How Often Should You Get Tattoo Touch Ups?

Getting a tattoo touched up doesn't mean that your artist wasn't excellent or that you didn't let it heal properly. According to Inkedmind.com, everyone's skin heals and takes to tattoo ink differently, so touch ups are perfectly normal and often not the direct fault of anyone involved. However, touch ups should never be done until the tattoo is fully healed. Then, touch ups are recommended to be done between the first one to six months of having the tattoo, but can be done successfully up to one year after getting the tattoo. This immediate form of touch ups is largely for imperfections in the original tattoo, such as some patches of skin not taking to the ink as well as others.

Once you've had a tattoo for a while, though, you can touch them up much less often. According to a tattoo artist on Quora, tattoos can go several years without being touched up. After the initial touch up within a year of getting it, they're completely optional and can be done whenever you notice your ink is fading. Moreover, this tattoo artist noted that some artists offer free lifetime touch ups, so if yours does, you should definitely take them up on it.

Realistically, you could go five years or even a decade before wanting a touch up. Everyone's skin is different, but you should always get the first touch up within a year of getting your tattoo to ensure that your tattoo is not only even in its shading, but also that its vibrancy lasts as long as possible.