How Long Will A Temporary Tattoo Last - Airbrush Guru

How Long Will A Temporary Tattoo Last

A: Under the best conditions a temporary tattoo will last up to 5 days.

In-Depth Answer

People’s situations are different and those differences effect the wear time of temporary tattoo and body paint in general.

General Rule

The greater the number of Best Case Conditions someone displays, the greater the time the paint sticks to them, up to roughly 5 days.

Best Case Conditions:

  • Great skin, not too oily, not too dry
  • Tattoo doesn’t cross a joint
  • Tattoo not covered by clothing
  • No hard sweating
  • No lotion, or oil use near the tattoo
  • Artist is available for touchups as necessary

Worst Case Conditions:

  • Oily skin: the tattoo paint won’t adhere for a long time
  • Dry skin: the tattoo paint will flake off as the outer skin layer flakes off
  • Tattoo crosses a joint: friction and rubbing cause both paint and skin cells to flake off
  • Tattoo under clothing: clothing moves against the skin. Skin cells, and paint adhering to them, will flake off.
  • Hard sweating: the skin pores beneath the paint layer release sweat, this wears the paint off from underneath.
  • Using lotion, or oil on the tattoo itself: moisturized skin sounds ideal for temporary tattoo paint, however, applying lotion and oil can flake the paint off.
  • No artist around for touchups: Most people won’t have this option, but your “artist” could be your boyfriend, your set makeup artist, or your best friend.

The temporary part of temporary tattoos comes from the fact that the outer layer of our skin is dead. Skin rejuvenates itself from the inside out. The dead outer layer of skin will eventually flake off and take any paint with it.