Thursday, March 4, 2010

The History Of Tattoos

The History Of Tattoos

Tattoos have a rich history of tradition, dating back thousands and thousands of years.  Throughout the course of time, there has always been an important role of tradition and ritual behind tattoos.  In the past, women in Borneo used tattoos as a way to mark their skills.  Tattoos were also used in the past as a way to ward away illnesses and disease by placing the tattoo around the fingers and on the wrist.  Throughout history, tattoos have also been used to symbolize a clan or society as well.

The purpose of tattoos has differed from culture to culture throughout the course of time.  Research has shown that the earliest tattoos come from Egypt during the time of the pyramids, although most believe they started much earlier.  Egyptians at this time were believed to use tattoos as a way to mark the slaves and the peasants.  Around 2,000 BC, tattoos spread to China and then on to Greece, where the Greeks used tattoos as a way to communicate among spies.

Along the way, Japan also incorporated the use of tattoos as well.  The Japanese people used tattoos for religious and ceremonial rites.  During this era, Borneo women were the artists.  They produced the designs that indicated the individuals point in life and the tribe that he was affiliated with.  Tattoos were very popular during these days, although infections were quite common.  Tattoos were a long way from being perfected – which showed in the way they were done.

Tattoos were shown in the western regions as well, although they weren’t well accepted at first.  William Dampher, who was once an explorer, was the man who re-introduced tattoos to the western areas.  During the year 1961, he brought a heavily tattooed Prince to the area, showing off his tattoos with exhibitions.  He made quite a bit of money with these attractions, which in turn made tattoos very popular and well desired throughout London and surrounding areas.  Before then, it was nearly 600 years since tattoos had been witnessed in the area.

Chatham Square, which is located in New York City, was the first place to feature American styled tattoos.  During the turn of the century, Chatham Square attracted people from all over the United States, especially those with money.  A man by the name of Samuel O-Reily set up shop in Chatham Square, becoming the first man to use an electric tattoo gun.  In the beginning, the now popular tattoo gun was based on Thomas Edison’s electric pin that used a needle point to puncture paper.

The electric tattoo gun features moving coils, a needle bar and tube, which are common components of today’s guns.  The electric gun was very popular, allowing those who wanted a tattoo to get one at a great price.  These guns helped to revolutionize tattoos and allowed the tattoo artists to give tattoos fairly fast as well.  People took to this new technology in flocks, making it by far the best and most efficient ways to get tattoos.

During the late 1960s, tattoos really began to take off.  They were featured in magazines, television, and talked about everywhere.  These days, tattoos are very common, with nearly ½ of the population in the United States having at least one tattoo.  They are still common with bikers and clans, symbolizing that one is a member.  There are millions of designs out there for tattoos – including different color combination that have helped to make tattoos the phenomenon they are today.

Things To Expect From Tattoo Removal

Things To Expect From Tattoo Removal

At some point or another or for various reasons, people often make the decision to get their tattoo removed.  In some cases the tattoo will reflect a lost love and sometimes the tattoo will be something that the individual doesn’t want anymore.  Whatever the cause may be, getting a tattoo removed is a decision that takes quite of bit of time and thought.

If you’ve been thinking about getting a tattoo removed, you’ll need to start out by making an appointment with a local doctor or dermatologist and discuss your options.  Your doctor will look over the tattoo, the condition of the tattoo, and which methods he thinks will work best for the removal. 

All methods of tattoo removal do require surgery, which in itself will carry along risks and side effects.  Even though you may be getting a simple surgery, there may be complications with it as well.  For this very reason, you should always consider getting a tattoo removed very carefully.  It’s very important that you be extremely sure you want the tattoo removed before you proceed with any type of tattoo removal surgery.

Most often times your doctor or dermatologist will be able to explain to you step by step how the surgery works, how long it will take to complete, and the type of recovery that you can expect.  As you probably already know, the surgery site will be quite tender for a long period of time and will more than likely result in scarring.  As time goes by however, the scarring will tend to lessen eventually to the point where it isn’t all that visible.

The answer to scarring however, all depends on the tattoo’s size.  If you have a large tattoo, the scarring result will be more than that of a smaller tattoo.  Depending on where you have the tattoo that you want removed, you may notice quite a bit of pain.  Certain areas of the body, such as the chest and elbows are more sensitive than other areas of the body.

Once you and your doctor have agreed on a decision to remove the tattoo, you’ll be given an appointment time for the surgery.  It may or may not be performed as outpatient surgery; it all depends on your health and any complications that may arise.  In most cases, those that had tattoo removal surgery are held overnight and observed before being allowed to go home.  Before you have the surgery, you should always speak to your surgeon and find out if there are any known risks associated with your procedure.

