The Dynamic Nature  of Skin: Understanding Facultative Influencers in Cosmetic Tattooing

The art of cosmetic tattooing extends beyond the visible layers of the skin. A seasoned artist understands that tattooing on a living canvas is more than pigment placement, it's an intricate balance of art and science, deeply influenced by the skin’s evolving nature.

One of the most critical aspects in this process is understanding the skin’s facultative influencers, those external factors that can dramatically alter skin tone and response to tattooing. 

The art of cosmetic tattooing extends beyond the visible layers of the skin. A seasoned artist understands that tattooing on a living canvas is more than pigment placement, it's an intricate balance of art and science, deeply influenced by the skin’s evolving nature.

HOW THE SKIN CHANGES AND WHY THAT SHOULD MATTER TO THE TATTOOIST

Skin is a living, dynamic organ constantly responding to internal and external stimuli. This response manifests as changes in skin tone, what professionals refer to as "facultative color." Unlike the skin's inherent or baseline color, facultative color emerges due to influences like UV rays, medications, stress, hormonal changes, skin conditions, skin diseases, and lifestyle habits. Sun exposure is perhaps the most obvious example, as UV rays can darken the skin temporarily or permanently. But, as a cosmetic tattoo artist, it's crucial to recognize that the client's skin may be in a constant state of flux due to any combination of these factors.

When preparing to tattoo, this fluctuation means that what you see today may not be what you see in a few weeks, after the skin has healed. For instance, melanin-rich skin can react to sunlight and other external factors by darkening or developing hyperpigmentation, which may alter the healed results of a pigment implant. 

When tattooing virgin, melanin-rich skin, it would be prudent to lean into the process with a conservative approach. This includes diluting iron oxide (mineral) pigments, layering these pigments softly into the skin (with more forgiving tools), and then evaluating the color after it has healed, after 6 weeks. Upon evaluating the healed result, assess the outcome and make tweaks if necessary, in order to achieve the intended color-goal. 

HOW ETHNIC ORIGIN INFLUENCES HOW THE SKIN BEHAVES 

A crucial part of assessing the skin for cosmetic tattooing is understanding the client’s ethnic background. Ethnicity plays a significant role in how the skin responds to tattooing. For example, melanin levels (the cause of hyperpigmentation), scarring, and the skin’s healing properties are all influenced by genetic predisposition. Which is why it's crucial to ask probing questions about the client's genetic background, and about the skin-identifying clues you evaluate at the client consultation. I go into depth about this topic in chapter 8 of my 3rd book IN THE SKIN. The better you understand a client’s ethnic background, the better your eye can spot skin-clues, the more accurately you can predict how the skin-canvas will respond to the tattooing process, so that it can achieve the color heal based on the aesthetic goal.

It's essential to train your eye to assess facial features, hair growth patterns, and skin tone variations to make an educated guess about a client's ethnic background, I call this "searching for skin identifying clues". This assessment can guide you in making decisions about pigment TYPES, pigment color (based on their Ci numbers), needle configuration, and needle diameter. Melanin-rich skin (Fitz 3-6), will typically heal with a cooler undertone than lighter skin tones, impacting the final color-heal of the tattoo.

SKIN COMPLEXITY AND THE UNPREDICTABILITY OF TATTOO (HEALED) OUTCOMES 

While every artist aims for a predictable result, the reality is that tattooing is far from predictable when working with living skin. The skin is not static; it heals, regenerates, and reacts differently for each individual. Factors like pre-existing medical conditions, lifestyle choices, medications, and the client’s overall health can all affect the healing process and the final color-heal.

For example, someone on certain medications may experience delayed healing or unexpected changes in pigment retention. This is why it’s essential to have open discussions with clients about their skin type, ethnic origin, and any external influences before starting the tattooing process. These conversations help manage expectations and set the stage for more realistic outcomes. I talk about this topic in great detail in my first book HOW MELANIN & FITZPATRICK INFLUENCE THE COSMETIC TATTOO. 

MASTERING THE ART AND SCIENCE OF COSMETIC TATTOOING  

Many artists focus solely on the aesthetic aspect of cosmetic tattooing, overlooking the scientific complexities of the skin. But to truly excel, you must master both the art and science behind the process. As practitioners, it's not enough to choose a pigment that looks good in a bottle or matches the client’s natural hair color. You must account for how the pigment will interact with the skin, the potential for color shifts due to external factors, and how the skin will heal over time.

Tattooing creates a controlled injury to the skin. The process of cosmetic tattooing is for beautification, but it's a controlled injury none-the-less. And like other beauty treatments that cause controlled injuries, like microneedling or laser resurfacing, this process triggers the inflammation cascade -and by extension- the skin’s natural healing response. The key difference is that with cosmetic tattooing, the artist must be keenly tuned-in to how the skin's structure and its influencers will affect the final healed result.

THE EPIDERMAL-DERMAL JUNCTION: THE SWEET SPOT OF TATTOOING 

For a cosmetic tattoo to heal beautifully, the pigment must be implanted into the ideal skin layer: the epidermal-dermal junction. This is the holy grail of tattooing, the perfect depth where the skin will hold onto the pigment without it migrating or fading too quickly. Tattooing too shallow may result in the pigment fading too quickly, while going too deep may cause the color to blur or migrate.

Achieving the right balance requires a deep understanding of the skin’s structure and the various influences that may affect it. When artists hit this sweet spot, the result is a vibrant, long-lasting tattoo that reflects the original color intention, even after healing.

PREDICTING HEALED RESULTS BEYOND THE PIGMENT SWATCH 

It's not uncommon for artists to test pigments by applying a small swatch on the client’s skin to see how it looks. But this method can be misleading. The pigment you see on the surface is not necessarily what you’ll get after the tattoo heals. Factors like pigment type (mineral, organic, or hybrid), the integrity of the skin-canvas, and the external influences mentioned earlier will affect how the color heals in the skin.

That’s why a deep understanding of pigment science is essential. It's crucial to choose pigments based on how they will interact with the skin and heal over time. The ultimate goal is to achieve a final healed result that maintains the integrity of the original color goal free from unwanted gray, purple, or overly cool undertones.

FINAL THOUGHTS: BALANCING EXPECTATIONS AND EXPERTISE

As a licensed professional, your primary goal is to serve the client within the scope of your expertise. This means not only mastering the artistic aspects of tattooing but also gaining a thorough understanding of the science behind skin and pigment interaction. By carefully assessing the skin, discussing the client’s medical and lifestyle background, and understanding the facultative influencers that affect their skin (like common skin conditions), you can deliver results that are as close to predictable as possible.

Ultimately, this holistic approach leads to better outcomes, happier clients, and a stronger reputation as an artist who understands that tattooing is truly poetry in motion, an intricate dance between pigment, skin, and science.

-Ciao for now xx