One of the most common questions I get asked is, “will I need a touch-up session?” And most likely, the answer is yes. The reason being is that when I’m matching an ink pigment, I’m blending a color that will best suit your skin tone, but as you heal, your undertone will play a huge factor in the overall hue of your pigment.
Undertones are comprised from the hues of your veins, blood, melanin production and I’d even say the elasticity and thickness of your skin. As you age, your skin will become more translucent (in other words, you’ll be able to see your veins more clearly) and so that can affect the original pigment inserted in your skin.
My approach is always to go more conservative on the first session, and then revise and perfect on the second or third touch up. The good news is that the touch up is often a lot shorter than your first session.
Your first session lays out the foundation, whereas in the touch up, I’m usually touching up certain areas or even lightening or darkening a bit based on how your undertones reveal themselves through the healing process.
Your undertone is one of the most important things to consider when it comes to selecting tattoo colors because of the layers of skin. When you run your hands across your skin, that’s the surface layer known as the epidermis. Even though your tattoo will look like it is sitting on the surface of your skin, the ink will actually be on a deeper skin layer, called the dermis.
The dermis is where your tattoo’s ink particles will live, but it’s also where you’ll find your melanin. In fact, the melanin is in the upper layer of your dermis, above the layer that houses your tattoo ink. That means your melanin, which gives your skin its natural complexion, lies between your tattoo and the surface of your skin. So, if you want your tattoo to come out looking the way it should, you need to factor in your complexion (the undertone) and how your tattoo’s colors will look after they’re filtered through it.
Unfortunately, I can’t predict how much or how little your undertones will play into the final results of your scar camouflage, but I do know that it will affect it – and so without a doubt, you’ll want to book your touch up session knowing that a few minor tweaks can really make all the difference.
Interested in camouflaging your stretch marks or scars? Book your free, virtual consultation to see if you’re a candidate today.