Invisible Tattoos?

[Otto26]

The idea is fairly simple: A tattoo artist uses a fine needle set for very shallow penetration. No template is applied to the skin and no ink is used. The artist free-hands the design. This creates irritation on the skin. It must be cared for as with a standard tattoo (ointment, bandage) but over the course of a couple of weeks the mark fades. The goal being to mark the person without creating a visible mark. Both of them will know the mark is there even if no one else can see it.

Now, I know Penn Gillette did this back in the late 90's (I looked it up) but that's the only reference I find. All the other references are for people doing this for deliberate scarring, not the intent.

I came up with the idea (several years after Penn) in an online discussion with a friend and I used it in a story her on Lit. Now he's talking about actually doing it. Anyone have any experience with this sort of thing? Advice? I don't want him running off and inflicting this on someone and then having it go bad. Nice guy, but a little prone to impulsiveness is my impression.

Anyway, your input is appreciated. Thank you.

 

[serijules]

Seems rather pointless. Might as well draw on the bottom with a Sharpie marker. It fades after awhile too and you can still say "Hey, I marked her, but you just can't see it!"

I've entertained the idea of white "blacklight" ink tattoos before...they only show up under the blacklight and very faintly otherwise. Makes a bit more sense to me.

 

[Marquis]

I've entertained the idea of white "blacklight" ink tattoos before...

Yeah, I've thought about this as well.

 

[cherokee_dove]

Seems rather pointless. Might as well draw on the bottom with a Sharpie marker. It fades after awhile too and you can still say "Hey, I marked her, but you just can't see it!"

I've entertained the idea of white "blacklight" ink tattoos before...they only show up under the blacklight and very faintly otherwise. Makes a bit more sense to me.

If this person you are talking about is planning on doing this as a way of a "permanent branding" for one that will be long term and doesnt wish to have the tattoo shown at all times; then i would suggest as serijules said; go with the "Blacklight" tattoos.

They are invisible to the every day passing eyes of others, but under special lighting they can be seen, appreciated, and it would be understood that the person wearing it is marked or branded.

Just an outlining with no ink, that just seems like not only a waste of money; but also a waste of the visual art of the work. Because even the one who would be wearing it, would like to see it sometimes. Just for the visual effect on their brain, knowing they are branded by the other.

~IMO only~

 

[EmpressFi]

I'm kinda along with the .. what's the point thing... course with my native american heritage it wouldnt work. My scars are dark and dont fade. So if I were going to do that, I might as well use ink

 

[SweetErika]

Seems rather pointless. Might as well draw on the bottom with a Sharpie marker. It fades after awhile too and you can still say "Hey, I marked her, but you just can't see it!"

I've entertained the idea of white "blacklight" ink tattoos before...they only show up under the blacklight and very faintly otherwise. Makes a bit more sense to me.

I hadn't heard of the UV/blacklight tattoos before, but they look awesome. I saw samples on lighter skin under regular light, but I wonder how they look on tanned/olive skin w/o the blacklight.

 

[cherokee_dove]

Here is a good example of Blacklight or UV tattooing. As you can see, its only visible with the UV lighting. And you can't see anything on her arm but a blemish, and that is still in healing stage.

http://www.tattooartists.org/Img97459__Img97459_paw_.jpg.asp

 

[Bi_Kitty]

I like the idea of the Blacklight or UV tattoos. I have been wanting a tat but have to keep in mind it has to be in an area that can't be seen because of my profession that I'm going into. That might be the way I need to go. Does anyone know if they hurt more so than regular ink? Or if they cost more?

 

[serijules]

I like the idea of the Blacklight or UV tattoos. I have been wanting a tat but have to keep in mind it has to be in an area that can't be seen because of my profession that I'm going into. That might be the way I need to go. Does anyone know if they hurt more so than regular ink? Or if they cost more?

Hurt more, not at all, no difference. Cost more, yes...the ink is quite a bit more than regular ink. Not sure how much pricier.

Do research though...there is currently only one brand of UV ink that is FDA approved, with reason. Skin can react to it moreso than regular tattoo inks. I can't recall the brand that is acceptable, but I know when I was researching it and after seeing some people with blacklight tattoos that reacted to it, I did my homework.

I actually got a dot of the ink put on me to see if I reacted. Now I can't remember where the damn dot is, which is good I guess, seeing how I didn't react to it lol. I plan to get blacklight highlights added to my backpiece, just never got around to it yet.

 

[lushlucid]

both seem kinda pointless to me, i'm not under UV light all that often

i do like this one though
http://www.tattooartists.org/Img97457__Img97457_lightning.jpg.asp

 

[serijules]

both seem kinda pointless to me, i'm not under UV light all that often

i do like this one though
http://www.tattooartists.org/Img97457__Img97457_lightning.jpg.asp

We are perfectly fine with any marks she gives me being visible, but UV is a good option IMO for those that have issues with visibility. At least it would be visible if wanted rather than "imaginary" lol

Any time we go to the local dungeon, my tattoos get a lot of attention. I bet they would get even moreso with the UV highlights as most clubs and dungeons have some blacklight.

