Stop Making These 3 Areola Tattoo Mistakes

Areola tattooing has evolved—fast. We’re no longer stuck with flat, cookie-cutter shapes and unpredictable healed results. If you’re still nervous about mixing or adjusting pigments, or you’ve been told “just use what’s in the bottle,” this lesson is for you.

Let’s tackle the top 3 mistakes I see artists making again and again when it comes to areola realism.

I find with beginner artists, when practicing on Latex, or sketching areolas with pencil crayons for practice, its very common for them to work small.

I always joke in class that I know the size of my students' areolas because of how big or small they are making their areolas during practice.

The reason for this is that we are SO used to seeing our OWN areolas every day. But it is SO important to remember that areolas come in all shapes, all sizes, and many color variations.

Versatility is so important as an areola artist.

When it comes to sizing, there are two important things to consider.

1. Personal Preference (and I don't mean the artist's preference)

We need to consider our patients' goals and ask important questions about what they want their areolas to look like, specifically how big or how small they want them. I like to ask them about how they looked prior to their mastectomy. This gives me a good idea of what they are used to.

My next question to them is: "Did you like them, or would you like to make changes to them?" Oftentimes, I hear women saying, "They were too big before, so I would like them a little smaller".

In most cases, this is where our clients look to us for guidance.

2. Consider the surface area you are working on. Some breasts will be larger after surgery, some will be smaller; you might have to work with a unilateral case where you don't have as much freedom for size.

This is not a mathematical equation; this is a skill you learn to see with your eyes, the more you practice, and the more you learn.

I know artists are struggling with their pigment options and selection, because i get DM's every day asking "Shay, what color would you use for this areola client?"

And I have a tough time with this question because I can't see the client's skin in person. Judging through a photo is NOT the same as assessing a patient in person.

My main priority is setting students up for success so they can make these decisions of their own by understanding the inks that they have in their collection.

When looking at a bottle of pigment, you see the MASS TONE. This is the main dense color that the pigments contain in the thick application. Straight from the bottle.

What YOU need to learn is how to analyze the undertones, which is the subtle underlying hue revealed when the color is thinned out by creating a drawdown of the color.

Mass Tone:

What it is: The true, concentrated color of the pigment straight out of the bottle, what you see when it’s dense and undiluted.

Why it matters: Mass tone shows you how bold and saturated the healed tattoo might appear if packed into the skin too densely. Choosing the wrong mass tone can lead to results that are too dark, bright, too warm or too cool.

Artists often get thrown off with color selection because they are only looking at the Mass Tone.

Undertone

What it is: The subtle, underlying temperature present beneath the main mass tone of the pigment. Undertones can lean warm (yellow/orange/red), cool (blue/green/purple), or neutral.

Why it matters: Undertones influence healed results and color stability over time. For example, a cool undertone may cause healed Areolas to look ashy or scar camouflage to look gray; an overly warm undertone can turn the areola orange over time.

When you start to learn and understand the undertones in your pigments, you will have a better idea of how these pigments will heal.

But HOW do you learn these important things about our pigments?

Watch this video to get to know the Pigments that I use on my Areola patients and why I love them. I will show you the MASS TONE and UNDERTONES of my favorite Areola Inks!