The temporary tattoo
"Ephemeral" tattoos
Very popular in the summer, ephemeral tattoos are actually quite rare. We receive a lot of calls at the shop about so-called ephemeral tattoos, and we prefer to warn you if you are about to get one.
Regarding truly ephemeral tattoos like stencil/ink drawing (e.g., jagua) or henna: you should not neglect or underestimate the risks of allergies!
Don't hesitate to do a small test before committing, with a small drop of ink/henna on the skin. Be aware that this type of material is much more allergenic than "real" tattoo inks, especially in markets or tourist areas (particularly abroad) where the inks are less or not at all regulated.
However, nowadays there are good brands of stamps or felt-tip pens with dermatologically tested inks, which last from a few days to one or two weeks. You can find many reputable websites that offer this kind of product, which are truly ephemeral.
As for tattoos sold as "semi-permanent": it's a scam. There are indeed tattoo inks sold as such and claimed to be effective, but they are not yet available in Europe, and more importantly, we have very little long-term data on them.
So why is it a scam? Because generally, when this type of service is sold to you, it comes with the argument that the ink will only be pricked very superficially into the skin with pigments that will disappear after a few months at most. The reality is that you have a very high chance of ending up with a partially erased or blurred design (the ink diffuses under the skin into a grayish halo) that will remain for life. So the design is indeed semi-permanent: it stays halfway on your skin your whole life.
It's illogical to talk about superficial pricking in the sense that this is already the case for a permanent tattoo, and congratulations to the tattoo artist who manages to prick a tenth of a millimeter less than usual.
It should be noted that there is no point in getting a "semi-permanent" tattoo if you are told it will need to be touched up every year and the only option to remove it is one or more laser sessions. That's just called a... permanent permanent tattoo!
To summarize, the "tattoo" (which isn't one, in this case) that just requires a drawing/stamp on the skin with jagua or henna is truly temporary (a few weeks at most), but from the moment ink is injected under the skin with a tattoo machine, it is very unlikely to be temporary.
If you have any questions on the subject, please do not hesitate to contact us directly via Tattookawaii@gmail.com :)
