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Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

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Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#21

Post by zck »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #10
zck wrote: post #8

One interesting use for this would be to get a tattoo you think you want to be permanent, and then when it fades, decide if you liked it enough to get it redone with permanent ink.

Your doubling the cost of a tattoo though and they're already pretty expensive. Wouldn't it make more sense to just be certain you want one before you get it and save hundreds of dollars?

> Wouldn't it make more sense to just be certain you want one before you get it and save hundreds of dollars?

Sure. But how can you be certain? I have no idea what it's like to have a tattoo, or whether I'd regret it. Would I be too self-conscious about having it? Or would I enjoy seeing it in the dark?

I've had one specific one in mind for most of my life, but I don't know if I want it. If I were able to get a fading one, I'd be way more likely to jump on it. The increased cost is nothing compared to being able to decide if I actually like the damn thing.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#22

Post by scott_s »

mbillie1 wrote: post #15
k-mcgrady wrote: post #7

$50-100 for an average sized tattoo. So that's the price before you even pay the artist to do the work. Quite a big premium. I'd say the 'average' sized tattoo (something large on your bicep but not fully covering it or wrapping around it) is probably $300 and most of that cost is labour. Add the price of this expensive ink and you're paying $350-400 - for something that's going to disappear after a year.

Not to nitpick but $50-100 buys you typically an extremely small, single-color tattoo in many places. My last tattoo was a simple flag about 2x3" with 3 colors and a geometric design and cost around $120. Not sure what an "average" size tattoo is, but you're already looking at $350-400 for say, a 3x6" full color tattoo of any appreciable complexity.

I think you misunderstood k-mcgrady. The $50-100 is for the new ink, as per the company developing it. k-mcgrady quoted about the same as you for the existing cost for a tattoo.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#23

Post by jbpetersen »

CitizenKane wrote: post #4

I'm torn. On one hand, this invention will keep a lot of people from making the very common mistake of getting ink they don't like and can't remove. On the other hand, a beautiful part of this art form is that it is basically permanent. To my mind, a tattoo loses a lot of its value of it's only temporary.

As an outsider, my expectations are that a lot of current tattoo culture will migrate to other/newer forms of body modification.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#24

Post by jbpetersen »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #7

$50-100 for an average sized tattoo. So that's the price before you even pay the artist to do the work. Quite a big premium. I'd say the 'average' sized tattoo (something large on your bicep but not fully covering it or wrapping around it) is probably $300 and most of that cost is labour. Add the price of this expensive ink and you're paying $350-400 - for something that's going to disappear after a year.

If tattoos are suddenly much more accessible, then there's going to be a lot more competition driving the price down, including a lot more opportunity for people to gain experience tattooing.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#25

Post by solipsism »

Oh good, even more barbed wire biceps, carp sleeves, black fore-arm stars, "tribal" patterns on white dudes, spiderwebs, hummingbirds, infinity symbols, and other ways for people to show how eager they are to express their "individuality"!

Edit: Down-vote me if I offend your tattooed rebellious self-image, it's fine, but there's a real point to be made. This technology will lead to a lot more tattoos, and a lot more homogeneity and poor designs. I know people with tattoos that most people would actually call legitimate "art", and I know some of them wouldn't be particularly thrilled by the further "watering down" of what they consider an important part of their identity.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#26

Post by turbostyler »

k-mcgrady wrote: post #7

$50-100 for an average sized tattoo. So that's the price before you even pay the artist to do the work. Quite a big premium. I'd say the 'average' sized tattoo (something large on your bicep but not fully covering it or wrapping around it) is probably $300 and most of that cost is labour. Add the price of this expensive ink and you're paying $350-400 - for something that's going to disappear after a year.

It's a very big premium indeed. I have a half-sleeve that I've spent around $2000 on. Sure it's "cool" that I could replace it with something else, but would I have sat through all those hours and spent all that money for something that was going to disappear in a year? Absolutely not.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#27

Post by tvmalsv »

You would probably still want to be selective about which tattoos you get and where they are placed. Each session can create scar tissue which could be noticeable even if the ink fades completely, and it can be harder to tattoo over scar tissue as well.

Scarring isn't guaranteed, and to a large extent depends on the artist knowing what they're doing, but still something to consider.

Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year

#28

Post by CX4048 »

zck wrote: post #21
k-mcgrady wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your doubling the cost of a tattoo though and they're already pretty expensive. Wouldn't it make more sense to just be certain you want one before you get it and save hundreds of dollars?

> Wouldn't it make more sense to just be certain you want one before you get it and save hundreds of dollars? Sure. But how can you be certain? I have no idea what it's like to have a tattoo, or whether I'd regret it. Would I be too self-conscious about having it? Or would I enjoy seeing it in the dark? I've had one specific one in mind for most of my life, but I don't know if I want it. If I were able to get a fadin…

Just get a henna tattoo of what you are wanting. If you don't miss it after it's gone, then don't get the tattoo. Pretty straight forward and shorter waiting period for evaluation.

I jumped the gun and got mine having been in the same predicament and don't regret it. Having thought about it for years, it was easy with just a little nudge.

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