 

[cherokee_dove]

I actually got a dot of the ink put on me to see if I reacted. Now I can't remember where the damn dot is, which is good I guess, seeing how I didn't react to it lol. I plan to get blacklight highlights added to my backpiece, just never got around to it yet.

~giggling~Sorry serijules, that just made me laugh so hard the "funny tears" are rolling. ~Not laughing at you, but with you.~

 

[EmpressFi]

~giggling~Sorry serijules, that just made me laugh so hard the "funny tears" are rolling. ~Not laughing at you, but with you.~

I was just thinking of the episode of Friends where Phoebe and Rachel go to get tattooes. Rachel gets a flower and Phoebe gets a dot ~ because she chickens out from the pain...

I know Seri got the dot to test sensitivity..but that's what it made me think of

 

[serijules]

ROFL actually, there is a story very similar to that episode behind my dot.

When I got it, C my artist was prepping for another tattoo I was getting at the time. A guy walked in and asked if he could watch...I said sure. C is used to me falling asleep during tattoos as my backpiece took quite a few hours and I fell asleep almost every session as I couldn't talk to her since she was behind me and I couldn't read her lips. So I was boreeed. Point being, my pain tolerance for tattooing is very high.

She put the dot wherever the hell we put it (neither of us remember) and I SCREAMED and said, enough enough! I can't take anymore! She was giggling and stopped and made this big show of bandaging it up and everything. The guy was just confused and asked what I had gotten. I told him I just got a dot as I couldn't handle the pain but I wanted to say I had a tattoo.

We were terrible, I can't believe we did that. J, C's husband reassured the guy we were just being idiots, and he watched me get some more work done on my back.

Now when C sees me she sometimes asks me how my dot is healing and I tell her if she can let me know where it is, I'll let her know how it healed.

 

[Zaithian]

I think invisible tattoos are a good idea, though I think some people have bad reactions to the UV reactive ink, so you have to be careful when doing this. Also I do not know if you can layer this on top of a traditional tattoo.

I think it would be neat to have a regular tattoo, and when its under UV it would disappear almost and a UV tattoo would come up.

Im saving up for some tattoos Im designing for myself. Its going to be painful..and I mean painful, because its covering my back and spine.

 

[lushlucid]

We are perfectly fine with any marks she gives me being visible, but UV is a good option IMO for those that have issues with visibility. At least it would be visible if wanted rather than "imaginary" lol

Any time we go to the local dungeon, my tattoos get a lot of attention. I bet they would get even moreso with the UV highlights as most clubs and dungeons have some blacklight.

that's what i mean, i don't go clubbing or to dungeons so mine would rarely get seen

 

[YourCaptor]

UV tattoos are cool, but I don’t like it when somebody only has UV tattoos. That’s just pansy

Although fairy tattoos on ankles, and random calligraphy on the lower back, that stuff is even worse.

Invisible tattoos… ??? Theirs no such thing, the whole point of a tattoo is permanence.

 

[SweetErika]

Otto, while I was reading about UV tattoos ( Chameleon is the only company that sells the FDA-approved ink, and has a great FAQ on their site, BTW) I did stumble across a newspaper article mentioning "inkless tattoos". It said they may or may not scar (depending on the technique and individual), so that might be something you and your friend want to take the possibility of scarring into consideration.

About a month ago, some of the local radio guys were talking about semi-permanent/disappearing tattoo ink coming onto the scene. IIRC, it lasts about 10 years. One of the argued it was stupid because the whole point of a tattoo was the lifetime commitment for all intents and purposes, but I think it's an awesome idea, especially for a committed relationship. I can't find anything on this, but what is coming out soon is ink that's easier to remove.

 

[Zaithian]

I find that most tattoos that you see on people are really stupid. Most of them are of a "tribal" symbol, or some chinese character / kanji you dont even know if it really means what you say. On college campuses its the frat boy with the tribal tattoo around their arm, or the preppy girl with the lower back tattoo that looks really cheezy.

Sometimes on like LA Ink / Miami Ink they come up with some really nice things, or people ask for some nice things.

But omg most of it is pointless. They are just this huge blob of ink that looks weird, isnt a tattoo suppose to compliment or be really symbolic to the person? Im not talking about portraits or names, though I think tattooing a name of your significant other or something is a lil risky.

Personally I would love to have a demonic and angelic wing tattooed onto my back, possibly some holy scripture down my spine. And the thing is that I want it to look really nice, like very realistic, and that would be very symbolic for me. Seeing as people call me the Demonic-Angel for the way I am. I protect like an angel, but I sure as hell punish like a demon.

