Mathew Foster claims that the sun caused his tattoo to fade. His simple warning to others, “Use better sunscreen.” There’s a four-year gap between when he got his tattoo and when he took the second picture, showing the sun’s impact.

We’d have to agree with the stunned expression captured in this highly detailed tattoo – the amount of fading is quite surprising. The wrinkled skin on the hand, the bulging veins, the bushy eyebrows, and the defined shadows are amazing in the freshly created tattoo. But the faded one loses all of its beauty and gradient. It’s a shame because this one is rather captivating to look at.

This woman had her tattoo done by artist Chris Borchik at Evolved Body Art & Tattoo in Columbus, Ohio, and actually hoped it would fade somewhat to give it a flowing watercolor feel. The time-lapse between the two photos is just one year, she claimed. She shared that she’s an artist and plays several instruments, and quickly fell in love with the tattoo.

The teeny-tiny print painstakingly tattooed bled considerably after time. In fact, the symbols are virtually indecipherable. Many tattoo artists will advise clients against getting such a tattoo, knowing fully well that this likely will happen.

It takes a mere two or three months before a watercolor style tattoo fades away and becomes just a shadow of what it once was. The bold and beautiful colors used for this magical winged horse dissipated all too quickly. Tattoos are body art but watercolors seem to look better on canvas.

A Star Wars fan had a lightsaber tattooed onto her finger, but according to a post she shared, it lasted only one week. Tattoo artists advise that tattoos in high traffic places on the body can fade even faster, but this one ended up a disappointment, she noted. Someone chimed in on her Reddit post that tattoos on fingers and hands must be constantly touched up.

Three years after receiving her intertwining snake tattoo, it faded considerably. If she loves the sun and is outdoors quite a bit, those UV rays might have taken a toll on this tattoo, since her short hair and a swimsuit would expose it. The colors are no longer bold and dynamic.

Even this tattoo owner will admit that the right amount of sunscreen and vast amounts of lotion won’t necessarily spare a tattoo. Time will take its toll. The color gradients of the gold key have faded considerably three years after she got it. Some blame it on time and others on cheap ink. She said she used an SPF of 50+ and actually prefers the faded version.

The zodiac sign Taurus is no longer bold and black four years later. Even though this tattoo is primarily black with slight coloring in the horns, it definitely has faded. The owner, however, commented that the faded tattoo is just as cool.

This tattoo owner loved the original, fresh tattoo the day it was finished. But in the short amount of time it took to heal, it had faded considerably. The glowing yellowish eyes had bled and lost detail. The rich coloring has almost disappeared.

The fresh tattoo boasts impressive detail, but surprisingly, 15 years later, it still resembles the original. It’s no longer sharp, but the bleeding has taken over. According to Ink Regret, the tattoo owner is actually undergoing tattoo removal treatments after noticing how faded and blurry it had become.

Somehow, this tattoo did not fade but instead grew darker. While the definition isn’t as strong, the bleeding overpowered the gradation. The tattoo owner claimed to use a product called Tattoo Goo that supposedly helped with the healing and preservation.

Wonder if this wizard’s crystal ball ever revealed how it would fade after 15 years? The details have disappeared and the coloring is incredibly faint. But the tattoo artist Rodney Raines shared on Instagram that it’s important people realize just how different a tattoo will look 15 years later. His client popped into his shop to show him his handiwork so many years later.

It’s surprising how much this tattoo faded in just four years’ time. The original doesn’t seem to be terribly detailed, so it’s no wonder that the dated version has lost its color. Even though it was done in black and grayscale, there isn’t much left.

Fifteen years exist between these two pictures of tattoos. It’s amazing how the red and yellow colors are virtually nonexistent and how discolored the blue is. The black, as expected, held up well. Tattoo artists know that hands are a harder spot to hold color.

Ten years later, this tattoo’s owner is ready for a touch-up. The original fish has spectacular color, but you can see where the orange has lightened to a yellow. In some places, the orange is completely gone. It’ll be neat to see the updated version.

This man’s tattoo looked better without the patch of hair, to be honest, but after 13 years, it’s outline has held up well The slight red around the shark’s mouth has faded, and the gradation of the shark’s back, tail, and fin have bled, but overall it held up fairly well.

While the sun and time will cause fading, surprisingly having a cast will, too. Emily cleverly had someone recreate her brand new tattoo on the outside of her cast, then after it was removed, showed how it impacted her tattoo. She broke her arm the very next day after getting her tattoo, she shared.

