Inner Lip Tattoos

Inner lip tattoos are pretty popular for our generation. I mean, it is the best place to get something very dumb or explicit. Plus, they only last about three years. Right?

Well… not quite. There’s a lot behind inner lip tattoos that people don’t think about right off the bat. Here are all the reasons you should not drunkenly get your inner lip tatted.

 

They don’t always fade!

Inner lip tattoos have a reputation for fading in just a few years. This does happen, and it makes sense. A tattoo in your mouth is bound to face lots of wear and tear. Plus, it’s actually not a great idea to get that inner lip tattoo touched up. It’s more likely to get infected the more it’s tattooed. However, many of the people I know with these tattoos are stuck with them. Like any tattoo, they don’t look as fresh as when they were first done but ten years later, these tattoos can still be perfectly legible.

 

Not all lips are suitable

You don’t need big lips to pull off this tattoo, it’s more about the surface area inside. If you have less surface area, the tattoo will be close to your actual lip and therefore visible when your lips are parted. It’s not that everyone will be able to see the entirety of this tattoo, but that the edge of it will be visible. It looks similar to popsicle stained lips or remnant lipstick. Not the end of the world, but something to be aware of.

 

Not all artists are willing to do inner lip tattoos

They’re tricky. It’s a difficult area to tattoo. It’s an area that is easily infected and some of these tattoos will fade quickly (sometimes even within a few months.) So, for many artists it’s easier to avoid the hassle and disappointed clients.

 

There is after care

It’s very similar to the after care of a tongue piercing. Before and after getting the tattoo, you’ll want to rinse your mouth. Immediately afterward you cannot drink, smoke or eat for a few hours. Then, while the tattoo heals you have to rinse with mouthwash after you eat or drink anything. (Or smoke.)

There’s different healing recommendations, such as keeping your lip as dry as possible for a few days following the tattoo, applying certain ointments to help the scabbing (This one doesn’t make much sense to me. Ointment… on your inner lip?)

 

You can’t pick at it!

Just like any other tattoo, you have to let it heal. You can’t pick, peel, or play with it. This must be difficult, the feeling of a scabbing tattoo in your mouth can’t be easy to ignore. It’s especially hard to keep yourself from running your tongue along the fresh tattoo, or constantly pulling down your lip to show your friends. This tattoo can easily get infected so a dirty tongue or dirty fingers are not ideal.