What It's Like to Get a Temporary Tattoo With a Real Tattoo Needle
WHEN I first heard of Ephemeral Tattoo, I thought it was just like any other temporary tat—fun little "tattoos" made of synthetic polymers that rub off with alcohol.
I was completely mistaken.
Not only do Ephemeral's tattoos go on with an actual tattooing needle, they last anywhere from nine months to a year rather than a day or two—and cost anywhere from $190 to $550.
Josh Sakhai, a co-founder of Ephemeral, says he created the company as an act of rebellion to the conservative culture he grew up in. Sakhai says he felt alienated by traditional tattoo shops and, combined with a less-than-comfortable and ugly tattoo-removal experience, he helped start Ephemeral in 2014.
I have a few permanent tattoos—a pair of interlocked pinkies and a golf pencil. My boyfriend has none, and yet we make things work. “You wouldn’t put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari,” he says. Given that bumper stickers say a lot about that Ferrari’s owner, I had to kindly disagree. Why should my Ferrari look like everyone else's? Ephemeral's semi-permanent tattoos seemed like a nice half-step to more ink (or bumper stickers) on mine.
But I had so many questions—primarily, "Where the hell does the ink go once the tattoo fades?"
Sakhai likened Ephemeral's proprietary ink technology to the way sutures work: Where permanent tattoo ink particles aggregate in the skin in a way that your body can’t remove, Ephemeral tattoo ink is biodegradable, and can be removed by the body.
Men’s Health dermatology advisor Dr. Corey Hartman thinks the concept is intriguing.
Based on that description, Hartman likened the ink material to microblading ink, typically made with iron oxide that’s also meant to fade over a period of time.
"[The ink] would break down into smaller and smaller pieces and are carried away by lymphatics, like how tattoo laser removal works as well," Dr. Hartman says. In this case, the ink toxin would remove itself through your body’s natural ways of eliminating toxins, through sweat, urine, etc.
However, Ephemeral chooses to remain tightlipped about their ink ingredients, maintaining that it’s FDA-approved. ("I feel like you owe it to the people you’re tattooing to share that [ingredient] information," Hartman adds.)
As someone who already has two permanent tattoos, Ephemeral seemed considerably less risky. Since this tattoo was made to fade, I figured the more personality the better.
I weighed a few options, landing on something subtle yet an obvious call to my geek lifestyle. My initial idea was inspired by one of my favorite tattoo artists Mira Mariah, who frequently works on Ariana Grande—a belt of flames across my lower stomach, signifying "this girl is dangerous, reckless even."
To a resounding "no" from not only friends and family, but also my tattoo artist, I went with a "keyblade," an iconic weapon from Disney/Final Fantasy video game franchise Kingdom Hearts, with a little Sailor Moon in there because I’d rather not have Mickey Mouse ears on my arm for a year. It's a symbol of faith, trust, and destroying evil Heartless with one fell swoop.
Ephemeral’s Brooklyn-based shop greets you immediately with a strong scent of sage, which I imagine is to calm down any anxious first tattooees.
After checking in, I had a short wait before meeting with my tattoo artist, a gangly Black man covered in too many tattoos to count named Phil. He had my design prepped on an iPad and was ready to go to tattoo town on my right tricep.
The actual tattooing process took about 30 minutes as I was getting a simple-ish design, but otherwise it was the most relaxing process ever. Pro tip: I popped an ibuprofen about an hour before my appointment just in case my chosen tattoo spot felt more tender than I’d like.
Otherwise, I’m a weirdo who actually enjoys the tattoo experience. To me, it feels no different than being drawn on with a mechanical pencil. I laid on my stomach atop the tattooing table, listening to the drone of the tattoo machine almost lull me to sleep.
Getting an Ephemeral tattoo felt exactly like getting a real tattoo. And because I chose to have the keyblade displayed on my fleshy arm, the process felt so much easier than, say, getting it on my lower back or my ribs.
As I stood in the mirror at my fresh ink, I couldn’t help but lament that it would only last a year or so. The tattoo will fade, but the Polaroid photo they took of my last-minute design choice will last a lifetime.
I started writing this with a beige-toned hydrocolloid patch the tattoo team placed over my tattoo for aftercare, sucking up any excess ink and fluid oozing from the linework. (Yum.) Considering that my other two tattoos were covered in saran wrap after they were completed, this part of the healing process felt particularly luxurious.
"With the patches, we've noted shorter recovery times and heard great feedback from patients after their tattoos," said Dr. Dhval Bhanusali, M.D., Ephemeral’s dermatological advisor. "I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes the standard of care for all tattoo post-care moving forward."
Dr. Hartman, who’s used these patches for slower healing wounds, says there’s not much magic to the patches themselves, but also considers a good means of keeping your hands away to prevent infection. "There’s definitely some kind of chemical in the ink that they want to set before it’s interrupted too much," he says.
When you're in the itchy peely stage of the tattoo where you no longer need the patch, but it very much looks fresh: Enter the "Green Goo." Ephemeral gave me this tattoo salve and anti-itch cream to help with the look, feel, and overall healing. Formulated with aloe vera, myrrh, and yarrow, the healing properties in the "goo" have made my tattoo look a little less zombie-ish.
Roughly three months have passed and no one would be able to tell that this tattoo wasn't made to fade. It's healed flat against my skin and looks like something I would have gotten etched into my skin forever.
Ultimately, I'm glad I tried Ephemeral because I'm absolutely in love with the tattoo I received, and will most likely get a permanent version in its place. If I'll get another temporary one? I'm iffy.
I'd try Ephemeral again to commemorate an event or fun vacation with a temporary tattoo—something I know I won't want to keep forever—rather than test out another tattoo I'd want for real.
But what’s the catch? Not much to be honest. You can still give blood after getting this tattoo and as long as keep it clean, moisturized, and sun-protected like a real tattoo, no one would know it wasn’t permanent. I’m looking forward to my grandmother’s reaction at Thanksgiving dinner.
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