
You can prepare and protect your tattoo by deep-diving on tattoo artists’ Instagrams, asking to see pictures of their healed tattoo work, and ordering a tattoo-friendly sunscreen with SPF 30 or more ahead of time. According to Bluestone, the rate of fading depends on where it is on your body, the experience of the tattoo artist, and how much sun exposure your tattoo will get.

The fading of a tattoo is inevitable over time, thanks to our skin’s natural instinct to slowly remove foreign substances (helpful but not helpful, you know?). “ T here’s no reason a fine-line tattoo should fade any faster than a thicker-lined tattoo,” Bluestone says. “There’s a sense of, Oh, this is actually for me and not necessarily for it to be shown off.” (Or, you know, take a billion selfies and show yours off to the world like I would.) Do fine-line tattoos go away? “Fine-line tattoos are daintier and less bold than a regular tattoo,” says tattoo consultant Tann Parker. You won’t see a lot of shading or bright colors but instead a lot of simple, linear designs and intricate details. You’ll recognize them for their delicate nature, says tattoo artist Rosa Perr Bluestone. Unlike traditional tattoos, which are created by a group of three or more needles for a thicker design, fine-line tattoos are created by just a single tattoo needle to leave you with super-fine lines and minimalist designs.

But before we get to that, I chatted with two tattoo artists to understand what makes a fine-line tattoo plus very important details like how to care for them and how much $$ you’ll have to drop to get one. And it’s no surprise they’ve been trending for so long: They make great hidden tattoos, they allow for a lot more precise detailing, and they’re just really freaking cute.īut if you’re not yet convinced that this needs to be your next (or first) tattoo, I brought even more proof in the form of 15 very pretty fine-line tattoo ideas and inspo (including a cute elephant and minimalist heart tattoo). These super-sweet minimalist tattoos are made up of-you guessed it-very fine lines and are created using just a single tattoo needle (versus three or more needles needed to create the bold lines and bright colors in traditional tattoos).

So if you’ve been seeing them all over your friends’ hip bones, wrists, shoulders, and Instas-nope, you’re not imagining it.

First came watercolor tattoos, then tiny tattoos, and now the latest tattoo trend taking over? Fine-line tattoos.
