Editing Tattoo

{{Short description|Skin modification using ink to create designs}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}}
[[File:Julie Agnes Kitzune mask.jpg|thumb|upright|A contemporary tattoo design]]
[[File:Anchor tattoo and sketch.jpg|thumb|upright|A tattoo in progress with a rope-and-anchor design inspired by traditional [[sailor tattoos]], alongside a sketch of the design]]
[[File:Foot tattoo.jpg|thumb|upright|Application of a tattoo to a woman's foot]]A '''tattoo''' is a form of [[body modification]] made by inserting [[tattoo ink]], [[dye]]s or [[pigments]], either indelible or temporary, into the [[dermis]] layer of the [[Human skin|skin]] to form a design. [[Tattoo artist]]s create these designs using several [[Process of tattooing|tattooing processes and techniques]], including hand-tapped traditional tattoos and modern [[tattoo machine]]s. The [[history of tattooing]] goes back to [[Neolithic]] times, practiced across the globe by many cultures, and the symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures.

Tattoos may be decorative (with no specific meaning), symbolic (with a specific meaning to the wearer), pictorial (a depiction of a specific person or item), or textual (words or pictographs from written languages). Many tattoos serve as [[Rite of passage|rites of passage]], marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, marks of [[fertility]], pledges of love, [[amulet]]s and talismans, protection, and as punishment, like the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. Extensive decorative tattooing has also been part of the work of performance artists such as [[Tattooed lady|tattooed ladies]].

Although tattoo art has existed at least since the first known tattooed person, [[Ötzi]], lived around the year 3330 BCE, the way society perceives tattoos has varied immensely throughout history. In the 20th century, tattoo art throughout most of the world was associated with certain lifestyles, notably sailors and prisoners (see [[sailor tattoos]] and [[prison tattooing]]). In the 21st century, people choose to be tattooed for artistic, cosmetic, sentimental/[[memorial]], [[religion|religious]], and spiritual reasons, or to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs (see [[criminal tattoo]]s) or a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture. Tattoos may show how a person feels about a relative (commonly a parent or child) or about an unrelated person.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Frankie J |year=2007 |title=Tattooing: Mind, Body And Spirit. The Inner Essence Of The Art |journal=Sociological Viewpoints |volume=23 |pages=45–61}}</ref>

Tattoos can also be used for functional purposes, such as identification, [[permanent makeup]] and [[Medical tattoo|medical purposes]].

==Terminology==
The word ''{{linktext|tattoo}}'', or ''tattow'' in the 18th century, is a [[loanword]] from the [[Samoan language|Samoan]] word {{lang|sm|tatau}}, meaning "to strike",<ref name="covered">{{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Beverly Yuen |title=Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women and the Politics of the Body |date=2015 |location=New York, New York USA |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |isbn=978-0-8147-8920-9 |pages=35–64 |chapter="I Want to Be Covered": Heavily Tattooed Women Challenge the Dominant Beauty Culture |chapter-url=https://cpb-us-west-2-juc1ugur1qwqqqo4.stackpathdns.com/hawksites.newpaltz.edu/dist/1/2245/files/2018/01/Yuen-Thompson_Heavily-Tattooed-Women-1cyuu89.pdf}}</ref><ref name="samoa2">{{cite web |title=Meaning of Tatau 1 |url=https://pasefika.com/Culture/Article/19/sa/Meaning-of-Tatau-1 |publisher=Pasefika Design}}</ref> from [[Proto-Oceanic language|Proto-Oceanic]] *''sau''₃ referring to a [[wingbone]] from a [[flying fox]] used as an instrument for the tattooing process.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://acd.clld.org/cognatesets/31345#3/-11.94/168.74 |title=*sau₃ wingbone of flying fox, used in tattooing; tattoo |last1=Blust |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Blust |last2=Trussel |first2=Stephen |website=Austronesian Comparative Dictionary |date=2010 |publisher=Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology |access-date=8 November 2022}}</ref> The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' gives the [[etymology]] of tattoo as "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From [[Polynesian languages|Polynesian]] (Samoan, [[Tahitian language|Tahitian]], [[Tongan language|Tongan]], etc.) tatau. In [[Marquesan language|Marquesan]], tatu." Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been described in the West as painting, scarring, or staining.<ref name="Abington 2010">{{Cite encyclopedia |title=tattoo |encyclopedia=The Hutchinson Unabridged Encyclopedia with Atlas and Weather guide |publisher=Helicon |date=July 2021 |edition=Credo Reference. Web.}}</ref>

