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A temporary tattoo is an image on the skin resembling a true tattoo, but is non-permanent. Temporary tattoos can be drawn, painted, or airbrushed, as a form of body painting, but most of the time these tattoos are transferred to the skin. Temporary tattoos of any kind are used for numerous purposes including self-expression, identification, and advertising. For example, actors who wish to add to their character's distinctiveness might take temporary tattoos painted on the skin by hand or using stencils as part of their cosmetic ritual.
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Ballpoint Pen Tattoos
Applied directly to the skin using any normal oil/pigment-based ballpoint pens, these can closely mimic the look of a real tattoo, but are easily removed via soap and water. Hairspray is also a very effective way to remove the tattoo.
Prison inmates have been known to fashion ballpoint pens into actual tattoo machines, but a normal ballpoint pen with no modifications will leave a realistic tattoo-like image on the surface of the skin, removable with soap and warm water at the recipient's discretion.
Ballpoint pen artist Lennie Mace made a name for himself in the mid 1990's in New York & Tokyo club circuits, among other public events, drawing on anyone who would allow him the time (from 2-minutes to 2-hours). His embellishments have since made numerous appearances in major films and music videos.
Temporary transfer tattoos
Old fashioned tattoos, which were first made popular as inserts in bubble gum, were poor quality ink transfers that often resulted in blurry designs and could easily be washed or rubbed off. A very identifiable brand would be the fruit flavored chewing gum fruit stripe which has been popular with American children for many years. Nonetheless, these lick-and-peel temporary tattoos became a well-known piece of Americana.
Modern temporary transfer tattoos are made of ink and glue, and last much longer than older temporary tattoos. In this process, the tattoo is applied to the outer surface of the skin and remains until such time as the image fades away (typically after 3-5 days) or is removed.
While most temporary tattoos are created commercially for advertising or as novelty items, the process of creating has been adapted to the fine art of lithography as well.[1][2]
Temporary tattoos usually consist of five main elements: the front of the sheet of paper, the back of the sheet of paper, ink, glue and a protective plastic sheet. The front of the sheet is covered with a special coating upon which the tattoo image is printed with special inks. A layer of glue is then applied on top of the image. A thin, transparent plastic sheet is placed over the front of the sheet to protect the image and glue layer. The back of the sheet is left untreated and has a list of ingredients and instructions printed on it.
Transfer temporary tattoos are usually applied by removing the plastic sheet, placing the image face down against the skin and moistening the backing by wetting it thoroughly. The backing can then be carefully removed, leaving the image in place.
Henna tattoos
Henna tattoos, also known as Mehndi, is another form of temporary tattoo. Coming from a south Asian tradition, henna uses a paste made from the powdered leaves of the Henna plant, Lawsonia Inermis. Its active dye, Lawsone, binds with the keratin in skin, fingernails, and hair. Traditional henna is drawn in delicate patterns on the hands and feet, but modern henna is applied in all sorts of designs anywhere on the body. Unlike other forms of temporary tattoos, henna does not allow for a full range of colors but only shades of reds, browns, and near-blacks. The paste is applied and left on the skin for several hours to stain. The stain will gradually fade away as the skin sheds. Henna tattoos can last days to over a month depending on application and aftercare.
However, caution should be taken as many products labeled henna are misleading. Fast-staining "black henna" can contain para-phenylenediamine (PPD) which can cause allergic reactions and scarring. No henna can make a black stain on a torso in ½ hour.
Temporary airbrush tattoos (TATs)
Temporary airbrush tattoos (TATs) are another kind of temporary tattoo. Like other forms of temporary tattoos, TATs are applied to the surface of the skin and do no damage to the skin. TATs are created by placing a stencil to the skin and delivering the tattoo ink with an airbrush. Unlike temporary transfer tattoos, the TAT artist can control delicate elements of the temporary tattoo while it is being produced, which is much more similar to the true permanent tattoo experience.
Temporary Airbrush Tattoos have been in existence for many decades and are largely used in marketing, advertising and the entertainment industry. Because of the constant research and development of superior airbrush equipment and inks, airbrush tattoos today so closely resemble real tattoos that many people cannot tell the difference.
Temporary airbrush tattoo removal
Most airbrush tattoo inks are alcohol-based. Applying baby powder several times during the day will extend the life of the tattoo. Removal is done by applying an oil or alcohol based product. Baby oil, mineral oil and suntan lotion work best. Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) also works, but should be used with caution as it can dry and irritate the skin. They sometimes last only a week.
Temporary variants of permanent tattoos
Some tattoos applied with a tattoo gun may be less permanent or easier to remove; however, as these involve insertion of pigments under the skin and do not involve the removal or degradation of all materials involved, they can not be considered completely temporary.
Removable tattoos
Specially formulated inks are much easier to remove, needing only a single treatment. Currently InfinitInk is such an ink, available in the US.
Semi-permanent tattoos
Some practitioners offer tattoos that they claim to be temporary, but will last for a period of years rather than days. These are applied using a tattoo gun, and are therefore the closest substitute for the permanent tattoo experience, including the discomfort. These tattoos are supposed to gradually fade away over time, leaving no trace. Some tattoo artists claim that the inks are inserted closer to the surface, allowing them to gradually slough off, while others claim to use special inks that naturally disperse over time.
There is some discrepancy as to whether these semi-permanent tattoos are in fact "temporary tattoos" at all. In practice, semi-permanent tattoos have had mixed results, and caution would say that any tattoo performed by inserting pigment under the skin should be considered permanent.
See also
- Body painting
- Mehndi (so-called henna tattoos)
- Tattoo
References
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
