Facial Tattoo risks
March 29, 2009 9:16 PM Subscribe
What would the drawbacks be of getting freckles tattooed on the bridge and cheek area of the face?
I have spoken with over 50 tattoo artists (cosmetic and non) wherein 70% of them would agree to do it, but some don't.
- Explanations that do not deter are: they will fade to an odd color, they will be dark at first, they can stretch. (These are not any different than any tattoo risk)
- Explanations that I do not completely understand: Something regarding if I were in an accident and the hospital has to use a special x ray on me, it would discolor the tattooed area forever to a dark purple.
Any further explanation of the above would be appreciated as well as additional issues I may need to be aware of.
I have spoken with over 50 tattoo artists (cosmetic and non) wherein 70% of them would agree to do it, but some don't.
- Explanations that do not deter are: they will fade to an odd color, they will be dark at first, they can stretch. (These are not any different than any tattoo risk)
- Explanations that I do not completely understand: Something regarding if I were in an accident and the hospital has to use a special x ray on me, it would discolor the tattooed area forever to a dark purple.
Any further explanation of the above would be appreciated as well as additional issues I may need to be aware of.
Yeah, the risks with freckle tattoos are the same as risk with other tattoos except that you want them to look like freckles. And they won't, after a while. And that will look odd on your face. A topless mermaid on your arm will still be a topless mermaid even if it gets stretched out or turns purple or whatever. The same can't be said for stretched-out, purple freckles. On your face.
posted by katillathehun at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
posted by katillathehun at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
i kind of agree wit optimus. if you're trying to get natural looking freckles, this is definitely not the way to do it. you'll end up looking like the girl in the Wendy's logo
posted by Think_Long at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
posted by Think_Long at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
Drawbacks? Well: they're tattoos and it's your face. There's really no mystery there.
Or... what Optimus Chyme said.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
Or... what Optimus Chyme said.
posted by You Should See the Other Guy at 9:30 PM on March 29, 2009
A lot of tattoo artists don't like to do faces at all. There's what Optimus Chyme said; there's the fact that it has in the past been illegal in some jurisdictions to tattoo faces (not sure if it still is illegal anywhere); and there's the fear that a customer might blame (and sue) the tattoo artist for any subsequent issue affecting the facial muscles, even if the real cause is something like Bell's Palsy (an almost-always-benign viral infection).
Why have you spoken to 50 artists? I would think that if you had 35 artists who were up for it to choose from it, that one of them would do a fine job. Heck, most if not all of them would do a fine job.
I feel like there's more to this question somehow. Are you telling these folks that you've asked 49 other tattoo artists about this? I know a couple of folks in the industry who will rush someone like that out the door--they believe that someone who gets more than 3 opinions or so will never actually get the tattoo. So if you did mention your many consultations, that might account for some of the brushoffs you're getting.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:36 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Why have you spoken to 50 artists? I would think that if you had 35 artists who were up for it to choose from it, that one of them would do a fine job. Heck, most if not all of them would do a fine job.
I feel like there's more to this question somehow. Are you telling these folks that you've asked 49 other tattoo artists about this? I know a couple of folks in the industry who will rush someone like that out the door--they believe that someone who gets more than 3 opinions or so will never actually get the tattoo. So if you did mention your many consultations, that might account for some of the brushoffs you're getting.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:36 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
I see I have answered this question completely wrong. I thought you were asking why the tattoo artists who said "no" said "no".
If you want my opinion about whether or not this is a good idea, my opinion is that it's a horrible and ridiculous idea.
I also don't think you're going to do it, because you've talked with 35 willing tattoo artists and you haven't done it yet. That may be a record.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:40 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
If you want my opinion about whether or not this is a good idea, my opinion is that it's a horrible and ridiculous idea.
I also don't think you're going to do it, because you've talked with 35 willing tattoo artists and you haven't done it yet. That may be a record.
posted by Sidhedevil at 9:40 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
Getting that area tattooed will hurt so very much - thin skin, sensitive area. I don't know if this is your first tattoo or not but there's always risk of infection and scarring... so you could end up with whitish or reddish blots on your face instead of brown freckles.
Natural freckles darken and fade like the rest of your skin, so odds are in the wintertime you're going to have unnaturally dark freckles or in the summer you're not going to see them if you tan. Either way it's not going to look the way you're hoping it will.
