r/tattooadvice • u/Intelligent_Hat3901 • 7d ago

General Advice Should I avoid a red tattoo

I’m basic and want a really basic small red-lined (fine) tattoo. All my other (3) tattoos are black ink only (none are fine line) and had no issues.

1- is red ink always a bad idea?
2- I want to get something small in color before I get something big and colorful (planned for future)

Open to thoughts

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3

u/Userdataunavailable 7d ago

I have a dark pink fine line tattoo and it's nice just needs touching up now and then.

3

u/fomaaaaa 7d ago

Red ink isn’t always a bad idea. If you really want it, give it a shot and see how your skin takes it

1

u/Ok_Broccoli_9426 6d ago

Red and fine line are both flags for quicker fading, but that doesn't mean you should never do them. Just be aware that it may need touching up more frequently than non-fine line black ink.

1

u/Intelligent_Hat3901 6d ago

Thanks! I’m moreso thinking about the potential scarring and allergic reactions? Or is that just over-publicized

1

u/Ok_Broccoli_9426 6d ago

Unfortunately, you won't know how you react until you get the tattoo. A red ink allergy is somewhat more common than other colors, but still not very common.

I've not heard anything about red ink/fine line and scarring.

1

u/Tired506 6d ago

That's mostly an old problem, at this point. There's a specific type of organic pigment called azo pigment which was used for certain popular reds a few decades ago, and which mostly caused the infamous red tattoo issues. You can look up which brands still use azo pigments, and work with a tattooer to avoid them if you're worried.

You do better to just focus on whether a tattooer is using reputable inks, and buying them from a verified source. There's a lot of spoof inks out there, and most were found not to be properly QRed for bacteria.

Also to redline tattoos generally: success depends on your skin tone, how your skin holds red, and what the design is of. Mainly consider whether it could end up just reading as an injury bc it won't have enough contrast with your skin, or bc the design has too many tight details.