Glow in the Dark and UV Tattoos

 

Lately it has been trendy to want glow in the dark tattoos. You see all the photos online and think that a glow in the dark tattoo is the tattoo you want. This is a style that became popular in the 90's and people are still interested in it today. There are some serious considerations that you need to take if you think this is the type of tattoo that you want. 

Glow in the dark, or UV tattoos are made with bright fluorescent colors that can be difficult to see in daylight. But truth be told these types of tattoos do not truly glow in the dark. Most require a blacklight in order to get the effect of glowing. One of the questions you need to ask yourself is if you will under a black light enough to have it be worth it to get this kind of tattoo. If you don't plan on carrying a black light in your back pocket you might want to reconsider this as a tattoo as the ink is usually not as visible under normal light. 

Other considerations are the safety of UV ink. When this style first became popular some tattooers were using ink solutions that contained phosphorous. Phosphorous in some forms is toxic and the side effects can be many including blistering, burning sensations, and painful skin rashes. This technique of using ink solutions was deemed dangers and since then there has been a change in inks that can still create that glow that reacts to UV light. It has to be noted that the FDA has not approved the use of phosphorous based inks or the use of UV ink being safe for humans. There have been no reliable studies done to fully conclude on the safety for tattooing humans. 

While there has been a change to non phosphorous inks and the risks associated are low, it is still extremely important to do your research and find a reliable tattooer that can do this type of tattoo safely. As mentioned before The FDA does not regulate tattoo inks so there is always a possibility of artists still using unsafe inks. Furthermore not every tattooer wants to create glow in the dark tattoos because they feel the risks are too high to create a safe tattoo. Here at Lucky Bamboo we do not offer that type of tattoo because we have not found a safe ink to use and do not want to take that chance. If you do find a reliable shop that offers that type of tattoo, make sure to ask if the ink that they are using is safe.

Overall this trend of glow in the dark or UV tattoos seems fun, but the risks might not be worth it.