Now You See Them, Now You Do not! Black Light Tats

Tag : uv black light

If you want to get a tattoo but you think you might regret it yearsdown the road or you can't get one because of your job, the blacklight - or "invisible" tattoo - might be right for you.

It's different because the tattoos, created with specialultra-violet ink, are virtually invisible to the naked eye, exceptwhen exposed to a black light.

"Some people get it because of their job because it's a little butmore concealable, and some want it because of the novelty,"Funhouse Tattoos tattoo artist Scott Kautman said.

Kautman says he applies a handful of black light tattoos everymonth, and got one himself a couple of years ago.

"I got one because I wanted one on my head, but I didn't want a bigtattoo on my head. So this way I had my tattoo, but if I want tothrow on a suit and jacket, it still looks nice. I don't have a bigtattoo on the side of my head," he said.

It lets you show off your body art while having fun at a club andnot worry what your family may say.

"It's different - that would be cool. And my mom wouldn't see it. Icould get it somewhere on my arm," Chantal Ware said.

The special UV ink used is more expensive, and the applicationprocess is more time-consuming than traditional tattoos. RogerSolis got his more than five years ago, adding a special touch tohis existing body art.

"It was something different. A lot of people back then didn't havethem, and were scared to do them. And I said I wasn't scared to domuch of anything, so I said why not. When it comes to tattooing,it's cool," he said.

When it first surfaced in the mid-90s, many feared the UV ink couldcause skin cancer. Chameleon, the ink's distributor, claims the inkhas FDA approval for use in animals, plants and fish. While humansaren't mentioned, Kautman says he believes it's safe.

"As far as I have heard, no one has had any adverse reaction to theblack light ink," he said.

While black light tattoos are pricier and take longer thantraditional tattoos, clients at Funhouse Tattoos at least saythey're worth it.