For the people getting only UV tattoos, I can understand seeing that if they have it in a particular location where it would be very unprofessional to see it. But why are you getting a tattoo in the first place if you are so scared to show it off? You should be proud of what you get, not hide it.

 

[EmpressFi]

ROFL actually, there is a story very similar to that episode behind my dot.

When I got it, C my artist was prepping for another tattoo I was getting at the time. A guy walked in and asked if he could watch...I said sure. C is used to me falling asleep during tattoos as my backpiece took quite a few hours and I fell asleep almost every session as I couldn't talk to her since she was behind me and I couldn't read her lips. So I was boreeed. Point being, my pain tolerance for tattooing is very high.

She put the dot wherever the hell we put it (neither of us remember) and I SCREAMED and said, enough enough! I can't take anymore! She was giggling and stopped and made this big show of bandaging it up and everything. The guy was just confused and asked what I had gotten. I told him I just got a dot as I couldn't handle the pain but I wanted to say I had a tattoo.

We were terrible, I can't believe we did that. J, C's husband reassured the guy we were just being idiots, and he watched me get some more work done on my back.

Now when C sees me she sometimes asks me how my dot is healing and I tell her if she can let me know where it is, I'll let her know how it healed.

ROFL! I love your sense of humor

 

[serijules]

Otto, while I was reading about UV tattoos ( Chameleon is the only company that sells the FDA-approved ink, and has a great FAQ on their site, BTW)

Yes, that's it! Thank you, I couldn't remember the name of it to save my life.

 

[serijules]

I find that most tattoos that you see on people are really stupid. Most of them are of a "tribal" symbol, or some chinese character / kanji you dont even know if it really means what you say. On college campuses its the frat boy with the tribal tattoo around their arm, or the preppy girl with the lower back tattoo that looks really cheezy.

Personally I would love to have a demonic and angelic wing tattooed onto my back, possibly some holy scripture down my spine. And the thing is that I want it to look really nice, like very realistic, and that would be very symbolic for me. Seeing as people call me the Demonic-Angel for the way I am. I protect like an angel, but I sure as hell punish like a demon.

Not to pick on you, but I had to laugh reading this as the wings are extremely overdone as well, often by the very same frat boys and preppy girls you speak so disdainfully of in the first paragraph.

You have no way of knowing what their tattoos mean to them. I have kanji on my leg, and not only am I 100% sure of what it says, but it's very meaningful to me because only Ma'am and I (and anyone who can actually read kanji) knows what it says unless I tell them. There is a shared secret in there that is really special to us.

I know, I know, many people get such things just to be "cool" or whatnot, but point being, you really have no way of knowing, and your choice of tattoo may be meaningful to YOU, but to some it will simply be "oh, yet another wing on back tattoo". Goes both ways.

For the people getting only UV tattoos, I can understand seeing that if they have it in a particular location where it would be very unprofessional to see it. But why are you getting a tattoo in the first place if you are so scared to show it off? You should be proud of what you get, not hide it.

For BDSM marking purposes I don't think it necessarily would be so much being "afraid" to show it off as it being a neat way to mark someone with more intimate and personal designs or words or whatnot without having to constantly explain it.

 

[SweetErika]

For the people getting only UV tattoos, I can understand seeing that if they have it in a particular location where it would be very unprofessional to see it. But why are you getting a tattoo in the first place if you are so scared to show it off? You should be proud of what you get, not hide it.

If my husband got a tattoo, it'd be something significant to us. On the practical side, a UV tattoo would allow us to do something more riske/kink-oriented without question from others AND it's more likely to be acceptable should he find himself single one day. As much as we think we'll be together for 40-50 more years, maybe we won't; I don't want him feeling like he has to have my mark removed in the future - I want it to become a part (albeit inconspicuous) of who he is.

For me, a tattoo can be a piece of art to be shown off, or it can be a very sentimental, permanent mark to be kept private. If we mark my partner, it's going to be for us; we have rings, collars and other things to show others who we are to each other. And if it's for us, who cares if it can only be seen with a blacklight?

 

[callinectes]

The UV tattos are interesting, I have never heard of such. Thanks!

 

[madetotakeit]

I agree with the thought that the whole point of a tattoo is permanence. Before I let anyone designate what will be put on my body, I'm going to be completely sure that the relationship ends I won't mind having that permanent reminder. At this time I have one tattoo. It isn't the most intricate or artistic, more simple and symbolic. It isn't a generic that was picked off a wall, thought went into each aspect. It has great meaning to me and people that know me understand that.

I do like the idea of the UV tattoo though. Something that is hidden, known by few unless you look for it. Something I identify with very strongly. It's not so much the idea of it being invisible to the naked eye, but the symbolism of the effort to look deeper.