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For thousands of years, humans have marked their bodies with tattoos. A permanent design, which sometimes serve as a status symbol, an amulet, a declarations of love, adornments, signs of religious beliefs and even permanents signs of punishment.

Perhaps the most oldest tattoo comes from the ‘Iceman’, a frozen mummy who is 5,200 years old and found in what is known today as Maori. Before the iceman was found, the earliest known tattoos were thought to originate in Egypt. Female mummies that dated back to 2000 BC. But, since the discovery of the Iceman, that date of 2000 BC was pushed back further another 1000 years.

With further examination of the Iceman, his tattoos were distributed with dots and small crosses on his lower spine, his right knee and his ankle joints, these all correspond to areas with strain-induced degeneration. This suggests that the tattoos may have been applied to alleviate joint pain, that the tattoo was therapeutic.

There is evidence that women would tattoo their bodies and limbs in 4000 to 3500 B.C. Because this seemed to be an exclusively female practice in ancient Egypt, and that these tattoos are status markings signifying a high priestess or a royal concubine, and not, as previously thought by male excavators as markings denoting women of dubious status. It appears, in ancient Egypt, the reason for the restriction of only women having tattoos was a means of safeguarding women during pregnancy and birth, also to guard against sexual diseases.

In the Altai Mountain region, the Scythian Pazyryk were another ancient culture that employed tattoos. Back in 1948, a 2,400 year old body of a male Scythian was discovered; the Scythian was preserved in ice in Siberia and his limbs and torso were covered with ornate tattoos depicting mythical animals. And, in 1993, a Scythian woman was found with similar tattoos of mythical creatures on her shoulders, thumb and wrists. She was found in a tomb in Altai. The tattoos were marks of nobility for Scythians.

A friend of mine had been interested in the art of tattooing for a long time.  She was fascinated by the work of the Theravada Buddhist Monks.  After her recent trip to the Wat Bang Phra Temple in Bangkok, she came home and decided to learn to make her own tattoo gun.  She had not been tattooed at that point yet, as the smaller shops in the city charged quite a bit of money, and she wanted to be able to make her own creations.

She found a way to make her own gun at home, and this is how she did it.  She took one of her old guitar strings and bent the tip of it.  Then took a tube out of an ink pen and cut it do be about three inches in length and stuck the guitar string into the tube.  She then took a tooth brush and cut in half and heated the piece with a lighter so she could bend it into the shape of a hockey stick.  Once it was cooled down the plastic hardened up again, and she attached first an eraser, then a smaller motor she had taken from an oldWalkman.  The bent part of the guitar string she then stuck into the eraser.

The motor she was using was battery operated so once she finished she turned it on, dipped the tip of the guitar string into the ink and began testing it out on various objects, such as a honeydew melon at first, which was pretty funny.  She is currently looking for a guinea pig, ie myself, to try out her first pieces of work on human skin.  I am not too sure about this.  Perhaps I will wait and see how the ones she is staring on her own ankles turn out, before I let her use my body as her canvas.

It would make logical sense that the areas that are the most susceptible to pleasure are also the most prone to pain.  The places where the nerves tend to gather are going to offer the greatest reaction and resistance to stimuli.  We can all probably name most of these without consulting people with experience, but it’s interesting to hear how it actually plays out when the process starts.  There are certain places on the body that respond differently to the peculiar pain that a tattoo gun can give.  For some people, some areas that should be extremely sensitive to pain actually respond to the experience as if they were being tickled.  This complicates things a little bit, but the answers are still fairly logical.

Most people who have their eyelids or the inside of their lips done report a higher amount of pain than other tattooed areas.  The other parts of the body that are particularly sensitive to needles are the ones where there is little between the skin and the bone.  The back of the ear seems to be the worst of these, or along the spine.  However, the ankle is very high up, as is the sternum, shoulder blades, and pelvic bones.  There are plenty of other painful spots, but in general, the idea that everyone has a different pain threshold really does play out here.  Some people with low tolerance can get tattooed without flinching, and there are plenty of stories of macho men brought to their knees by a heart on the inside of their arm.  Pain is part of the process.

What a tattoo feels like during the procedure and after the procedure are two different sensations.

The sensation of getting a tattoo is like putting alcohol on a scratch, it pretty much feels like an annoying sting, but it’s not all that terrible, or otherwise the tattoo industry would not be in business. Talking with experienced tattoo artist has revealed that women deal better with the discomfort of getting a tattoo better than men, the reason is because the female brain will produce pain blockers quicker than a male’s brain. Plus, the discomfort felt by getting a tattoo can be worse if the tattoo is going on the lower back, the ankles or the rib cage.