The etymology of the body modification term is not to be confused with the origins of the word for the [[Military tattoo|military drumbeat]] or performance. In this case, the English word ''tattoo'' is derived from the Dutch word {{lang|nl|taptoe}}.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary|OED]]</ref>

Ready-made tattoo designs are known as "[[flash (tattoo)|flash]]".<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2018 |title=Vintage Tattoo Flash |url=https://motorcitytattoomuseum.com/vintage-tattoo-flash |access-date=2022-06-19 |website=Motor City Tattoo Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors to enable customers to select a pre-drawn image or use them as inspiration for a custom image.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Michalak |first=Jodie |date=February 18, 2022 |title=Flash vs. Custom Tattoos |url=https://www.byrdie.com/what-is-tattoo-flash-3189612 |access-date=2022-06-05 |website=Byrdie |language=en}}</ref> Flash may be mass-produced or drawn by tattoo artists who work there.<ref name=":6" />

The Japanese word {{lang|ja-latn|[[irezumi]]}} means "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos using {{lang|ja-latn|tebori}}, the traditional Japanese hand method, a Western-style machine or any method of tattooing using insertion of ink. Another word used for traditional Japanese tattoo designs is {{lang|ja-latn|[[horimono]]}}.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dane |first=Kira |last2=Caprara |first2=David |date=2020-11-17 |title=The Japanese Pilgrimage Where Horimono Tattoos Are Revered |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/japanese-horimono-tattoo-pilgrimage/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref> Japanese may use the word Western ''tattoo'' as a [[loan word]] meaning any non-Japanese styles of tattooing.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

British anthropologist [[Henry Ling Roth|Ling Roth]] in 1900 described four methods of skin marking and suggested they be differentiated under the names "tatu", "[[Tā moko|moko]]", "[[scarification|cicatrix]]" and "[[keloid]]".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roth |first=H. Ling |title=On Permanent Artificial Skin Marks: a definition of terms |date=11 September 1900 |publisher=Anthropological Section of the British Association for the Advancement of Science |location=Bradford}}</ref> The first is by pricking that leaves the skin smooth as found in places including the Pacific Islands. The second is a tattoo combined with chiseling to leave furrows in the skin as found in places including New Zealand. The third is [[scarification]] using a knife or chisel as found in places including West Africa. The fourth and the last is scarification by irritating and re-opening a preexisting wound, and re-scarification to form a raised scar as found in places including Tasmania, Australia,{{clarify|date=March 2023}} Melanesia and Central Africa.<ref name="Roth">McDougall, Russell and Davidson, Iain; eds. (2016). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=ZalJDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA97 The Roth Family, Anthropology, and Colonial Administration]'', p.97. Routledge. {{ISBN|9781315417288}}.</ref>

== 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>

== History ==
{{Main|History of tattooing}}
[[File:Whang-od tattooing.jpg|thumb|left|[[Whang-od]], the last ''mambabatok'' (traditional Kalinga tattooist) of the [[Kalinga (province)|Kalinga]] in the [[Philippines]], performing a traditional batek tattoo]]
Preserved tattoos on ancient [[mummies|mummified]] human remains reveal that tattooing has been practiced throughout the world for thousands of years.<ref name="Oldest Tattoos">{{cite journal |last1=Deter-Wolf |first1=Aaron |last2=Robitaille |first2=Benoît |last3=Krutak |first3=Lars |last4=Galliot |first4=Sébastien |title=The World's Oldest Tattoos |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports |date=February 2016 |volume=5 |pages=19–24 |doi=10.1016/j.jasrep.2015.11.007 |bibcode=2016JArSR...5...19D |s2cid=162580662 |url=https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-01227846/file/OldestTattoos.pdf}}</ref> In 2015, scientific re-assessment of the age of the two oldest known tattooed mummies identified [[Ötzi]] as the oldest example then known. This body, with 61 tattoos, was found embedded in glacial ice in the [[Alps]], and was dated to 3250 BC.<ref name="Oldest Tattoos" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scallan |first1=Marilyn |title=Ancient Ink: Iceman Otzi Has World's Oldest Tattoos |url=http://smithsonianscience.si.edu/2015/12/debate-over-worlds-oldest-tattoo-is-over-for-now/ |access-date=19 December 2015 |publisher=Smithsonian Science News |date=9 December 2015}}</ref> In 2018, the oldest [[Figurative art|figurative]] tattoos in the world were discovered on two mummies from Egypt which are dated between 3351 and 3017 BC.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ghosh |first=Pallab |date=1 March 2018 |title='Oldest tattoo' found on 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43230202 |work=[[BBC]] |access-date=8 March 2018}}</ref>

