Extreme fading on new tattoo

[Emesphere]

Hi, not sure if this is a place to ask about this but I wanted to try.

A friend of mine had a tattoo done recently on her forearm, black line work flower with watercolour-esque colours. It looked great when it was fresh (as always) but as it healed it peeled off far more than what I would consider normal. The black is patchy, but mostly the pink/purple is faded so it's almost invisible. I wanted to ask whether this is just one of those things that can happen or if it could have a specific cause in how it was done or taken care of.

Thanks a lot in advance.

[oboogie]

Most watercolor-type art doesn't generally last. There is no black outline, and the way the color is applied isn't built for the long term. A touchup would probably end up the same.

[SStu]

Sorry, but that's mainly just poor application. 

[Emesphere]

51 minutes ago, oboogie said:

Most watercolor-type art doesn't generally last. There is no black outline, and the way the color is applied isn't built for the long term. A touchup would probably end up the same.

So if she wants to save it, would you recommend adding an outline to "keep the colour in" or just go for a solid colour?

[Emesphere]

28 minutes ago, SStu said:

Sorry, but that's mainly just poor application. 

Thanks for the reply. Is this style just a bad idea in general or can someone experienced do it well so it lasts?

[oboogie]

1 hour ago, Emesphere said:

Thanks for the reply. Is this style just a bad idea in general or can someone experienced do it well so it lasts?

My friend Kym in Glasgow is brilliant at watercolors, and they last. But not everyone can do it well. Clearly.

[CrainT]

Most (pretty much all in my opinion) of water color tattoos will not last. Tattoos need an outline. On top of that the healing process is really crucial. Did she expose her arm to the sun at all or had anything abrasive on her arm? 

[Samth]

17 hours ago, Emesphere said:

Thanks for the reply. Is this style just a bad idea in general or can someone experienced do it well so it lasts?

My wife has a water color-ish tattoo and it has held up fine. The advantage is a)it was done by someone who knew how to do it well, and b) the actual image has a thick strong outline and details with only the color shading done in the water color style

[SStu]

Right. Good application will provide lasting results. 

Many feel that over long periods of time that the style (even when done well) has a higher potential for becoming less discernible just because there is no outline to "hold it together". 

[AtomicMagpye]

Latest research would seem to suggest It's also going to depend on the initial macrophage response for the particular individual - which is going to vary person to person....and even be contingent on the health of the individual at the time of the tattoo - interesting stuff.  The constant replacement of dead macrophages (and ink re-uptake) during the life of the tattoo also seems to me to possibly account for some of the weird "fully healed tattoo doing odd things every now and again" that some of us have experienced - I would love to see more proper research on this.

Here's a bit of info:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180306101708.htm

[Aussie Attitude]

@AtomicMagpyeAtomicMagpye I was reading about this recently too and found it fascinating.