I’ve always been drawn to tattoos — with doodles of butterflies sprawled out over the insides of a finger, and jottings of numbers spanning the back of someone’s hand being my favourites. The allure of tattoos pulsating against the fingers and hands is irrefutable, and I’d always planned on having my first and only tattoo planted atop my hands. But I did a little research, and I realised that this area of the body doesn’t bear much of an affinity for ink — and it put a damper on my plans.
Why, though? What makes hands a less ideal spot for tattoos, and is there any way you can work your way around it? Because I sure as hell don’t want to make any changes to my bucket list yet. That’s why I’ve roped in Arun Alva, Owner of Al’s Tattoo Studio, to share his insights on the subject, and if I should consider getting a hand or finger tattoo at all. Find out!
If You’re Thinking Of Tattooing Your Hands, This Is For You
Is it more difficult to heal tattoos on the hands and fingers than on other parts of the body? Why?
According to Arun, “The skin is an amazing organ — protective, waterproof, and exceedingly useful. It’s constantly changing and evolving. It regenerates itself every 28 days (or four weeks), and over a twenty-hour period, you shed almost a million skin cells. The healing of a tattoo on the hand depends on which part of the hand you have tattooed; but any part of the body that is excessively used, and subjected to everyday wear and tear, as is in the case of our hands, can lose ink over time. That’s why finger tattoos look more faded in general.”
Think about it. If you compare a tattoo on your finger or hand to one on your thigh or bicep, you’ll notice that the latter looks more prominent. Because that part of your body is relatively less touched. Different parts of your hands heal differently — the space between your fingers, your palms, and the sides of your hand aren’t ideal for tattooing as these areas are prone to creasing, and have a lot of joints. That explains why tattoos don’t sit well in these regions; but even in general, since your hands are always moving, and laxity over the back of the hand increases with age, you might find that tattoos on this part of the body look patchy and faded. That’s why a hand or finger tattoo’s before and after version look drastically different.
Which part of the hand would you recommend someone to get a tattoo on?
“The hand consists of the palm (above and below), fingers, and wrist. These parts having healed might appear faded, but some parts look more faded than others. Artists are more inclined to recommend tattoos on the above part of the palm; mostly because it has a larger space,” he continues.
What’s post- tattoo care like?
Arun says that post-care is contingent on external factors, “It depends on the atmospheric and climatic conditions of the place that you live in as well. In India, we use a homoeopathic pomade called calendula to heal the skin. It has no side effects. There are other creams like Tattoo Goo, and I also like this European cream called Bepanthen.”
How do you preserve these tattoos so as to prevent them from fading over time?
“If there’s not enough water in the top-most layers of the skin cells — this can happen due to excessive use of soaps — it leads to a reduction of protective oils. This can result in dryness. Prolonged exposure to the sun, stress, excessive consumption of sugar, and a low intake of water can contribute to skin damage too. This is why tattoos developed a faded look. To keep your skin healthy, nourish the area with a moisturising cream every day; drink three to four litres of water in a day; and exercise,” Arun concludes.
Make sure you’re not picking at or scratching the area. This can jeopardise the integrity of the tattoo’s colour and precision. Keep moisturising and massaging the tattoo instead. Protect the tattoo with SPF. Look for sunscreens with an SPF of 30 or higher. This is important because exposure to UV can fade ink quickly.
And that’s it. Do consult your tattoo artist before going in for an appointment, and make sure you’ve done all your research before committing to the ink.
Featured Image: Instagram