h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

After 30-some years of ideas, all discarded, I finally settled on the right idea for my first and only tattoo. Well applied not yet 5 years ago.

About 6 months ago, I noticed a "hole" in an outer border line. Not faded, simply skin without ink.

7 weeks ago, a pacemaker/defibrillator was slipped under the skin and directly behind the tattoo, slightly deforming it but no other harm. During close inspection of the surgical wound (poorly done), I noticed that 'hole' in the tattoo edge is larger, there is another such hole elsewhere, and maybe 100 white dots across the spread of the colours.

I know that colours can fade over years, but has anyone else had the ink simply go away?

That's okay, I forgot how quiet h2g2 has become ... and I got some informative answers from FaceBook friends.

I have no knowledge of tattoos could it be a skin change?
Is there a touch up service available ?

Oh and what causes tattoos to fade over time.

Fade can be time, biology and quality of work and materials. Disappearance is often caused by serious conditions and circumstances that can dry out skin. Psoriasis is a major cause. For me, it was that 4 months or so when every ounce of water in me was depleted and deposited in my legs and abdomen. A look in the mirror was a horror, everything shrunk and tight to every bone. I have recovered 20 of the lost 45 pounds of weight, but I am still pretty dry. Needing a pretty heavy dose of diuretics so that my lungs don't float and then bog down when horizontal

Sounds grim

The only thing I know about Tattoo is that he said "The plane, the plane!} at the beginning of every episode of "Fantasy Island."

Actually, I know one other thing: it's very expensive to get rid of tattoos that you don't want any more. if you're losing your tattoo for free, I think you should consider yourself fortunate.

If this Canadian student's tattoo removal creme ever makes it to market, tattoo removal could become painless and inexpensive.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/alec-falkenham-dalhousie-student-develops-tattoo-removal-cream-1.2955334

Last autumn I tried to have a small tattoo "fixed" and have a background added. This was my "42" tattoo and I was going to add the h2g2 logo. Unfortunately the "artist" was completely inept and what I'm left with looks more like a "captcha". It's completely unrecognizable now.

I'll be investing in this creme as soon as it hits the shelves and have the whole tattoo redone by someone with some actual skill and talent.

As for what could make spots in a tattoo disappear, I just wonder if this article could be a clue. Maybe it is an immune response.

The tat was and is fairly tasteful (my opinion) and one that I was pleased to wear for a lifetime. And held up very well until some months after my health went down the drain. Any tattoo for someone with any degree of heart failure is not advised, and this one does now have a tin of electronics right behind it. So I expect any touch-ups would be a very bad idea.

Interesting notion, that removal cream idea ... the traditional methods are reputed to be very painful and not entirely successful for a lot of ink colours.

Isn't the whole point of tattoos that they are permanent?

Tattooists would need find some other indelible method.

Behind every piece of ink there's a story, even the holes tell a tale. I lost part of a wolfs tooth after a bad electric shock, won't cover due to damaged skin! Hope your health gets back on track.

>>Isn't the whole point of tattoos that they are permanent?

I think there's lots of different reasons.

On a related subject, I always think it's anomalous that organisations like the police are permitted to discriminate against employing people with tattoos, when essentially they are discriminating on the basis of skin colour.

I didn't realise this would be a tattoo thread! and that tat ink could disappear - what a surprise!

The permanence is fundamental, though. The commitment and trust that the recipient needs to show is finely counterbalanced by the skills and artistry of the tattooist.

When you wear one, you are making any of a number of statements, but one has to be your commitment to the process.

Make them impermanent, and the whole thing collapses.

I have been of the understanding that the process was meant to be permanent - even with fading and 'deformation' from an aging body. I had dozens of notions over the years before I settled on a personal creation that I thought expressed "me", and despite the inks only be a very few cell-layers under the skin, it was expected to always be there. (Heck, mine is even employed as an attraction in a novel!)

But I guess that as the ink is so close to the surface, extreme conditions or topical efforts might eradicate the effort.

As a side note, I also did a fair bit of reading (some too late) and learned that most removal methods involve lasers to break down the ink so that the biology will assimilate and eradicate. How-ever, that does apparently only work for certain colours and types of ink.

In most cases requiring tattoo removal it's cheaper for your new girlfriend to change her name by deed poll. She'd understand.

Shameless plug!,

http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A87804354