This beautiful sunset slipped away much like it does every day. It took three years for it to lose its vibrant coloring.

Even the bravest people will admit that getting a tattoo isn’t comfortable or a walk in the park. Having a needle poked under the skin’s first layer and dragged around creating beautiful pictures gives extra meaning to the phrase “no pain, no gain.” But people cannot fathom just how this person tolerated a tattoo done inside her mouth below her lip. In just six months’ time, it faded considerably – understandably of course.

While her tattoo encourages us to “Do what makes you happy,” watching the tattoo fade probably didn’t make her happy. The original doesn’t look all that great, however.

In less than two years’ time, this groovy tattoo hasn’t faded too much. The depth of black has lightened some to a gray but has held its shape fairly well.

Even though this tattoo seemed attractive at first, in just a few months’ time, the bow faded significantly. It lost detail and even though it relies heavily on black, most of it has disappeared.

No one really knows for sure exactly what this tattoo originally was, but everyone can tell that it faded in just a few weeks’ time. It looks sort of like a tube of lipstick with an odd lightning bolt on it. No matter what it is, it’s another example of a bad finger tattoo.

While the sentiment of this tattoo is sweet with hearts and the word “love,” it lasted about as long as some relationships. The fingers aren’t the best spot for a tattoo and this is another example of that.

Jay Ott had a tattoo done of the inside of his spinal column directly on his back. But some claim the original tattoo was done poorly, which only heightened the fading and deterioration over time. The difference between the two pictures is 13 years.

The symbol of the all-seeing eye was incorporated into this tattoo. The biggest thing it’s watching is how it’s fading away off the finger. The eye of providence might have looked interesting at this point, but it’s smudged and faded both.

This tattoo hasn’t just faded, it’s completely missing parts of the design. The entire tattoo is considerably lighter and sections of the lines are gone. This proves again that the palm of the hand isn’t the best place for a tattoo.

Most tattoo artists will explain that heels, ankles, tops of feet, toes, fingers, and hands just aren’t the best place for a lasting tattoo. This picture is another example of just that.

Roses are favorite subjects when it comes to body art. We are not surprised at this person’s choice of tattoo design, especially when it was still fresh and really pretty. Over the years, what used to be a dashing rose now looks like an old and faded beauty.

There’s 14 years’ difference between these two pictures. The original has a fair amount of purple, giving it sort of an alien feel. The one 14 years later shows how purple isn’t a lasting color, but the black remained.

Just like our taste in music can change, so can a tattoo pledging loyalty to a band. Blues typically stay strong, but with this tattoo, the blue background has faded considerably, even six years later. This time, the yellow letters managed to stay fairly solid.

What used to be a regal-looking bat with bright orange fur and a purple scarf now looks sullen and old. Even the details of the frame are not too fine anymore, making it look really sad.

This finger tattoo faded to illegible in just six weeks’ time. Some tattoo artists posted that they use this picture as proof why their clients shouldn’t get finger tattoos.

Feet are another tricky spot to keep a tattoo fresh looking, especially one toward the heel. There’s constant friction between the tattoo and shoes, even socks. This one lasted only two weeks.

Tattoo artists always advise clients that finger tattoos tend to fade quickly, which is evident in these photos taken just six months apart. While the script is beautiful and the words obviously hold meaning to the tattoo owner, it’s too bad that the heartfelt tattoo had faded so quickly.

This art looks like the caricature of Simba from The Lion King. While it may seem cute and adorable when it was still fresh, it seems a lot more like a simple drawing once it lost the shadow and the bright colors.

Most hand tattoos are on the top, not the palm of the hand. The palms sweat, touch a million things, are washed constantly, exposed to many conditions, so it’s no wonder that these tattoos faded quickly.

The beauty of a tattoo is in the details of its lines. Most simple and minimalist tattoos are not as colorful but their delicate lines make them appear really nice. Apparently, as time fades away, these fine lines get blurred resulting in just a blob of a drawing on skin.

Arent those colors just lovely on this eagle tattoo? Well, that was 35 years ago, when it was still fresh and new. After more than three decades, the red ends of the feathers have faded and almost not visible at all.

And finally, can you imagine the times this tiger has taken on this person’s skin for it to become completely free of orange? That’s what 20 years does to your colorful tattoo.