One of the biggest problems with permanent pigments is that the best ones are unsafe for use on humans. This leaves the the industry with just a few save alternatives. For the most part, very light fast and permanent colors are used. But this is not always the case. When it comes to yellow, purple, orange or magenta, the fade resistance is still not very high. The most common reason for fading colors is Ultraviolet Light, especially the light from the sun.

This does not mean once you get a tattoo you have to stay out of the sun forever. It's just that excessive amounts of sun will fade tattoos. It fades about the same rate your skin degrades when exposing it to the sunlight too much.

Another factor is the application of the tattoo itself. I have noticed the more experienced an artist is the better he can apply the pigment correctly and the less it fades.

People often say their tattoo looks much older than it really is. All I can say to it is they probably exposed themselves too much to the sun, didn't take care of it properly during the healing process or the artist simply did not apply the pigment correctly.

Your skin ages and with it the tattoo. That's a fact and there is no way around it. If you want the tattoo to look good as long as possible take care of your skin and you will take care of your tattoo at the same time. tattoojoy