Editing Tattoo (section)

== Types ==
The [[American Academy of Dermatology]] distinguishes five types of tattoos: traumatic tattoos that result from injuries, such as asphalt from road injuries or pencil lead; amateur tattoos; professional tattoos, both via traditional methods and modern tattoo machines; cosmetic tattoos, also known as "[[permanent makeup]]"; and [[medical tattoos]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tattoos, Body Piercings, and Other Skin Adornments |url=http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_tattoos.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223231358/http://www.aad.org/public/Publications/pamphlets/cosmetic_tattoos.html |archive-date=23 December 2010 |access-date=5 April 2012 |publisher=Aad.org}}</ref>

=== Traumatic tattoos ===
A traumatic tattoo occurs when a substance such as asphalt or gunpowder is rubbed into a [[wound]] as the result of some kind of accident or trauma.<ref name="traumatic">{{Cite web |title=10.18 Traumatic Tattoos and Abrasions |url=http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse1018.htm |access-date=17 August 2018 |website=Emergency Medicine Informatics |archive-date=7 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907093923/http://www.ncemi.org/cse/cse1018.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> When this involves [[carbon]], dermatologists may call the mark a [[carbon stain]] instead of a tattoo.<ref name="Andrews">{{cite book |author1=James, William D. |url=https://archive.org/details/oralcancerdiagno00shkl |title=Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: clinical Dermatology |author2=Berger, Timothy G. |publisher=Saunders Elsevier |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-7216-2921-6 |display-authors=etal |url-access=registration}}</ref>{{rp|47}} [[Coal mining|Coal miners]] could develop characteristic marks, called collier's stripes, because of [[coal dust]] getting into scratches and other small wounds.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Orwell |first=George |title=Inside the Whale |title-link=Inside the Whale |year=1940 |chapter=Down the Mine}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-06-17 |title=Occupational skin and lung disease in coalfield communities |url=https://www.nursingtimes.net/public-health/occupational-skin-and-lung-disease-in-coalfield-communities-17-06-2019/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Nursing Times |language=en}}</ref> An [[amalgam tattoo]] is when [[amalgam (dentistry)|amalgam]] particles are implanted in to the soft tissues of the mouth, usually the gums, during dental filling placement or removal.<ref name="amalgam">{{Cite web |title=Amalgam tattoo |url=http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflets/amalgam-tattoo-march-2016.htm |access-date=17 August 2018 |website=Royal Berkshire Hospital |archive-date=10 February 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180210124728/http://www.royalberkshire.nhs.uk/patient-information-leaflets/amalgam-tattoo-march-2016.htm |url-status=dead}}</ref> Another example of such accidental tattoos is the result of a deliberate or accidental stabbing with a pencil or pen, leaving graphite or ink beneath the skin.

=== Identification ===

==== Forcible tattooing for identification ====
[[File:Auschwitz survivor displays tattoo detail.jpg|thumb|An identification tattoo on a survivor of the [[Auschwitz concentration camp]]]]
A well-known example is the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] practice of forcibly tattooing [[Nazi concentration camps|concentration camp]] inmates with identification numbers during [[the Holocaust]] as part of [[Identification in Nazi camps#Numbers|the Nazis' identification system]], beginning in fall 1941.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Tattoos and Numbers: The System of Identifying Prisoners at Auschwitz |url=https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007056 |website=www.ushmm.org}}</ref> The [[SS]] introduced the practice at [[Auschwitz concentration camp]] in order to identify the bodies of registered prisoners in the concentration camps. During registration, guards would tattoo each prisoner with a number, usually on the left forearm, but sometimes on the chest<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |orig-date=ca. 6th May 1945 |author=Photograph taken by Donald R. Ornitz |title=Survivors in a barracks in Mauthausen. Note the tattoo on the chest of the man in the left foreground |url=https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa6838 |website=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |type=black and white photograph}}</ref> or stomach.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |orig-date=1945 |title=American film about Nazi atrocities at concentration camps shown at Nuremberg Trials [also called Concentration Camps in Germany, 1939-1945] |url=https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn616441 |website=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum |series=Archives of the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal |publisher=U.S. Army Signal Corps |type=Black and white 35mm nitrate film [digitised]}}</ref> Of the Nazi concentration camps, only Auschwitz put tattoos on inmates.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tattoos and Numbers: The System of Identifying Prisoners at Auschwitz |url=https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/tattoos-and-numbers-the-system-of-identifying-prisoners-at-auschwitz |access-date=11 October 2019 |website=encyclopedia.ushmm.org}}</ref> Prisoners found with tattoos in [[Mauthausen concentration camp]]<ref name=":2" /> and [[Buchenwald concentration camp]]<ref name=":3" /> upon liberation were presumably transported from Auschwitz by [[Death marches during the Holocaust|death march]]. The tattoo was the prisoner's camp number, sometimes with a special symbol added: some [[Jew]]s had a triangle, and [[Romani people|Romani]] had the letter "Z" (from German ''{{linktext|Zigeuner}}'' for 'Gypsy'). In May 1944, Jewish men received the letters "A" or "B" to indicate a particular series of numbers.

