This sucks for everyone with the old permanent model
Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
61–70 of 145 posts
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#62Long long ago I was a tattoo artist. With very careful needle adjustments, color choices, and a steady hand, this is already possible with conventional inks. Simple example: white ink is titanium oxide, basically sunscreen, and breaks down rapidly with exposure to UV. But you are still gonna have scarring and roughening. If you're gonna get ink, be prepared to have it for life. Also, testing on pigs? Like, live pigs?…
> Also, testing on pigs? Like, live pigs? I'd pay money to see that. :) Disgusting and shameful behavior, I can't believe that attitudes like this still exist.
Can't blame someone for finding pigs getting tattoos quite amusing. :-) You know full well that it's not a big deal and you're just making edgy comments for the sake of edgy comments.
For fuck sake dude, it's a pig. If you actually care about living things, do something about the slave labor used to source raw materials for the computer you wrote that on. I'm going to guess your conviction is about living creatures in pain, not about pigs in particular. One of these is much more disgusting than the other. Honestly who gives a flying fuck about a pig getting a tattoo.
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#63Earlier quoted context omitted.
Safety is definitely the number 1 concern. I'm not sure how long trials will need to run before they can confirm there is no increased cancer risk. Also a concern. If it's gone in a year, what does it look like in 6 months? Are you going to look like you have a nasty blob-bruise for 6 months as the definition fades and the ink migrates?
Tattoo inks are not regulated by the FDA, so on a regulatory level this isn't a problem, but consumers may be concerned obviously.
On the other hand, if they do start giving people cancer or something the FDA probably would step in. The reason they don't currently is (presumably) just lack of evidence that there's a problem.
It's probably worth keeping future regulation in mind for them, lest they accidentally get themselves regulated out of business.
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#64About ten years ago, I remember an article about a special tattoo ink that was encased in laser-sensitive capsules. When irradiated, the capsules burst and the ink was absorbed virtually completely. The thing that outraged me was that they were having a hard time selling it, as tattoo "artists" were refusing to have their "creations" be removed at the user's behest. Most artists were even refusing to tell their customers that removable ink was an option.
Since criminals don't have resumes, tattoos used to be their signaling mechanisms. As suburban kids began to make that signalling useless, a few years ago I read that criminals had moved on to painful eyelid tattoos. A quick Google search shows that didn't slow the posers down very much. I wonder how criminals signal how badass they are these days?
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#65If this really works, getting a tattoo will be no more edgy than getting your hair dyed. Tattoos will rapidly fall out of fashion.
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#66$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.
But also a lot of inferior talent flooding the market, and lowered artistic standards since it's impermanent. I predict a ton of shitty tattoos if this takes off.
Meanwhile, my tattoo artist still keeps a huge blade in his drawer from when parlors in NYC were illegal, and prime targets for robberies. To be an artist then required a commitment.
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#67You 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.
Yup. The prevalence of scars is also fairly unknown because, well, the tattoos are covering them up.
Wouldn't the scars show up after laser removal, effectively making laser removal moot?
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#68Long long ago I was a tattoo artist. With very careful needle adjustments, color choices, and a steady hand, this is already possible with conventional inks. Simple example: white ink is titanium oxide, basically sunscreen, and breaks down rapidly with exposure to UV. But you are still gonna have scarring and roughening. If you're gonna get ink, be prepared to have it for life. Also, testing on pigs? Like, live pigs?…
> Also, testing on pigs? Like, live pigs? I'd pay money to see that. :) Disgusting and shameful behavior, I can't believe that attitudes like this still exist.
[deleted]
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#69One 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?
The problem isn't being certain that's what you'll want in a year. Every tattoo parlor, car dealership, and wedding chapel has plenty of people who are certain. The problem is being right.
Re: Ephemeral is developing tattoo ink designed to disappear after a year
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
So? Get permanent tattoos. I don't want anything permanent on me, but I'd consider a non-permanent solution, so this is perfect for me.
"So" it's a fundamental change to a thousands-of-years-old art form.
... he types into an edit box, eschewing millennia of literary tradition.