Ancient tattooing was most widely practiced among the [[Austronesian people]]. It was one of the early technologies developed by the Proto-Austronesians in [[Taiwan]] and coastal [[South China]] prior to at least 1500 BC, before the Austronesian expansion into the islands of the [[Indo-Pacific]].<ref name="kirch">{{cite book |author=Patrick Vinton Kirch |title=A Shark Going Inland Is My Chief: The Island Civilization of Ancient Hawai'i |publisher=[[University of California Press]] |year=2012 |pages=31–32 |isbn=978-0-520-27330-6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VFJpUG5Nzh4C&pg=PA31}}</ref><ref name="fuery">{{cite book |last1=Furey |first1=Louise |author-link1=Louise Furey |editor=Lars Krutak & Aaron Deter-Wolf |title=Ancient Ink: The Archaeology of Tattooing |chapter=Archeological Evidence for Tattooing in Polynesia and Micronesia |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |year=2017 |pages=159–184 |isbn=978-0-295-74284-7 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RKZGDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT171}}</ref> It may have originally been associated with [[headhunting]].<ref name="bald">{{cite book |last=Baldick |first=Julian |title=Ancient Religions of the Austronesian World: From Australasia to Taiwan |publisher=I.B.Tauris |year=2013 |page=3 |isbn=978-1-78076-366-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2c2KRnKqWgoC&pg=PA3}}</ref> Tattooing traditions, including facial tattooing, can be found among all Austronesian subgroups, including [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples]], [[Maritime Southeast Asia|Islander Southeast Asians]], [[Micronesian people|Micronesians]], [[Polynesians]], and the [[Malagasy people]]. [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesians]] used the characteristic hafted skin-puncturing technique, using a small mallet and a piercing implement made from ''[[Citrus]]'' thorns, fish bone, bone, and oyster shells.<ref name="covered" /><ref name="fuery" /><ref name=Maori.com>{{cite web |title=Maori Tattoo |url=http://www.maori.com/tattoo |website=Maori.com |publisher=Maori Tourism Limited |access-date=17 July 2015 |archive-date=20 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150720220252/http://www.maori.com/tattoo |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ancient tattooing traditions have also been documented among [[Indigenous people of New Guinea|Papuans]] and [[Melanesians]], with their use of distinctive [[obsidian]] skin piercers. Some archeological sites with these implements are associated with the Austronesian migration into [[Papua New Guinea]] and [[Melanesia]]. But other sites are older than the Austronesian expansion, being dated to around 1650 to 2000 BC, suggesting that there was a preexisting tattooing tradition in the region.<ref name="fuery" />
[[File:Ana_Eva_Hei,_profile_view_by_Walter_Knoche,_1911.jpg|thumb|[[Ana Eva Hei]], profile view by Walter Knoche, 1911]]
