Perhaps that's why more and more seniors are starting to ask, why should kids have all the fun? These days, nearly one in twenty people who get their first tattoo are over the age of 60. If that number seems small, it's important to remember that number would have been close to zero only a few decades ago.
A Senior's Guide to Getting Tattooed. If you never got that “Mom” tattoo because Mom called it an eyesore, you're in luck: You can still get a tattoo at age 80! However, there are a few factors about tattooing that seniors should keep in mind. Here are some things to consider before going under the needle.
Minors under the age of 18 may not get a tattoo without parental consent. A parent or guardian must either give written, notarized consent for a body piercing or be present during the procedure.
Crepey skin can be tattooed, with some caveats. Because crepey skin occurs where the skin has lost collagen and elastin, it's looser and saggy. Tattooing loose skin can be tricky because the image will stretch along with the skin, so that portrait of a mermaid may end up looking like an eel-lady.
Another factor of tattoo aging is dependent on the location of your tattoo. This has a big effect on tattoos because the artwork can be compromised as your skin wrinkles and sags. Outlines may get muddled, colours will fade, and the original ink might not be discernable.
Certain tattoo styles that use black and/or grey ink, such as Tribal tattoos, Greyscale tattoos, and American Traditional tattoos (as well as bold lettering or Zodiac tattoos) are known to age well. These different tattoo styles feature bold, detailed linework that is deeply injected into the skin.
1 Your Inner Forearms
The inner forearm, also known as “the next place Marci wants a tattoo,” is more or less the only area on the arm that can effectively avoid signs of aging. “The proximal [upper] arms can stretch and contract significantly with changes in both muscle and fat, Dr. Kraffert explains.
Staying well hydrated leading up to being tattooed, will put your skin in better condition. It helps your skin become more resilient which helps allow the tattoo ink application easier. Also, do not forget to moisturize your skin prior to your tattoo session.
Shoulders and Calves:
These areas are great in that they avoid many of the problems with aging like stretching and wrinkles. If you get pregnant, your shoulder tattoo will be just fine. These are other locations that are generally easy to cover from the sun and others, but can also be shown off nicely.
Tattoos naturally hurt, but the pain doesn't benefit the process in any way. There are numbing products you can use, as well as design, size, and placement decisions to minimize the pain you feel during a tattoo. If you'd prefer not to be in pain, you're a rational human being.
You must be aged 18 or over to get a tattoo. A tattoo studio may ask for proof of age if they think you are under 18. It's illegal to tattoo a person under 18—even if your parent or guardian agrees.
Otherwise, there's no reason for any healthy individual, be you from the Baby Boomer generation of Generation X, to miss out on getting inked. Whether you're 40, 60, or 80 (kudos!) getting your first tattoo later in life can be a great way to celebrate your life, so don't hesitate any longer.
Choose a design that will work with you — and your skin: Fragile skin also means that the kind of intricate designs younger people get are far more difficult to do on seniors. With this in mind, it's better to choose a design that's bold and simple, and a design that won't take a dozen separate sessions to complete.
Our skin becomes thinner as we age and its elasticity also reduces. The more exposure you've had to the sun over the years, the thinner your skin may become, and this can affect how painful it is to get a tattoo. Aim for your stronger or fattier areas of your body to help ease any discomfort.
Buff the Rough Spots Out. Once your tattoo has completely healed, you can start exfoliating (if you aren't sure if your tattoo is completely healed, just ask your tattoo artist). Exfoliating just means polishing off the dead skin cells for the clearest look at the tattoo design underneath the surface.
Drink a lot of water during the week; avoid alcohol for at least 24 hours before getting tattooed. Please do not shave the area; we will do it for you at your appointment. Avoid aspirin or blood thinning medication at least 24 hours before your tattoo; ibuprofen, acetaminophen, & other NSAID pain relievers are OK.
Meet the couple who have been crowned the World's most tattooed OAPs four times in a row. Charlotte Guttenberg, 76, and Charles Helmke, 81, from Melbourne, Florida, have spent a combined 2,000 hours in the tattooist's chair in order to ink their bodies.
Those attracted to women saw a three-way tie between the upper back, shoulder and hips (with a 3.3 rating). The back: a top-rated tattoo location for women and men. The hip: a top-rated tattoo location for women. The upper arm: a top-rated tattoo location for men.
Here are the most and least painful spots to get inked. Tattoo pain will vary depending on your age, sex, and pain threshold. The most painful spots to get a tattoo are your ribs, spine, fingers, and shins. The least painful spots to get a tattoo are your forearms, stomach, and outer thighs.
Tattoos can stretch and change shape, especially when it comes to more intricate patterns. The brittleness of aging skin may cause stretch marks and damage tattoo design.
You should expect your upper arm and abdomen to sag more as you age, which can affect how a tattoo in those areas would look. "Shoulders and ankles have tight skin, and the skin does not sag and become as loose over time, unlike the upper arm or abdomen," Edgar Fincher, a dermatologist, told Allure.
Lighter inks like yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and any pastel tones tend to fade a bit more quickly than darker inks. Some white inks and pastel inks have trouble lasting longer than five years. Watercolor tattoos also tend to fade faster as the ink is lightly colored and very fine.