You may have seen the tattoo that Lil Wayne sports when he is clubbing with his boys. Khloe Kardashian, that setter of all things trendy, has one. Even Lindsey Lohan has one – they all have glow in the dark tattoos. So just what exactly are these new trendy tattoos?

Well, glow in the dark tattoos are actually two very different kinds of tattoos, depending on what the main material is that they are made from, besides the ink. They can be a phosphorus-based ink that is basically invisible during the day, making them the perfect type of tattoo for professionals who don’t want their tattoos to show up during the day. But at night, they glow with their own fiery light. The other kind of glow in the dark tattoo is a UV tattoo, called this because of the Ultraviolt light that is needed to see the tattoo. Although these are both true glow in the dark tattoos, there are differences between the two that are important to know if you are considering getting one.

Glow in the Dark Phosphorus Tattoos

An ordinary tattoo is usually a metal-based pigment suspended in either a vegetable or plastic medium. This is what gives them their distinctive look, and the colors in tattoos are achieved the same way. However, for a glow in the dark tattoo that is completely invisible during the day and only shows up at night, a different medium is used. For a tattoo that will simply glow without the help of black lights, phosphorus is added. The addition of the phosphorus ink can be either for the entire tattoo, or it can be added as a special effect in a current regular tattoo.

But the thing that anyone getting a glow in the dark phosphorus tattoo needs to stay aware of is that phosphorus is a known carcinogen and has some safety concerns attached to it. There is no known phosphorus solution that the FDA has yet approved as safe. Because the side effects of phosphorus when it comes in contact with skin are severe blistering, severe pain and rashes, some tattoo parlors will not even consider working with them.

UV Glow in the Dark Tattoos

The other alternative if you want a glow in the dark tattoo is to use UV inks, some of which are even approved for use by the FDA as safe to use. These tattoos will only show up when exposed to UV light or what is commonly called “black light”, making them perfect for clubbing. Because a wide range of items glow under UV light, including club soda, vitamins A and B and even white cloth, it is easier to find a safe material to make these inks. In fact, there are glow in the dark UV tattoos with colors such as blue and red as well as the usual glowing white.

So you see, when you ask just what are glow in the dark tattoos, the answer is a little more complicated then you would think. The basic idea is pretty cool, that you have a tattoo that is completely invisible until night. Most of the glow in the dark tattoos I have seen take advantage of the “spooky” nature of them and have a goth skeleton theme to them. You have to admit – having a glowing skeleton on your arm that only shows up at night or when you are under a black light can be pretty awesome looking!