Among other ethnolinguistic groups, tattooing was also practiced among the [[Ainu people]] of Japan; some [[Austroasian]]s of [[Indochina]]; [[Berber people|Berber]] women of [[Tamazgha]] (North Africa);<ref name="berber">{{cite web |url=http://ethnicjewelsmagazine.com/facial-tattooing-of-berber-women-by-sarah-corbett/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519211810/http://ethnicjewelsmagazine.com/facial-tattooing-of-berber-women-by-sarah-corbett/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=19 May 2014 |title=Facial Tattooing of Berber Women |last=Corbett |first=Sarah |date=6 February 2016 |magazine=Ethnic Jewels Magazine |access-date=18 May 2018}}</ref> the [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]], [[Fulani people|Fulani]] and [[Hausa people|Hausa]] people of [[Nigeria]];<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Wilson-Fall |first1=Wendy |title=The Motive of the Motif Tattoos of Fulbe Pastoralists |journal=African Arts |date=Spring 2014 |volume=47 |issue=1 |pages=54–65 |doi=10.1162/AFAR_a_00122 |s2cid=53477985}}</ref> [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] of the [[Pre-Columbian era|Pre-Columbian Americas]];<ref name="Evans">Evans, Susan, Toby. 2013. Ancient Mexico and Central America: Archaeology and Culture History. 3rd Edition.</ref> people of [[Rapa Nui tattooing|Rapa Nui]];<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |last=Kaeppler |first=Adrienne L. |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/362024307 |title=The iconic tattooed man of easter island: an illustrated life |date=2018 |publisher=EISP Foundation Mana Press |isbn=978-1-7324952-0-3 |location=Santa Monica, CA |pages=37, 51}}</ref> [[Picts]] of [[British Iron Age|Iron Age Britain]];<ref name="carr">{{cite journal |last=Carr |first=Gillian |year=2005 |title=Woad, tattoing, and identity in later Iron Age and Early Roman Britain |journal=Oxford Journal of Archaeology |volume=24 |issue=3 |pages=273–292 |doi=10.1111/j.1468-0092.2005.00236.x}}</ref> and [[Paleo-Balkan languages|Paleo-Balkan peoples]] ([[Illyrians]] and [[Thracians]], as well as [[Daunians]] in [[Apulia]]), a tradition that has been preserved in the western [[Balkans]] by [[Albanians]] ([[Albanian traditional tattooing]]), Catholics in [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]] ([[Sicanje]]), and women of some [[Vlachs|Vlach]] communities.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Lelaj|first=Olsi|title=Mbi tatuazhin në shoqërinë shqiptare|trans-title=On Tattoo in the Albanian Society|journal=[[Kultura Popullore]]|volume=34|issue=71–72|year=2015|issn=2309-5717|publisher=[[Centre of Albanological Studies]]|pages=91–118}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Norman|first=Camilla|chapter=Illyrian Vestiges in Daunian Costume: tattoos, string aprons and a helmet|title=Realtà medioadriatiche a confronto: contatti e scambi tra le due sponde. Atti del convegno Termoli 22-23 luglio 2016|editor=Gianfranco De Benedittis|publisher=Università degli Studi del Molise|place=Campobasso|year=2018|pages=57–71}}</ref>