After getting a tattoo, the skin associated with the tattoo will feel like a sunburn and it is very common for a new tattoo to peel after a few days. The urge to peel the dry skin way will be present, but allow the new tattoo to peel naturally.  By not letting the skin peel away naturally, the ink will be pulled out, which will leave some discoloration and unevenness in the appearance. The new tattoo will feel dry, tight and itchy. Applying aftercare lotion, which will hydrate the tattoo and will alleviate the symptoms.

The healing stages of a tattoo will be as different as the person getting the tattoo. The differences in how a new tattoo feels varies from the skin type, the experience of the tattoo artist and their techniques, and the body location, these feelings will all be different when it comes to the healing process. It is critical to keep up with the aftercare after getting a tattoo to ensure the skin heals well and with no scaring. It’s also very common to see small colored flakes come away from the tattoo during the healing process.

First, we should probably look at the Bible, and mention that there are many of these, for many different religions.  People usually refer to the Old and New Testament that are foundation books for the Jewish and Christian faiths, but there are certainly more bibles in the world, such as the Koran, the Rig-Veda, and the Ifa Corpus.  These all have things to say about the body, and speak to practices that are allowed or prohibited.  In the Old Testament, however, one particular passage in Leviticus, 19:28: “You shall not make any cuts in your body for the dead nor make any tattoo marks on yourselves: I am the LORD.”  This particular passage has caught the most attention from the tattoo culture, particularly in the contemporary so-called Western world.

This passage has been invoked multiple times to prevent people from being buried in an orthodox Jewish cemetery.  In some places, it’s still extremely strict, and in others, there is more tolerance.  In Peter Trachtenburg’s book, “Seven Tattoos,” he looks at the history and present of global tattoo culture, in lieu of his own tattoos, which will make him unable to be buried in the same cemetery as his father.  This examination of tattooing in the world, along with piercing, offers some remarkable and compassionate insight into the art of body modification.  It also point up the fact that in terms of Bibles, this passage is the most powerful and explicit one about tattooing, and yet there are many scholars who will argue that this verse refers to a more archaic belief system that is now irrelevant.  There is no answer, then, apart from the hermeneutics.

Making your own temporary tattoos at home is fun. Who knows why, but there is a certain primal interest in tattoos that almost everyone has. We all like to draw on our skin, and usually from the moment we learn to draw anywhere. It seems quite logical that we want to decorate ourselves. For some of us, opening the cracker jack box and seeing the little pack of tattoos for the first time is something that’s rather difficult to forget. The fascination does wear off for some people as they get older, but that’s certainly not true for everyone. Kids, though, almost universally seem to like playing with tattoos in some form. There are a few culture where tattooing is not considered taboo for children, but for the places where it is questionable, temporary tattoos seem to be the best option.

There are many different methods for making the tattoo, and the following are ones that are the most tried and true. It’s important to be open to sudden flashes of inspiration, however! And also be on guard for such moments in case you have questions about the permanence of this project. If you’re not sure, wait until you have the right answers. The easiest way to make them, then, is with simple eyebrow pencils. Here, you can draw the design right on the skin, color it in, and then spray this with hairspray. That will lock the colors in, and if there’s not a lot of sweat, it should very easily last the entire evening. Some people like to make stencils, in case your freehand skills aren’t superb. Don’t be embarrassed, even some of the best tattoo artists in the world use stencils.

Another excellent option to pencils is the sharpie marker. They come in dozens of colors, and the tip makes it a very precise line. The ink here is not actually permanent, it comes off with alcohol. Nail polish is also an option, and it makes a nice slick and shiny surface, but be careful not to use it too much, because it can eventually hurt the skin. Another option that doesn’t use ink at all is to find a sticker in a shape that you like, and place that on the skin. Then lie out in the sun, or use the bottle tan products, and eventually you’ll have a light spot in the exact shape of the sticker. It’s a wonderfully startling effect! There are, obviously, lots of options here, so be open to experimenting! And have fun!

Tattoos have been a part of society and individual expression throughout most cultures for centuries. They have represented different social positions and attitudes and sometimes they are a symbol of power and respected position while other times they are not well received or approved of by society at large. In the United States they have had an interesting social role development and in recent decades have seen the greatest shift toward mainstream popularity and acceptance.

In previous decades they have pretty much been the domain of bikers, rock stars and outlaws and members of mainstream society have not embraced tattoos on regular people though they have often glamorized them as part of the counter cultural revolution. However, these days tattoos are increasingly popular with people from all demographics and it has become common to see them displayed prominently in public where they used to be covered for the most part. Also, the art of body painting, which sometimes includes tattoos has increased interest in exhibiting artistic expressions on one’s skin. And the art of tattoo making itself has changed a great deal and many tattoo artists are well respected and have become something of social icons in their own right.

