Glow in the Dark Tattoos
Have you heard of glow in the dark tattoos? Just like a velvet poster or t-shirt design, glow in the dark tattoos are only visible under black lights or no light at all. And they are sickest thing ever!
There are a lot of reasons to consider a glow in the dark tattoo. If you have a day job that doesn’t look fondly on intricately done tattoo sleeves, QUIT YOUR JOB! No, just kidding. Instead, consider a form of body art that no one will notice unless there’s a power outage at the office. And when you hit the club, you’ll be glowing; literally. Everyone will want to talk to you because you’ll stand out in the crowd.
Lil Wayne, Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan already have these types of tattoos. So how did they get them done? Well, as you may know, regular tattoo ink is a metal, vegetable or plastic-based pigment suspended in a hypoallergenic carrier solution. For glow in the dark tattoos, artists use a solution containing phosphorus that is invisible in normal light, but in the dark watch out! You can even ink existing tattoos for added effect.
Not every tattoo artist is on board with the idea, however. Some are concerned about the safety of phosphorus itself, others are concerned with the high costs. After all, phosphorus in some forms is toxic and side effects can include severe blistering, pain, burning sensations and skin rashes. These side effects are rare, of course, but you should keep them in mind if you’re considering a glow in the dark tattoo. It should be noted that while thousands of people have gotten glow in the dark tattoos without any side effects or issues, the FDA has not officially approved the use of these phosphorous based inks. Just in case you’re wondering, phosphorous is also used in explosives, friction matches, pesticides, detergents, toothpaste and fireworks.
Glow in the Dark Forearm Tattoo
It would be ridiculous to expect to be hired for a job if you walked into the interview with a shirt displaying something offensive. The same holds true for tattoos. If you have a face tattoo like Mike Tyson or barbed wire covering your arms, most of the time you will be shown the door. Unless you work in a tattoo studio. Keep things within reason. You no longer need to worry about the presence of a tattoo, even a clearly visible one, as long as the message it sends, or the image displayed is appropriate.
If you’re still queasy about the glow in the dark method; consider UV tattoos which also contain phosphorous. These are still invisible during the day, but only glow underneath a black light. So showing them off might be a little more difficult but they’ll look crazy tight, so its really up to you. If you’re considering a glow in the dark or UV tattoo make sure you weigh all your options carefully and think about testing your skin’s reaction to phosphorous before you proceed.
Update On Glow In The Dark Tattoos
Word on the street is that there are new UV or black light tattoo inks out there that do not contain phosphorous and are FDA approved. However, many reputable tattoo artists won’t use any inks associated with black light tattoos or even glow in the dark tattoos because of the liability involved. The widespread practice and use of these new inks is only 10 years old so the FDA hasn’t really completed the research needed to determine whether small amounts of phosphorous on your skin will cause you harm. Even with the new FDA approved black light tattoo inks the buyer should proceed with caution.
Glow In The Dark Knuckle Tattoos
About the Author
Luke Aaron Miller is an amateur tattoo artist and long-time body art enthusiast. He lives in Texas on a peacock farm with his wife and kids where he helps maintain the website for Time Warner Cable El Paso.
Comments
so would u be able to get a black ink tattoo and later on in life be able to go over it with glow in the dark ?
You can cover up a regular tattoo with glow in the dark ink but to be honest the jury is still out on whether you can cover a black-light tattoo later on with glow in the dark ink. We’re not 100% sure about how those chemicals in the two types of inks may interact. This might be a good question for a chemist… Heisenberg?
Yes, as it stated, you can put the UV or GID ink over any existing tattoo to give it the nightlife it deserves
I don’t have any tattoos, but I like the idea of glow in the dark tattoos… I might get one when they finish research and I know it won’t shorten my lifespan
Thanks for the info… I love the idea of lighting up a dark room with my ink. I’ve found that some artists get weird when you mention GID.
That’s a really good question. I know for a cover up tattoo you can only use colors that are as dark or darker than the original but I don’t know what the story is with glow in the dark inks.
I live in Arizona where is the best place to go for a glow in the dark tattoo?