=== Egypt and Sudan ===
The earliest figural tattoos were identified on the [[Mummy|naturally mummified]] human remains of a male buried within a shallow grave from Gebelein in upper [[Ancient Egypt|Egypt]], and [[Radiocarbon dating|radiocarbon dated]] to around 3351-3017 BC.<ref name=":4">{{Cite journal |last=Friedman |first=Renée  |date=2018 |title=Natural Mummies from Predynastic Egypt Reveal the World's Earliest Figural Tattoos |journal=Journal of Archaeological Science |volume=92 |pages=116–125 |doi=10.1016/j.jas.2018.02.002  |bibcode=2018JArSc..92..116F  |url=https://pure.qub.ac.uk/en/publications/8a368c3c-d138-4a04-a203-fef01b8ed673  |via=Elsevier Science Direct}}</ref> The male mummy, named the “Gebelein man”, had two overlapping tattoos on his right forearm, one depicting a [[Bovinae|bovine]], and the other depicting another horned animal, perhaps a [[barbary sheep]] or another bovine.<ref name=":4" /> The Gebelein man was approximately 18–21 years of age when he died, suggesting that he received his tattoos at an early age.

The cultures of Ancient Egypt and Ancient [[Nubia]], located in modern-day [[Sudan]], while diverse and multifaceted within their own rights, often have roots in a shared cultural heritage such as the tradition of tattooing.<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Tassie |first=Geoffrey |date=2003 |title=Identifying the Practice of Tattooing in Ancient Egypt and Nubia |journal=Papers from the Institute of Archaeology |volume=14 |pages=85–101|doi=10.5334/pia.200 |doi-access=free }}</ref> While the Gebelein man was buried in Egypt, most discoveries of tattooed individuals from this region are from Ancient Nubia. In Nubia, the earliest identified human remains with tattoos are dated to the C-Group period, which lasted from 2345 to 1500 BC and contemporaneous with the First Intermediate period through the Second Intermediate period in Ancient Egypt.<ref name=":5" /> During this C-Group period, only women have been found with tattoos, suggesting that tattooing was gendered at this time.<ref name=":5" /> Tattoos of this period usually consist of dotted patterns and lines, and typically were located on the abdomen, chest, arms or legs.<ref name=":5" />

By 500 BC, there is evidence of tattooing on men in Ancient Nubia, typically on the hands or arms, and rarely on the face.<ref name=":5" /> There is also more evidence of figural tattooing around this period, typically found on female human remains. These figural tattoos encompassed a wide variety of images, such as abstract chains of “sss” or depictions of gods and goddesses.<ref name=":4" /> In Nubia, a female mummy from [[Temple of Aksha|Aksha]] dated to the 4th century BC contains a tattoo of the [[Ancient Egyptian deities|Egyptian deity]] Bes on her thigh.<ref name=":5" /> [[Bes]], a dwarfed god, is often associated with fertility and childbirth, and was a popular image tattooed onto women both in Egypt and Nubia, as seen in both [[Iconography|iconographic]] examples, such as tomb paintings, and on human remains.<ref name=":5" />

No ancient tattoo instruments or tools have been confidently identified at [[archaeological excavation]]s in either Egypt or Sudan, due to the perishable nature of the tools and their possibility for misidentification. However, tattoos during this period were created with metal needles or awls, tools typically associated with the work of domestic women.<ref name=":5" />

=== China ===
[[File:Yue statue.jpg|thumb|180px|A [[Baiyue|Yue]] ("barbarian") statue of a tattooed man with short hair from the [[para-Austronesian]] cultures of southern China, from the [[Zhejiang Provincial Museum]]]]
Cemeteries throughout the [[Tarim Basin]] ([[Xinjiang]] of western China) including the sites of [[Qäwrighul]], [[Yanghai]], [[Shengjindian]], Zaghunluq, and Qizilchoqa have revealed [[Tarim mummies|several tattooed mummies]] with Western Asian/Indo-European physical traits and cultural materials. These date from between 2100 and 550 BC.<ref name="Oldest Tattoos" />

In ancient China, tattoos were considered a barbaric practice associated with the [[Baiyue|Yue]] peoples of southeastern and southern China. Tattoos were often referred to in literature depicting bandits and folk heroes. As late as the [[Qing dynasty]],{{when|date=August 2013}}<!--specifically--> it was common practice to tattoo [[Chinese characters|characters]] such as {{lang|zh|囚}} ("Prisoner") on convicted criminals' faces. Although relatively rare during most periods of Chinese history, [[Slavery in China|slaves]] were also sometimes marked to display ownership.

However, tattoos seem to have remained a part of southern culture. [[Marco Polo]] wrote of [[Quanzhou]], "Many come hither from Upper India to have their bodies painted with the needle in the way we have elsewhere described, there being many adepts at this craft in the city". At least three of the main characters {{ndash}} [[Lu Zhishen]], Shi Jin (史進), and Yan Ching (燕青) {{ndash}} in the classic novel ''[[Water Margin]]'' are described as having tattoos covering nearly all of their bodies. [[Wu Song]] was sentenced to a facial tattoo describing his crime after killing Xi Menqing (西門慶) to avenge his brother. In addition, [[Chinese mythology|Chinese legend]] claimed the mother of [[Yue Fei]] (a famous [[Song dynasty|Song]] general) tattooed the words "Repay the Country with Pure Loyalty" ({{lang|zh|精忠報國}}, ''jing zhong bao guo'') down her son's back before he left to join the army.

