Eyelid Tattoos: What to Know Before You Get One
Thinking about an eyelid tattoo? What it’s like, the real risks to your eyes, and how to heal one, from a tattoo shop that has done them.
Why eyelid tattoos?
The eyelids are probably one of the most under appreciated pieces of skin we have. When you think about it, life would be kind of a nightmare without them. Dry or sunburned corneas sound awful, but sleep without eyelids sounds nightmarish. No Thanks! lol
Argueably some of the thinnest skin on our bodies, they are very delicate and shouldn’t be taken for granted.
So what do we do with our eyelids as a token of appreciation? Well, we tattoo them of course! Sounds awful right? You’d be surprised. The eyelid has never made it anyone’s top 5 list of most painful body parts to get tattooed.. Unanimously, the sternum, chest and ribs still typically hold the highly coveted top spots on any tattoo collectors list of most painful spots to get tattooed.
Why risk accidentally jamming needles into your retina and possibly risk blindness?
Why get your eyelids tattooed?
The short answer, cause we can!
Skin thickness aside, it’s skin and so it can, and will be tattooed.
Is it really so dangerous tho? Are you really risking blindness? Probably not.
The risks
Serious problems are rare when an experienced tattooer does the work, but they do happen. Medical reviews of eyelid and eye-area tattoos report infections, allergic reactions, and in rare cases injury to the eye itself. If you have any eye condition, talk to your eye doctor first. The main risks associated with this sort of tattoo would mainly be aesthetic. Due to the nature of the skin it is prone to what we call ‘blow outs’, which could leave you looking bruised like maybe you got punched in your eye lol and that’s certainly NOT the look.
I would say the risk isn’t considerably bigger than with any other tattoo. Infection is always the biggest concern especially when you consider how many oil glands each eye contains.
Handle your new tattoo with care and follow proper aftercare, and you cut those risks way down.
Eyelid tattoo in progress, tattooed here by Allie J
Healing an eyelid tattoo
Another important consideration here would be the healing process. The eyelids are very oily which makes them susceptible to infection. No makeup on the area until it’s healed. Like with any other healing tattoo you’ll want to use fragrance/alcohol free soap and lotion to moisturize. You’ll want to avoid touching your eyes unnecessarily but if you absolutely must you want to make sure that your hands are very very clean. Anything you can do to avoid possible infection and further complications is the general rule of thumb.
The Breakdown
I’ve only ever tattooed eyelids twice in my career.
That’s over a span of more than twenty years. The growing popularity of face, neck and throat tattoos is obvious when you look at the landscape. The growth is exponential.
Taboos of the past, now only distant memories.
There are many tattoo artists, and tattoo shops in general that won’t touch anything above the shoulders. I’m sure they have their reasons. Usually ethically fueled, high horse arguments and judgements.
My two cents,
if you want it,
GET IT!