add a very small amount of blue to the white and it will pop out more. It won't look more white, it'll just look "less" yellow.

Eventually white fades anyway though because its so easily diluted by other colors. [It's the opposite of black afterall.]

I have never heard that about the plasma, is this common knowledge? Why would the plasma adhere to the white instead of being reabsorbed in the body? I mean, blood doesnt make tattoos redder, or does it? Pretty sure it doesnt?

KyleBl4ck · 7 Aug 2021

NotJasper said:
plasma adhere

Because plasma has a red tone to it and it mixes with the white ink itself. It's not the white ink changing over time with that, that's more so because of you repacking their plasma / blood back into their skin with the white. You know how like colors get muddy?

MalligaMallan · 8 Aug 2021

KyleBl4ck said:
Because plasma has a red tone to it and it mixes with the white ink itself. It's not the white ink changing over time with that, that's more so because of you repacking their plasma / blood back into their skin with the white. You know how like colors get muddy?

But not after healing?

MirandM · 8 Aug 2021

NotJasper said:
I have never heard that about the plasma, is this common knowledge? Why would the plasma adhere to the white instead of being reabsorbed in the body? I mean, blood doesnt make tattoos redder, or does it? Pretty sure it doesnt?

MalligaMallan said:
But not after healing?

No, blood doesn't change the color. After healing it's not muddy, it's like you diluted the white.
I've recently done a butterfly tattoo with white fillings. Even though I got small amount of blood during the packing it doesn't change the color, it just dilutes the white which means you have to redo it after it's healed.
For sure it does pay off to have a very good quality white ink. I first used a rather cheap one and then bought a good one, BIG difference in the result.

MalligaMallan · 8 Aug 2021

MirandM said:
No, blood doesn't change the color. After healing it's not muddy, it's like you diluted the white.
I've recently done a butterfly tattoo with white fillings. Even though I got small amount of blood during the packing it doesn't change the color, it just dilutes the white which means you have to redo it after it's healed.
For sure it does pay off to have a very good quality white ink. I first used a rather cheap one and then bought a good one, BIG difference in the result.

Aah of course!!! Haven't thought of that (dilution of white ink).

So what brand was the better one? I've always used Radiant White, only because Niki Norberg uses it and he's like the top artist in Sweden with 650 000 followers on Instagram. That's enough of persuasion for me

But I actually did order a new one last time, I don't remember which one though.

MirandM · 8 Aug 2021

kingpin79 said:
Hi there,

I wonder what white ink is best for this "sticker tattoo". My biggest concern is will be white areas turn yellow over time. I know it depends mostly on the customer’s skin, but I want to know what's your experiences with white after healing. What do you think, which ink you recommends.

Thanks

I have an ankle tattoo which was done with white highlights about 10 years ago. They don't turn yellow, they fade over time.
From my experience with the butterfly tattoo I'd suggest to you to do the white parts first, without any black outline. Do the packing and let it heal because you probably need to pack it several times. It's far easier to tattoo black over white then white over black.

MirandM · 8 Aug 2021

MalligaMallan said:
Aah of course!!! Haven't thought of that (dilution of white ink).

So what brand was the better one? I've always used Radiant White, only because Niki Norberg uses it and he's like the top artist in Sweden with 650 000 followers on Instagram. That's enough of persuasion for me

But I actually did order a new one last time, I don't remember which one though.

Any well known brand (we all have our preferences) as long as it's not mixing white.

KyleBl4ck · 8 Aug 2021

MalligaMallan said:
So what brand was the better one? I've always used Radiant White

Industry inks white is the best white ink I've ever used.

Also, to just end this argument because "dilution" and "changing" are the same thing. Both are a transformation of the original product and some turn white, some turn pink, some go flesh tone. It just depends on the ink.

[Dilution: the action of making something weaker in force, content, or value.]
So, yes, blood does change the color of the ink. Considering color is a value.

I've used Eternal, Fusion, Industry, Starbrite, Permapro, True Gold etc and they all change when forgetting to clean the surface area of the skin between passes. [or from not cleaning the surface area before it gets too red / pink.]

The best one out of the ones I have used as far as consistency and not getting heavily "diluted" is the Industry Ink White. A close second was Starbrite white.

Nathan Molenaar · 17 Aug 2021

kingpin79 said:
Hi there,

I wonder what white ink is best for this "sticker tattoo". My biggest concern is will be white areas turn yellow over time. I know it depends mostly on the customer’s skin, but I want to know what's your experiences with white after healing. What do you think, which ink you recommends.

Thanks

Purley dependant on the person's skin.

if you tattoo someone with tanned skin when it heals the melanin in their skin grows over the white which gives it a yellow tint.

The white stays the same color but the thin layer of skin that heals over gives it a slight tint.

soulstare22 · 18 Aug 2021

I think the exact cause for yellowing is still not widely understood, the theory I lean towards is that it is melanin staining.

I recently went to an artist who said that you have to use a really slow stroke on a punchy rotary and that reduces the yellowing. Like
pepper shading speed.

ri ... · 22 Oct 2022

Give this a bump
Iv once saw a seminair they say the sun is a big factor in turning yellow , and when it does you never get it white again when changed due the sun

MirandM · 22 Oct 2022

soulstare22 said:
I think the exact cause for yellowing is still not widely understood, the theory I lean towards is that it is melanin staining.

I recently went to an artist who said that you have to use a really slow stroke on a punchy rotary and that reduces the yellowing. Like
pepper shading speed.

That makes sense and might very well work, I'll try it next time I do a touch-up of my butterfly tattoo.

MirandM · 22 Oct 2022

ri ... said:
Give this a bump
Iv once saw a seminair they say the sun is a big factor in turning yellow , and when it does you never get it white again when changed due the sun

Sun is a BIG factor in fading of any tattoo. I had two color tattoos made by the same artist in different places, one that was covered by clothing all the time and the other one on the top of my left arm generally exposed to sunlight during summer time. BIG difference, the one covered I still have and it's still crisp and colorful. The other one faded in less than half the time.

White areas turn yellow over time

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