=== Europe ===
[[File:Prince Giolo, Son to the King of Moangis a1528388.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Giolo (real name Jeoly) of [[Miangas]], who became enslaved in [[Mindanao]] and bought by the English [[William Dampier]] together with Jeoly's mother, who died at sea. Jeoly was exhibited in London in a [[human zoo]] in 1691 to large crowds, until he died of [[smallpox]] three months later. Throughout the time he was exhibited, Dampier gained a fortune.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mangubat |first=Lio |date=Nov 2, 2017 |title=The True Story of the Mindanaoan Slave Whose Skin Was Displayed at Oxford |url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-true-story-of-the-mindanaoan-slave-whose-skin-was-displayed-at-oxford-a00029-20171102-lfrm2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230530221346/https://www.esquiremag.ph/long-reads/features/the-true-story-of-the-mindanaoan-slave-whose-skin-was-displayed-at-oxford-a00029-20171102-lfrm2 |archive-date=May 30, 2023 |website=Esquire Philippines}}</ref><ref name="Etching of Prince Giolo">Savage, John (c. 1692). [http://acms.sl.nsw.gov.au/item/itemDetailPaged.aspx?itemID=153334 "Etching of Prince Giolo"]. State Library of New South Wales.</ref><ref name="auto" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Barnes |first=Geraldine |year=2006 |title=Curiosity, Wonder, and William Dampier's Painted Prince |journal=Journal for Early Modern Cultural Studies |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=31–50 |doi=10.1353/jem.2006.0002 |s2cid=159686056}}</ref>]]

In 1566, French sailors [[Human trafficking|abducted]] an [[Inuit|Inuk]] woman and her child in modern-day [[Labrador]] and brought her to the city of [[Antwerp]] in modern-day [[Belgium]]. The mother was tattooed while the child was unmarked. In Antwerp, the two were put on display at a local tavern at least until 1567, with handbills promoting the event being distributed in the city. In 1577, English [[privateer]] [[Martin Frobisher]] captured two Inuit and brought them back to England for display. One of the Inuit was a tattooed woman from [[Baffin Island]], who was illustrated by the English cartographer [[John White (colonist and artist)|John White]].<ref name="Krutak2">{{cite web |last1=Krutak |first1=Lars |title=Myth Busting Tattoo (Art) History |url=https://www.larskrutak.com/myth-busting-tattoo-art-history/ |website=Lars Krutak: Tattoo Anthropologist |date=22 August 2013 |access-date=25 February 2020}}</ref>

In 1691, [[William Dampier]] brought to London a Filipino man named [[Jeoly]] or Giolo from the island of [[Mindanao]] (Philippines) who had a tattooed body. Dampier exhibited Jeoly in a [[human zoo]] to make a fortune and falsely branded him as a "prince" to draw large crowds. At the time of exhibition, Jeoly was still grieving his mother, who Dampier also enslaved and had died at sea during their exploitation to Europe. Dampier claimed that he became friends with Jeoly, but with the intention to make money, he continued to exploit his "friend" by exhibiting him in a human zoo, where Jeoly died three months later. Jeoly's dead body was afterwards skinned, and his skinless body was disposed, while the tattooed skin was sold and displayed at Oxford.<ref>Mangubat (2017). The True Story of the Mindanaoan Slave Whose Skin Was Displayed at Oxford. Esquire.</ref>

[[File:Joshua Reynolds - Portrait of Omai.jpg|thumb|left|150px|A portrait of [[Omai]], a tattooed [[Raiatea]]n man brought back to Europe by [[James Cook|Captain James Cook]]]]

It is commonly held that the modern popularity of tattooing stems from Captain [[James Cook]]'s three voyages to the South Pacific in the late 18th century. Certainly, Cook's voyages and the dissemination of the texts and images from them brought more awareness about tattooing (and, as noted above, imported the word "tattow" into Western languages).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rmg.co.uk/discover/explore/captain-cook-sir-joseph-banks-and-tattoos-tahiti |title=Captain Cook, Sir Joseph Banks and tattoos in Tahiti |date=25 August 2015 |website=Royal Museums Greenwich |language=en |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref> On Cook's first voyage in 1768, his science officer and expedition botanist, [[Joseph Banks|Sir Joseph Banks]], as well as artist [[Sydney Parkinson]] and many others of the crew, returned to England with a keen interest in tattoos with Banks writing about them extensively<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thedearsurprise.com/sir-joseph-banks-and-the-art-of-tattoo/ |title=Sir Joseph Banks and the Art of Tattoo |last=Knows |first=The Dear |date=6 June 2010 |website=The Dear Surprise |language=en-US |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref> and Parkinson is believed to have gotten a tattoo himself in [[Tahiti]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/forgotten-scots-explorer-and-artist-who-sketched-for-captain-cook-expedition-hailed/ |title=The story of Scots explorer and artist Sydney Parkinson, who joined Captain Cook's expedition armed with pencils and paint |last=Gallacher |first=Stevie |website=The Sunday Post |date=6 August 2018 |language=en-US |access-date=3 April 2020}}</ref> Banks was a highly regarded member of the English aristocracy who had acquired his position with Cook by co-financing the expedition with ten thousand pounds, a very large sum at the time. In turn, Cook brought back with him a tattooed [[Raiatea]]n man, [[Omai]], whom he presented to King George and the English Court. On subsequent voyages other crew members, from officers, such as American John Ledyard, to ordinary seamen, were tattooed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://tattoohistorian.com/2014/04/05/the-cook-myth-common-tattoo-history-debunked/ |title=The Cook Myth: Common Tattoo History Debunked |work=tattoohistorian.com |date=5 April 2014}}</ref>