As many know, the costs of getting a tattoo removed can be very expensive.  If the tattoo is a large one, the expenses can be outrageous.  Most insurance companies won’t pay for these costs unless there is a medial or health reason involved.  With insurance not paying for the removal of the tattoo, you’ll need to pay costs out of pocket.  You should always talk to your doctor and make payment arrangements before you have the surgery.  Once they are approved, you shouldn’t have anything to worry about in terms of costs.

Getting a tattoo removed can be expensive, painful, and impose risks that you’ll need to think about.  Even though you can get a tattoo removed, many wonder if it’s worth it.  The best way to deal with tattoos and their removal – is to avoid getting them in the first place – especially if there is any doubt in your mind that you may not want them later on.

Tongue Tattoos

Tongue Tattoos

Tattoos are a hot commodity these days, becoming more and more popular than they have ever been in the past.  There are hundreds and thousands of different designs and styles of tattoos to choose from, giving you the chance to express yourself.  Although tattoos are very popular, the new trend that is rapidly taking effect in the world of tattoos is known as tongue tattoos.

Although many aren’t familiar with tongue tattoos yet, they are just now starting to take shape.  They resemble other designs and styles, although they cover the muscle known as the tongue.  There are tattoos that cover the entire tongue, or just a single area.  In most cases, those who already have them, chose to have their tongue tattooed a certain color.  Whether it be purple, orange, black, or blue, the tongue can be tattooed a variety of different colors.

The designs that are poplar with tongue tattoos include stars, tribal work, and other shapes and designs that cover a region of the tongue.  Stars are popular with the lower area of the tongue, near the tip.  There are also designs that can be tattooed farther back on the tongue, near the middle of it.  As tongue tattoos become more and more popular, more and more designs are implemented.

As far as the procedure goes, it’s very similar to getting a tattoo on any other part of your body.  A tattoo involved needles puncturing the skin, depositing ink into the epidermis.  The needles move extremely fast, breaking the skin and leaving the pigments of ink.  The tongue, just like the skin, will swallow the pigments once the surface has been punctured by the needle.  Once the pigments of ink are absorbed by the tongue, the color will remain there forever.

Those who have had tongue tattoos in the past say that they aren’t very painful.  Unlike tattoos on the skin, the tongue is a giant muscle.  A tattoo on the tongue is often described as a tickling sensation or the feeling of numbness in your mouth.  When the tattoo artist does the tattoo, he will normally use a tool to hold the tongue out.  If you’ve ever had a tongue piercing, you’ll know what it looks like.  Once the tongue is out, the artist will begin work.  The process normally does take very long, as long you hold still and don’t move around.

If a tongue tattoo sounds interesting to you, the first thing to do is find a tattoo artist in your area who is experienced with doing them.  Not a lot of tattoo artists are familiar with tongue tattoos, as they are just now beginning to surface.  A tongue tattoo is a bit on the creative side – something that you just don’t see in public everyday.

Friday, May 8, 2009

Fire Water Tattoo

Innovative Tribal Designs

In the world of tattoo designs there are thousands of potential tattoos to choose from. Each and every day, there are new designs added to studios and online tattoo websites. Tattoos are becoming more and more popular these days, making the designs all the more important. Although flowers and other designs are popular, tribal designs seem to be among the most common.

The one thing that sticks out with tribal tattoos is the innovation. Tribal tattoos feature unique artwork, with most being more or less solid black with no other colors. Tribal can have several different meanings as well, as it all depends on the image that the artist is trying to bring to life. Tribal can either be a design that the artist already had or the artist can take your feedback and do the entire tattoo freehand as he goes along. Experienced tattoo artists can normally do great work freehand – as it gives you the ability to make changes as he goes along.

Some of the most popular designs with tribal tattoos include skulls and letters. Unique designs are also very popular, especially those that wrap around the arms or the back. Tribal can be put virtually anywhere on the body, just like any other tattoo. Depending on the tattoo design you have in mind, it may take quite a few hours before the artist has finished. With the larger tattoos, you may need to come back to have the work finished.

Before you decide to get a tribal tattoo, you’ll first need to decide on the design. If you don’t have an idea in mind, this can take you quite a bit of time. You can look online for some ideas, or look at some of the already made designs at your local tattoo studio. If you see something that you like but you want to be a bit more creative, you can always add to the design. For example if you see a tribal skull design that you like, you can make it bigger or change just about anything in the tattoo design that would make it unique for you.

If you want the entire tattoo to be unique and creative, you can always have your tattoo artist draw the entire tattoo from scratch. You can give input as well if you want, to ensure that the design matches what you have in mind. Drawing a custom tattoo can take anywhere from an hour to several hours, depending on the size and detail of the tattoo. Tribal tattoos that have a lot of detail can be a bit complex, both to draw and to tattoo. No matter what you have in mind for your design – you can rest assured that it can be accomplished with tribal design tattoos.

One of the more popular tribal designs is called, "fire water tattoo". Samoan Tattoos are also quite popular.