All of these changes in style, attitudes and technology makes the question of getting a tattoo much different today than it was decades ago. Tattoos were more of a rebellious act, or certainly could be than they are today. Generally young people and others who are considering getting a tattoo more concerned with aesthetics than social rebellion though once again it can still be part of it. Ultimately, it is essential to remember that the tattoo will be going on your body and it is your decision if you will get one and what it will be. You are the one that has to live with the decision and celebrate the beautiful piece of art that rests on your skin or potentially regret a permanent image that you no longer associate with. If you are of age to make your own decision that remember that it is entirely yours to make and no one else can decide it for you.

Pink, an American singer and songwriter is also known for her tattoos. Especially the one that wraps around her wrist that says: What Goes Around Comes Around. She is a strong believer in Karma and by having this tattoo on her right wrist is a constant reminder for her to be mindful at all times. Pink’s artist friend in Philadelphia created it for her and as Pink says, when it comes to Karma it can either be instant or can take several lifetimes to come to fruition.

Pink’s tattoos are pretty cool actually. She has pink bows on the back of both her thighs which she had done while she was drunk, a half of a broken heart with the words ‘Best Friends’ written over it, a tribal musical note elegantly floating down behind her left earlobe, a bar code on the back of her neck, her dog Elvis on her left arm who drowned in her pool, a guardian angel flying on her shoulder, a razor blade on her wrist, the words ‘True Love’ on her left wrist, a red star on her left hand, a red heart on her lower stomach, a dragon that she hoped would cover up dimples in her legs and the words ‘Mr. Pink’ on the front of her thighs and many more too numerous to name.

Pink uses her tattoos as a reminder of the past, she considers her tattoos to be permanent statements of her life to date. Her very first tattoo was the Japanese symbol meaning ‘Good Luck and Happiness’ on her left ankle and the guardian angel that’s on her left shoulder. She did it to be rebellious, and because she loves Japanese art. Later she got more Japanese characters, one is for ‘Strength’, and another for ‘The will to Live’. When Pink’s mother turned 55, they both got tattoos with the Japanese character for ‘Mother’.

Keep in mind that not all body parts are as sensitive as other parts, so pain from a getting a tattoo, depends on what part of the body you get the tattoo and how big the tattoo will be. Fleshy parts of the body will not be as painful as areas that are on a bone. Then one needs to factor in the pain tolerance of the individual; one person might not feel any pain as they get a tattoo on their ankle, while the person sitting next to them getting the same tattoo on their ankle might need to bite the bullet.

Tattoo artist are ask ‘How much will the tattoo hurt?’ all the time, and they usually will respond with a question in return, such as where will the tattoo be? If your respond on the ribs, the genitals, the hands or feet, lower back and neck, then the tattoo artist will tell you it might hurt, and that these are generally the most painful parts to place a tattoo, but that they don’t know what your pain tolerance is and they don’t know how much you’ve had to drink. The least painful parts of the body are the lower and upper arms, the calves, the shoulders and the thighs, which is probably why those are the more popular spots for a tattoo.

To avoid any kind of unnecessary pain, do some research first. Find out if the tattoo artist is skilled and experienced; a tattoo session will always go better with someone who knows what they are doing and will result in less pain. If the tattoo will be placed on a bone area, expect pain and deal with it. So, in conclusion, do your research, find the right choice of tattoo artist, the best body location for your pain tolerance and the with the right care, pain from getting a tattoo will be kept to a minimum.

In many countries throughout Southeast Asia, tattooing is an art form, a religious expression for many of the monks, and is considered to be not only acceptable, but honorable as well. While more and more people in the United States are getting tattoos, they are still maybe seen by some as a form of rebellion. The truth of the matter in the United States, is that depending on the kind of career you wish to pursue, or the job in which you would like to attain and keep, appearance can have a huge effect.

Unfortunately, not all companies will consider someones talents or intelligence, skill or productivity, if the person is covered in tattoos, a prospective employer does have the right to simply not hire them. While tattoos are becoming more widely acceptable, certain jobs such as school teachers or corporate office jobs may require that the tattoos be fully covered while one is at work. However, it is becoming more common to see police men and firemen on the job, with visible tattoos, just as it is not so rare to see doctors and lawyers practicing without fully hiding their body art.

But there is still a bit of a stigma surrounding tattoos in some workplaces, as those with tattoos may be seen as being a bit on the “wild side”. Every company has the right to oversee the way in which their company is perceived by their clients and their associates, and often times that company is perceived through the people that they have on staff. It is something that many people consider when they chose to extend their upper arm tattoo into a full length sleeve design. It is after all, an individuals choice to get a tattoo, and although the consequences of not being hired may have to do with that tattoo, it is the right of the company to deny them employment.