If you're so gung-ho on getting freckles, I suggest you a) try a tattoo in that brown color you want for your freckles somewhere else on your body first, and b) use henna on your face to make freckles and try them out that way instead.
posted by lizbunny at 9:44 PM on March 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
Natural freckles darken and fade like the rest of your skin, so odds are in the wintertime you're going to have unnaturally dark freckles or in the summer you're not going to see them if you tan. Either way it's not going to look the way you're hoping it will.
If you're so gung-ho on getting freckles, I suggest you a) try a tattoo in that brown color you want for your freckles somewhere else on your body first, and b) use henna on your face to make freckles and try them out that way instead.
posted by lizbunny at 9:44 PM on March 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
One of my best friends had freckles tattooed onto his face before I met him. I never knew they were not real until he told me about them 10 years into the friendship. YMMV, however.
There are a lot of risks with facial tattoos. Discoloration and distortion would be my primary concerns. You would need to go to a tattoo artist who is very experienced in these types of tattoos. For that reason, you may want to consider someone who does cosmetic tattoos, like the permanent eyeliner type stuff, or consult with a plastic surgeon who works with someone for reconstructive tattooing (for example, tattooing an areola on a reconstructed breast). Or, get some "test" freckles on the back of your hand and live with them for a couple of years.
Anyway, though I don't have as... strong a reaction to this idea as many of the above commenters, it's your face. This should not be taken lightly.
posted by bedhead at 9:51 PM on March 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
There are a lot of risks with facial tattoos. Discoloration and distortion would be my primary concerns. You would need to go to a tattoo artist who is very experienced in these types of tattoos. For that reason, you may want to consider someone who does cosmetic tattoos, like the permanent eyeliner type stuff, or consult with a plastic surgeon who works with someone for reconstructive tattooing (for example, tattooing an areola on a reconstructed breast). Or, get some "test" freckles on the back of your hand and live with them for a couple of years.
Anyway, though I don't have as... strong a reaction to this idea as many of the above commenters, it's your face. This should not be taken lightly.
posted by bedhead at 9:51 PM on March 29, 2009 [3 favorites]
I don't get the impression at all that the original poster intends to do it, I think they just want to know... honestly, so do I, now. So everyone chill out. I have considered getting a tattoo that just looked like moles to be a constellation, but since I already have a ton of moles it would be tough to position them where they would stand out. Has anybody done this before? "Case studies" as it were, would be interesting.
posted by SputnikSweetheart at 9:53 PM on March 29, 2009
posted by SputnikSweetheart at 9:53 PM on March 29, 2009
IANAD but, regarding the x-ray portion of your question, I was questioned pretty closely about tattoos and permanent makeup before an MRI. Googling suggests that this may be less of an issue or a perhaps even a non-issue with newer tattoo inks but I wonder if MRIs were what the person mentioning "special x rays" was getting at.
posted by Morrigan at 10:01 PM on March 29, 2009
posted by Morrigan at 10:01 PM on March 29, 2009
To me, this doesn't sound much different from getting permanent make-up. As with any tattoo, but particularly a facial tattoo, you'd want to look for an artist who is experienced in this type of work.
Also, I imagine the tattoo would have mostly red pigments. You might want to ask the artist to do a small patch test first, within your hairline, to test for red ink allergy.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:05 PM on March 29, 2009
Also, I imagine the tattoo would have mostly red pigments. You might want to ask the artist to do a small patch test first, within your hairline, to test for red ink allergy.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:05 PM on March 29, 2009
Facial tattoos are often a little disconcerting. But I fail to see why tattoos of freckles (a natural dermatological feature) would inherently condemn you to carny work.
So many people have facial tattoos that are purely cosmetic (permanent eyeliner, eyebrow tattoos, correction of disfiguring skin color aberrations, etc), that it's ludicrous to claim that simply because a tattoo is on your face, that it will drastically limit your career and life choices.
(And I would also be surprised if cosmetic facial tattoos were widely illegal; certainly this WebMD article doesn't paint that picture.)
It's not as if you're asking to get a flaming dagger or an anatomical heart engraved into your cheek. We're talking about freckles, here.
That said, you should not do this, because every artist who has turned you down is right about the drawbacks. And because if you aggressively pursue such a weird, unnecessary quirk of vanity, and have freckles installed on your face, people are going to justifiably wonder if you're a little bit looney tunes.