As early as the [[Zhou dynasty|Zhou]], Chinese authorities would employ facial tattoos as a punishment for certain crimes or to mark prisoners or slaves.{{citation needed|date=May 2025}}

[[File:Mark of a deserter.jpg|thumb|upright|Tattoo marking a [[desertion|deserter]] from the [[British Army]]; skin removed post-mortem]]

During the [[Roman Empire]], gladiators and slaves were tattooed: exported slaves were tattooed with the words "tax paid", and it was a common practice to tattoo "fugitive" (denoted by the letters "FUG") on the foreheads of runaway slaves.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pitt Rivers Museum Body Arts {{!}} Prisoner's tag |url=http://web.prm.ox.ac.uk/bodyarts/index.php/body-arts-and-lifecycles/adulthood/105-prisoners-tag.html |website=web.prm.ox.ac.uk}}</ref> Owing to the [[Bible|Biblical]] strictures against the practice,<ref>[[Leviticus 19]]:28</ref> Emperor [[Constantine the Great|Constantine I]] banned tattooing the face around AD&nbsp;330, and the [[Second Council of Nicaea]] banned all body markings as a [[Paganism|pagan]] practice in AD&nbsp;787.<ref name="Mayor">{{Cite news |last=Mayor |first=Adrienne |date=March–April 1999 |title=People Illustrated |volume=52 |work=Archaeological Institute of America |issue=2 |url=http://www.archaeology.org/9903/abstracts/tattoo.html}}</ref>

==== In criminal investigations ====
These markings can potentially provide a wealth of information about an individual. Simple visual examinations, as well as more advanced digital recognition technologies, are employed to assist in identifying or providing clues about suspects or victims of crimes.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www2.law.temple.edu/10q/tattoo-recognition-technology-gaining-acceptance-as-a-crime-solving-technique/#:~:text=Tattoos%20are%20also%20helpful%20in,attempt%20to%20mutilate%20the%20body | title=Tattoo Recognition Technology Gaining Acceptance as a Crime-Solving Technique | date=31 August 2022 }}</ref>

==== Postmortem identification ====
Tattoos are sometimes used by [[forensic pathologist]]s to help them identify burned, putrefied, or mutilated bodies. As tattoo pigment lies encapsulated deep in the skin, tattoos are not easily destroyed even when the skin is burned.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Khunger |first1=Niti |last2=Molpariya |first2=Anupama |last3=Khunger |first3=Arjun |date=2015 |title=Complications of Tattoos and Tattoo Removal: Stop and Think Before you ink |journal=Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=30–36 |doi=10.4103/0974-2077.155072 |issn=0974-2077 |pmc=4411590 |pmid=25949020 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==== Identification of animals ====
{{See also|Animal tattoo}}
Pets, show animals, [[thoroughbred]] horses, and [[livestock]] are sometimes tattooed with [[animal identification]] marks. Ear tattoos are a method of identification for [[beef cattle]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Some Ways To Indentify &#91;sic&#93; Beef Cattle |url=http://www.thebeefsite.com/articles/1005/some-ways-to-indentify-beef-cattle/ |access-date=15 October 2018 |website=The Beef Site |language=en}}</ref> Tattooing with a 'slap mark' on the shoulder or on the ear is the standard identification method in commercial pig farming. [[Livestock branding|Branding]] is used for similar reasons and is often performed without anesthesia, but is different from tattooing as no ink or dye is inserted during the process, the mark instead being caused by permanent scarring of the skin.<ref name="FAnGRC">{{Cite web |last=Small |first=Richard |title=REVIEW OF LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION AND TRACEABILITY IN THE UK |url=http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=11417_IdentificationandTraceabilityFinal.pdf. |access-date=17 March 2017 |website=GOV.UK |publisher=DEFRA, Farm Animal Genetic Resources Committee}}</ref> Pet dogs and cats are sometimes tattooed with a serial number (usually in the ear, or on the inner thigh) via which their owners can be identified. However, the use of a microchip has become an increasingly popular choice and since 2016 is a legal requirement for all 8.5 million pet dogs in the UK.<ref name="UKGov_microchip2016">{{Cite web |title=Compulsory dog microchipping comes into effect |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/compulsory-dog-microchipping-comes-into-effect |access-date=17 March 2017 |publisher=Government Digital Service}}</ref> In Australia, [[desexed]] cats and dogs are marked with a tattoo on the inside of the [[ear]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ear Tattoo Notice 2009 |url=https://www.ava.com.au/siteassets/about-us/divisions--branches/ear-tattoo-notice-2009.pdf |website=Australian Veterinary Association}}</ref>

=== Cosmetic ===
{{Main|Permanent makeup}}
[[File:Diana na 2de beh.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Permanent makeup|Tattooed lip makeup]]]]
Permanent makeup is the use of tattoos to create long-lasting eyebrows, lips (liner or lip blushing), eyes (permanent eyeliner), and even [[mole (skin marking)|moles]] definition. Natural colors are used to mimic eyebrows and freckles, while diverse pigments for lips and eyeliner for a look akin to traditional makeup.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Permanent Make-Up |url=https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/cosmetic-treatments/permanent-make-up/ |access-date=20 August 2018 |website=NHS}}</ref>

Another cosmetic tattooing trend is micropigmentation, which tattoo artists use to create the illusion of hair on the scalp. Often called [[Hair tattoo|scalp micropigmentation (SMP)]], this technique is popular among those experiencing hair loss, as it can mimic the look of a closely shaved head or add density to thinning areas. The process involves depositing tiny dots of pigment into the skin, creating a natural-looking shadow effect that blends seamlessly with existing hair.

