Color normally fades. It depends on the quality of ink, how deep the tat is, how well your skin holds the ink. Example, just a simple quick note jotted on my hand in basic pen ink takes almost a week to fully wash off my skin. This includes using pumous soaps and scrubing. The knowledge of the artist is a factor as well. Tattoo artists expect to see this happen. When it doesnt or doesnt happen at the normal rate yeah they are suprised. I have one with a very vibrant blue. Got it 9 years ago. It still looks the same. Yes, ive had other artists ask how old it is and yes, they are suprised at how much color is still in the tat with no touch ups done.

It suggest they don't hold up as well, not that they look like the s**t tattoos in these photos.

we always know what is going to happen when the client makes a bad choice, that's why we freak out when finger tattoos actually stay. Which i don't understand is why everybody know more than a tattooer, i wish I could know more that a doctor when I have no f*****g idea what a bypass is or how is it performed, or more than my mechanic...when I have never fix a car in my entire life. Some people is just born too smart.

I'm very pale, and I never expose my tattoos to sun without sunscreen on. I buy high zinc sunscreens or ones designed for tattoos.

My back piece looks exactly the same as the day I got it (without the redness of course) but, I am fairly pale and wear SPF 50+

I have several large all color (no black) flower tattoos on my chest/shoulder/back. They still look very good and are about 5 years old now. I am very pale (red head) and use sun screen religiously.

Raul your grammar is horrendous

That's exactly what we tell to the people together with the after care instructions. They make problems to pay the tattoo...but actually they don't care if it gets screwed...because people is so smart that thinks we are bored and like to look like important people and that's why we tell them to take care of their tattoo properly. Here the clue: people who don't care about getting a tattoo ( "my friend is doing it, so am I) normally don't care about the after care and they even laugh on your face. Good their tattoos fade away, the tattoo god exists.

Raul your grammar is horrendous

Not really, all tattoos will usually fade a bit. It is more of a tattoo "settling into the skin". So some of the vibrancy tones down. Some people keep the vibrancy which does not always happen. I worked in a tattoo shop and have many tattoos. They all still look awesome, even the older ones. The pictures this page used are not really accurate for what they wanted to convey. If it is a bad tattoo or on the pads of hands, feet or fingers it is not going to stay without touch ups, sometimes quite a few.

totally wrong. Try finding out why Donal Trump has all your money, that's less than a mystery.

old people's tattoos are done long time a go, different technics, materials, and again...long time a go. And they look rad, because they are real. Done when people was not all the time asking "is it gonna hurt? is it gonna hurt?.

Jürgen Magnus +

Raul your grammar is horrendous

Quality of the ink, quality of the artist, quality of the design all affect how the piece will age.

yes poor ink -poor result/ good artist-good tattoo and vice versa I'm a tattooist my colour work still looks good 10 yrs on the examples on here look bad more due to placement i.e. fingers near soles of feet lips and palms…. a good tattooist would tell you to expect the tattoo to fall out in these places its not due to ink or skill…. just the fact the body parts go through more abrasive movement than say a thigh or an arm. very old colour tattoos i.e. the ones u see on older people have faded due to sun exposure and the fact ink wasn't as good back in the day as it is now.