SputnikSweetheart: Perhaps people are worried the OP is really considering this, because they have spoken to so freaking many tattoo artists about the matter.
posted by Coatlicue at 10:09 PM on March 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
So many people have facial tattoos that are purely cosmetic (permanent eyeliner, eyebrow tattoos, correction of disfiguring skin color aberrations, etc), that it's ludicrous to claim that simply because a tattoo is on your face, that it will drastically limit your career and life choices.
(And I would also be surprised if cosmetic facial tattoos were widely illegal; certainly this WebMD article doesn't paint that picture.)
It's not as if you're asking to get a flaming dagger or an anatomical heart engraved into your cheek. We're talking about freckles, here.
That said, you should not do this, because every artist who has turned you down is right about the drawbacks. And because if you aggressively pursue such a weird, unnecessary quirk of vanity, and have freckles installed on your face, people are going to justifiably wonder if you're a little bit looney tunes.
SputnikSweetheart: Perhaps people are worried the OP is really considering this, because they have spoken to so freaking many tattoo artists about the matter.
posted by Coatlicue at 10:09 PM on March 29, 2009 [2 favorites]
if you want to get a devil ass-raping jesus on your forehead, i don't care. go for it. i love tattoos.
however, since what you are looking for falls more into the line of cosmetic tattooing, i would be sure to go to a cosmetic artist to get this done. the skills and techniques needed to make eyebrows or nipples (for women who've had mastectomies, pervs) look realistic are different from the skills needed to make a bitchin' dragon.
as others have said, the biggest risk with this is that the freckles wouldn't look realistic all the time. my freckles get darker in the summer and lighter in the winter, wheras yours would be the same color all year round.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:32 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
however, since what you are looking for falls more into the line of cosmetic tattooing, i would be sure to go to a cosmetic artist to get this done. the skills and techniques needed to make eyebrows or nipples (for women who've had mastectomies, pervs) look realistic are different from the skills needed to make a bitchin' dragon.
as others have said, the biggest risk with this is that the freckles wouldn't look realistic all the time. my freckles get darker in the summer and lighter in the winter, wheras yours would be the same color all year round.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:32 PM on March 29, 2009 [1 favorite]
as an aside, tattoo pigments used to--and many still do--have a rather high metal content. which is why people are OMG NEVER GET A TATTOO U WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO HAVE AN MRI EVERS!! which, you know, whatever.
some colors are traditionally higher in metal content than others (i can't remember off hand right now though).
pigment technology has changed over the years, but there's no FDA or any other agency regulating or supervising the ink. there's many different brands and distributors and even your artist has no idea what's in the ink a lot of times. so, your tattoo may or may not be a problem for an mri machine.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:36 PM on March 29, 2009
some colors are traditionally higher in metal content than others (i can't remember off hand right now though).
pigment technology has changed over the years, but there's no FDA or any other agency regulating or supervising the ink. there's many different brands and distributors and even your artist has no idea what's in the ink a lot of times. so, your tattoo may or may not be a problem for an mri machine.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 10:36 PM on March 29, 2009
Because people will be asking you "Why on earth do you have unrealistic freckles tattooed on your face?" for the rest of your life. If that isn't enough to put you off then wire in.
posted by fire&wings at 2:59 AM on March 30, 2009
posted by fire&wings at 2:59 AM on March 30, 2009
Well, I have a couple of tattoos and they always advise you to keep it covered from the sun ...how would you do that on your face? Just curious....
posted by LiquidKarma at 3:31 AM on March 30, 2009
posted by LiquidKarma at 3:31 AM on March 30, 2009
I have lines of Braille dots stretching up the side of my torso from hip to armpit which were done, originally, in brown ink to look like freckles/moles; I wanted it to have the appearance of looking organic.
It's now about a decade later, one touchup, and ZERO sun exposure, and here's what's happened:
It's a terrible idea. Go the henna route.
posted by Westringia F. at 4:25 AM on March 30, 2009 [7 favorites]
It's now about a decade later, one touchup, and ZERO sun exposure, and here's what's happened:
- The orangy tones in the brown pigment have faded faster than the reddish tones, giving them a pinkish brown color;
- The edges have bled slightly, making the dots less "crisp" looking. They're not badly diffuse (certainly within normal -- even good -- range for 10-yr-old ink), but they don't look like the prefectly defined spots that my real freckles/moles are;
- The fading/diffusing is quite obviously a function of how much my skin moves; the dots on my waist are lighter than those on my hip;
- The combined effect of 1 & 2 is to make them look like light and angry/irritated freckles. They look a little like small burns, the kind you might get on your arm if the oil in your pan splatters a little.