=== Medical ===
{{Main|Medical tattoo}}
Medical tattoos are used to ensure instruments are properly located for repeated application of radiotherapy and for the areola in some forms of breast reconstruction. Tattooing has also been used to convey medical information about the wearer (e.g., blood group, medical condition, etc.). [[Alzheimer]] patients may be tattooed with their names, so they may be easily identified if they go missing.<ref>Hürriyet Daily News: [http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/tattooist-offers-to-tattoo-names-of-alzheimer-patients-in-izmir.aspx?pageID=238&nID=71786 Tattooist offers to tattoo names of Alzheimer patients in İzmir]</ref> Additionally, tattoos are used in skin tones to cover [[vitiligo]], a skin pigmentation disorder.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Arndt |first1=Kenneth A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CP27h0r-FjwC |title=Manual of Dermatologic Therapeutics |last2=Hsu |first2=Jeffrey T. S. |publisher=Lippincott Williams & Wilkins |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-7817-6058-4 |edition=illustrated |page=116 |access-date=6 September 2013}}</ref>

[[File:Man with armpit tattoo. Razor Neva, blood type, birth year. Color.jpg|thumb|Medical tattoo: [[blood type]]]]
[[SS blood group tattoo]]s ({{langx|de|Blutgruppentätowierung}}) were worn by members of the [[Waffen-SS]] in Nazi Germany during World War II to identify the individual's [[blood type]]. After the war, the tattoo was taken to be ''[[prima facie]]'', if not perfect, evidence of being part of the Waffen-SS, leading to potential arrest and prosecution. This led a number of ex-Waffen-SS to shoot themselves through the arm with a gun, removing the tattoo and leaving scars like the ones resulting from pox inoculation, making the removal less obvious.<ref name="lepre">{{Cite book |last=Lepre |first=George |title=Himmler's Bosnian Division: The Waffen-SS Handschar Division 1943–1945 |date=2004 |publisher=Schiffer Publishing Ltd |isbn=978-0-7643-0134-6 |page=310}}</ref>

Tattoos were probably also used in ancient medicine as part of the treatment of the patient. In 1898, medical doctor Daniel Fouquet wrote about "medical tattooing" practices in [[Ancient Egypt]] based on female mummies at the [[Deir el-Bahari]] site.<ref>Gemma Angel, "[http://blogs.ucl.ac.uk/researchers-in-museums/2012/12/10/tattooed-mummy-amunet/ Tattooing in Ancient Egypt Part 2: The Mummy of Amunet]". 10 December 2012.</ref>

[[Ötzi#Skeletal details and tattooing|Ötzi the iceman]] had a total of 61 tattoos, which may have been a form of [[acupuncture]] used to relieve pain.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Piombino-Mascali |first1=Dario |last2=Krutak |first2=Lars |chapter=Therapeutic Tattoos and Ancient Mummies: The Case of the Iceman |date=4 January 2020 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007%2F978-3-030-32181-9_6 |title=Purposeful Pain: The Bioarchaeology of Intentional Suffering |series=Bioarchaeology and Social Theory |pages=119–136 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-32181-9_6 |isbn=978-3-030-32180-2 |s2cid=213402907 |access-date=28 April 2021| issn = 2567-6814}}</ref> [[Radiological]] examination of Ötzi's bones showed "age-conditioned or strain-induced degeneration" corresponding to many tattooed areas, including [[osteochondrosis]] and slight [[spondylosis]] in the lumbar spine and wear-and-tear degeneration in the knee and especially in the ankle joints.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Spindler |first=Konrad |title=The Man in the Ice |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-7538-1260-0 |pages=178–184|publisher=Phoenix }}</ref> If so, this is at least 2,000 years before acupuncture's previously known earliest use in [[Acupuncture#History|China]] ({{circa|100 BC}}).

Some women in the US and UK who have undergone [[mastectomy]] and [[breast reconstruction]] choose to get realistic tattoos of nipples.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 December 2013 |title=Nipple tattoos and their Michelangelo |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25366749 |work=BBC News}}</ref> Others choose to get decorative [[Cover-up tattoo|cover-up tattoos]] over mastectomy scars instead of reconstruction.<ref>Locke, Katherine. 2013. [https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/07/mastectomy-tattoo-breast-cancer "Women choose body art over reconstruction after cancer battle: Undergoing a mastectomy is a harrowing experience, but tattoos can celebrate the victory over cancer."] ''The Guardian''. 7 August 2013.</ref>