Jared,
That’s a tough question because many tattoo artists won’t openly admit that they use phosphorous based inks. There is a recent alternative to glow in the dark that’s still pretty slick. There are some artists out there creating black light tattoos with inks that don’t contain phosphorous. There are now even a few FDA approved inks that don’t contain phosphorous. Good luck with your search!
Best,
Trip
Does the glow in the dark ink fade and if so how long does it last?
Like any tattoo the more it’s exposed to the sun the more it will fade. The glow in the dark effect is supposed to last for years though. Glow in the dark inks are typically two to three times more expensive than regular tattoo inks.
I’ve always wanted a tattoo but for right now my parents are against the idea of me getting a tattoo when I’m young and I understand. So I’ve been looking to see exactly what tattoo I want when I’m older so I have no doubt in my mind when I get one that this is the tattoo I want. I’m very interested in the glow in the dark tattoo and was wondering what I would expect to have to pay to get one and just how visible it would look say if I was tan and it was light out. I was also wondering if the tattoo works like a glow bracelet where the more it is in the sun the brighter and longer it glows at night. Also if I were to test my self to see if my body can even handle this tattoo would I have to go to a doctor to find out or is there a way for me to try it out at home. Thank you for the information you rote for us and thank you before hand if you read or even consider righting me back.
– Darkwolf
Thanks for your comments. Glow in the dark tattoos require UV light to glow and like any other tattoo ink they will actually fade with too much exposure to the sun. Some people have allergic reactions to the phosphorous in the ink so you need to be careful and get as much information as you can before you make any decisions.
will it glow in normal dark or do u need some kind of light to make it glow
It will glow in the normal dark because it has phosphorous in it. However, there are some special tattoo inks that require black light.
does it have texture to it and can you see in kinda like a scar in the light?
They have as much texture as a regular tattoo except the ink contains phosphorous which helps it glow in the dark.
I covered a UV tattoo with a regular tattoo, but by then, it had stopped glowing in black light.
I was considering on getting almost my entire body with glow in the dark tattoos… Would that be a major bad idea.?
Wow, not sure you’re artist will let you go that far with inks that contain phosphorous. Maybe there’s some better alternative inks by now?
It’s only under black light
glow in the dark is a passing fad and tattoos are meant to be PERMANENT think about that for awhile before you do anything is my motherly advise. And yes i am covered in tattoos
Good advice!
I wonder if I can cover up my tattoos with the use of a UV tattoo ink. I think that havin’ a glow in the dark tattoo is amazin’. But I don’t know if we do have it now here in Manila. & I also want to know how much will it cost me to have this kind of tattoo. Please kindly send me the details ’bout this UV tattoos by an email if possible. Thanks.
Mia,
Thanks for the comments. I would think there’s there has to be a shop somewhere in Manila that does UV ink… here’s one from a Google search: http://www.morbidtattoo.com/category/glow-in-the-dark-tattoos/
Good luck with your search… to be honest I’m not sure if you can cover existing ink with UV ink but I’m sure an artist would know.
Where did you get, “After all, phosphorus is a known carcinogen” ?
There is no mention of any carcinogenic link on Wikipedia, if there was even a suspected link to cancer one can almost guarantee that someone on Wiki will list it.
The EPA website states there are no known links between regular elemental phosphorus and cancer.
http://www3.epa.gov/airtoxics/hlthef/whitepho.html
Perhaps you were thinking of phosphorus 32? This form of the element is radioactive but very rare and not used in tattoo ink or other common items.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosphorus-32
Great attention to detail… we’ve updated the blog post based on your feedback. Have a good one!
How much do you sell the glow in the dark ink..
Depends on the dealer and the brand of ink.
As an aspiring tattoo artist I think a great or cool thing would be to make normal tattoos and then tattoo GID tattoos on top , kind of reminds me of Fable. But it all depends on the health issues, i’ll have to research this some more.
Love the idea Caleb!
It’s not glow in the dark it’s UV… only under black light. Glow in the dark ink is charged by light and is visible with no light at all. This does not exist as a tattooing ink as far as I know.