It's a terrible idea. Go the henna route.
posted by Westringia F. at 4:25 AM on March 30, 2009 [7 favorites]
ps Feel free to memail me if you want more info/pics.
posted by Westringia F. at 4:28 AM on March 30, 2009
posted by Westringia F. at 4:28 AM on March 30, 2009
They'll look fine and real. Go to someone experienced with cosmetic tattooing.
I've been in the tattoo industry for 15+ years btw.
posted by glider at 5:05 AM on March 30, 2009
I've been in the tattoo industry for 15+ years btw.
posted by glider at 5:05 AM on March 30, 2009
SputnikSweetheart: Perhaps people are worried the OP is really considering this, because they have spoken to so freaking many tattoo artists about the matter.
The whole thing seems weird to me given the information we have. If the OP isn't considering it, why waste so many tattoo artists' time discussing it? If the OP is considering it, why waste so many tattoo artists' time discussing it?
I still think there is some missing piece to the puzzle. Or maybe I am just being dense.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:35 AM on March 30, 2009
The whole thing seems weird to me given the information we have. If the OP isn't considering it, why waste so many tattoo artists' time discussing it? If the OP is considering it, why waste so many tattoo artists' time discussing it?
I still think there is some missing piece to the puzzle. Or maybe I am just being dense.
posted by Sidhedevil at 7:35 AM on March 30, 2009
Response by poster: I've spoken with so many artists because this is something I've been considering for over 7 years. I have not gone through with it simply because I have not spoken to enough "case studies" and gotten a specific recommendation of an artist for this type of thing. The reason I am looking into it again is because I now live in LA and have access to more cosmetic tattoo artists. I was also waiting to see how the technology of tattoo correction develops. I'm a little surprised at some of these laconic and reactionary responses (facial cosmetic tattooing is a thriving industry) but a lot of this information is so very helpful. Here is some missing and plus information:
- Yes, the MRI was one of the issues that I heard that I was most concerned with. Looks like I'll need to do some research on these new inks.
- As for fading, there obviously will be some sun exposure, but I wear SPF 40 on my face every day and am not terribly active outside, but retouches are definitely something to think about.
- I have tried henna and have done it several times. It's a lot of work and doesn't last long. I also pencil them on, so I am known socially as somebody with freckles that do not change with season. They looks absolutely real (even in close-focus photographs) and nobody has ever known the difference.
Does anybody know where I could find photo examples of this on the internet or have recommendations in the LA area? Thanks so much.
As for those of you that think it is a vapid and vain thing to do.... keep this in mind..... I'm a pale redhead.... that's like a cake with the flour and egg...... with no frosting.
posted by ilovehistory at 9:00 AM on March 30, 2009
- Yes, the MRI was one of the issues that I heard that I was most concerned with. Looks like I'll need to do some research on these new inks.
- As for fading, there obviously will be some sun exposure, but I wear SPF 40 on my face every day and am not terribly active outside, but retouches are definitely something to think about.
- I have tried henna and have done it several times. It's a lot of work and doesn't last long. I also pencil them on, so I am known socially as somebody with freckles that do not change with season. They looks absolutely real (even in close-focus photographs) and nobody has ever known the difference.
Does anybody know where I could find photo examples of this on the internet or have recommendations in the LA area? Thanks so much.
As for those of you that think it is a vapid and vain thing to do.... keep this in mind..... I'm a pale redhead.... that's like a cake with the flour and egg...... with no frosting.
posted by ilovehistory at 9:00 AM on March 30, 2009
What would the drawbacks be of getting ... tattooed?
In a few years, you may think your tattoo makes you look like a moron.
Some people will think this immediately.
posted by Rash at 1:35 PM on March 30, 2009
In a few years, you may think your tattoo makes you look like a moron.
Some people will think this immediately.
posted by Rash at 1:35 PM on March 30, 2009
Here's a friend that's had this done. You could email him about his if you want...
http://blog.r00b0t.com/
posted by glider at 12:03 PM on March 31, 2009
http://blog.r00b0t.com/
posted by glider at 12:03 PM on March 31, 2009
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 9:25 PM on March 29, 2009 [29 favorites]