Reader Mail: Healing Tattoo is Peeling, Looks Faded

Question: "I recently got my first tattoo on January 16, 2010 and I went large. My tattoo was placed on my lower back. It is a butterfly that is colored with purple and blues. It has not been a week yet and since I cannot see it I have my son looking at the progress. He tells me that the color is fading and some parts of my skin is coming off; is this normal?" - Gloria

Answer: Yes, what you're experiencing is perfectly normal. When you get tattooed, the puncturing of the skin with the needles kills those top few layers of skin cells. When skin cells are live, they're translucent, but when they die they turn white. So, right now you're seeing your tattoo through dead, white skin cells, which is kind of like looking out your windshield when it's covered with snow. Your body will regenerate those cells, and as that happens the old, dead ones will slough off - that's the peeling you're experiencing. It takes approximately three months to completely regenerate those cells, but at least all of the dead ones should be gone after two or three weeks, and then you'll be able to see just how bright your tattoo is actually going to be. With a large tattoo like this (which looks beautiful, by the way) it may need a touch-up here and there if the color didn't fill the areas completely. Most shops offer a free touch-up within a certain amount of time after getting a tattoo - contact your artist to see what their policies are.