Floral Tattoo with UV Accents

Floral UV Tattoo on Foot

Star UV Tattoo

     Lady's back ruins it, but the tattoo's alright...

Transformers UV Tattoo

UV Head Tattoo

Basically looks the same to me with or without the blacklight.

Zodiac Clock UV Tattoo

UV Cross Tattoo

UV Heart & Veins Tattoo

     Interesting idea. I like it.

UV Koi Fish Tattoo

    Pretty fish!  I think a fish tattoo would also look good with regular tattoo ink, using the uv ink for the reflections off the scales.

UV Spider Butt (???) Tattoo

     Lol. I have no idea what part of the  body this is on, but it looks like it very well COULD be butt cheeks, so that's what I'm going with cause it's just more fun that way.  Feel free to correct me if you know :-) 

UV Jellyfish Tattoo

     A jellyfish is a great idea for a uv tattoo. Would've been awesome with a dark seascape or scene behind it with regular tattoo ink to make it pop.

Large Floral Mixed UV Piece

Nice work!

Nintendo Gameboy UV Tattoo

     As a connoisseur of 80's memorabilia if all types, I really love this one! Simple but totally rad.

UV Cupcake Tattoo

Cute!

Unfinished UV Flowers

UV Matrix Tattoo

    Another great uv idea. 

Assorted UV Tattoos

UV Kraken Tattoo

     Like this kraken tattoo, but I would've liked it better if the UV element had been better integrated into the tattoo. Still pretty rad though.

UV Rose Tattoo

     I actually have a rose tattoo that I've had since I was 17, and despite it being done extremely well, I've always regretted it. It's just that roses can be so generic. I got mine because I saw a picture of the same tattoo on a hot model in a picture book at the tattoo shop. It was a spur of the moment decision made by a young, tacky mind. In hindsight, I wouldn't have gotten something quite so common and a better fit for my personality. This is definitely a good take on it though. The shading on this rose is fantastic.

UV Avatar Tattoo

   I like this one ok. I love the Avatar movie. But, I would've liked this better if it was bigger, and the full body of Neytiri, or a full scene.  Good idea for a UV tattoo though.

UV Cthulu Tattoo

     Impressive large Cthulu back piece.  UV elements are mixed well with the piece.  Looks great with or without the blacklight.  Wish the photo was a little more clear.

Awesome Star Wars UV Tattoo

     Talk about a great idea for a UV tattoo!  This is badass and I'm not even a Star Wars fan.  I prefer UV tattoos like this.  Awesome with or without the blacklight. You have to consider that you'll be in normal light rather than UV light under regular circumstances. These tattoos can be expensive. Why limit them to being visible only in the blacklight?

Day of the Dead UV Tattoo

     I really like Day of the Dead themed anything, so I like this one. Although, I would do this with regular tattoo ink, with lots of colors.

XXX

Mirek vel Stotker Nightmare Before Christmas Tattoo

     While I was looking for finished photos of the Flamingo Motel tattoo, I came across this. I'm not even sure it's a UV tattoo. The rose that Jack is giving to Sally looks like it may have UV ink in it, but I'm not convinced. I love this though. I love almost anything to do with Nightmare Before Christmas.

     I really like alot of Stotker's work though. Most are not UV tattoos, so I will not post them here, but if you'd like check out more of his work, you can find more of his work at www.stotkertattoo.com.

Earlier Photo of Mirek vel Stotker UV Tattoo

      I was unable to find any finished photos of this tattoo, but I was able to find this earlier version. The background isn't filled in and it doesn't appear the headlights have the UV ink yet.

Creative Use of UV Ink

I love this! The UV tattoos I like the most are usually the ones that use the UV ink creatively, as opposed to just creating the entire design from UV ink. The fact that they used the ink for a neon sign and the headlights makes this tattoo.  The tattoo is extremely well done, but the way the UV ink is used adds a huge awesomeness factor. The caption at the bottom says it's a work in progress.  Makes me curious to know what was added and how it turned out.  I'll see if I can track down any finished photos of this one.

Lizard UV Tattoo

     I really dig this lizard tattoo! Look at the shadow!  The shadow is what makes this tattoo, I think.

Awesome Jimi Hendrix UV Tattoo

     This tattoo has to be the best UV tattoo that I've seen.  I love  this.  It looks great with or without the blacklight reactive ink.  The artist did an amazing job and the attention to detail is superb.  Jimi Hendrix was a great idea for a UV tattoo as well.   Badass!

Safety of UV Tattoos

     While the popularity of UV tattoos is rising, not much is known about the safety of these tattoos. They have not been approved by the FDA for use in humans because the FDA “has not traditionally regulated tattoo inks or the pigments used in them".  No tattoo inks have ever been approved by the FDA for this reason. Some companies advertise their inks as FDA approved. This is partly true, but these products have only been approved by the FDA for fishing or agricultural use, such as marking animals, such as livestock or fish.  

    There has been speculation that several UV inks are suspected carcinogens and/or allergens, but at this time, no research has been conducted into the side effects of long term exposure to these inks. Some people have had skin reactions, such as itching or dermatitis, but these reactions could've just as easily been caused by any ink. Reactions could also be caused by not protecting the tatoo from UV rays within 3 months or from using creams or lotions containing perfume on the tattoo.
     Some useful information can be gleaned  from researching the molecular construction of these inks. One of the major differences between UV tattoo inks and regular tattoo inks is the polymer microsphere encasing each UV molecule. The proper name for the synthetic polymer encasing the ink is polymethylmethacrylate, or PMMA. PMMA has been used since the 1930's for medical purposes, such as dental prosthesis, bone repair, orthopedics and pacemakers. The PMMA creates an ink-filled shell that rests between skin cells. The shells themselves are about 5 times larger than human red blood cells and are usually well-accepted by the body. From this, it appears that UV ink may actually be safer than regular tattoo ink because the actual ink never comes into contact with the body. PMMA is also completely hypoallergenic. However, one disadvantage of UV tattoos is that some of them use magnetic ingredients. If the inked individual ever needs to have an MRI, the magnetic material can be displaced by the strong magnets of the MRI machine. If you have UV tattoos, you should notify your healthcare professional of this before receiving an MRI.

By Way of an Introduction

      Hi! My name is Chassidy. I have always been a tattoo enthusiast. This blog was inspired partly by my friend Raven's tattoo, which was the first UV tattoo I had ever seen. She had a large, gorgeous piece that took up her entire back. I thought it was awesome (as were almost all of her tattoos), but I had no idea she had UV work in the design until she happened to step under a backlight. I was amazed. I had seen the tattoo many times and I had never realized it was there, or even that such a thing was being done.
     This brought up the question of safety though. How can something that glows be safe to put in your body? Turns out, this question is not easily answered. There just doesn't seem to be a whole lot of information on the subject of UV tattoos out there. However, I'm hoping to dig up as much as I can and post it all here in one place. I hope to help not only other ink enthusiasts, but also hopefully artists by collecting information and resources on this subject.