The first documented professional tattooist in Britain was [[Sutherland Macdonald]], who operated out of a salon in London beginning in 1894.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sutherland-macdonald-britains-first-professional-tattoo-artist-celebrated-in-new-exhibition-at-the-a6804396.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220526/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/sutherland-macdonald-britains-first-professional-tattoo-artist-celebrated-in-new-exhibition-at-the-a6804396.html |archive-date=26 May 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=The man who started the tattoo craze in Britain is coming to a museum near you |work=The Independent |access-date=20 July 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref> In Britain, tattooing was still largely associated with sailors<ref>Some days after a shipwreck divers recovered the bodies. Most were unrecognisable, but that of a crew member was readily identified by his tattoos: "The reason why sailors tattoo themselves has often been asked." The Times (London), 30 January 1873, p. 10</ref> and the lower or even criminal class,<ref>''The Times'' (London), 3 April 1879, p. 9: "Crime has a ragged regiment in its pay so far as the outward ... qualities are concerned ... they tattoo themselves indelibly ... asserting the man's identity with the aid of needles and gunpowder. This may be the explanation of the Mermaids, the Cupid's arrows, the name of MARY, the tragic inscription to the memory of parents, the unintended pathos of the appeal to liberty."</ref> but by the 1870s had become fashionable among some members of the upper classes, including royalty,<ref name="Abington 2010" /><ref>{{cite journal |last=Broadwell |first=Albert H. |title=Sporting pictures on the human skin |journal=Country Life |date=27 January 1900}} Article describing work of society tattooist [http://www.tattooarchive.com/tattoo_history/macdonald_sutherland.html Sutherland Macdonald] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103145504/http://www.tattooarchive.com/tattoo_history/macdonald_sutherland.html |date=3 November 2013 }} refers to his clientele including "members of our Royal Family, among them H.R.H. the Duke of York, H.I.M. the Czarevitch, and Imperial and Royal members of Russian, German and Spanish courts...."</ref> and in its upmarket form it could be an expensive<ref>''The Times'' (London), 18 April 1889, p. 12: "A Japanese Professional Tattooer". Article describes the activities of an unnamed Japanese tattooist based in Hong Kong. He charged £4 for a dragon, which would take 5 hours to do. The article ends "The Hong-Kong operator tattooed the arm of an English Prince, and, in Kioto, was engaged for a whole month reproducing on the trunk and limbs of an English peer a series of scenes from Japanese history. For this he was paid about £100. He has also tattooed ladies.... His income from tattooing in Hong Kong is about £1,200 per annum."</ref> and sometimes painful<ref>{{cite journal |last=Broadwell |first=Albert H. |title=Sporting pictures on the human skin |journal=Country Life |date=27 January 1900}} "In especially sensitive cases a mild solution of cocaine is injected under the skin, ... and no sensation whatever is felt, while the soothing solution is so mild that it has no effect ... except locally."</ref> process. A marked [[class division]] on the acceptability of the practice continued for some time in Britain.<ref>In 1969 the House of Lords debated a bill to ban the tattooing of minors, on grounds it had become "trendy" with the young in recent years but was associated with crime, 40 per cent of young criminals having tattoos. [[Baron Teynham|Lord Teynham]] and the [[Dudley Gordon, 3rd Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair|Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair]] however rose to object that they had been tattooed as youngsters, with no ill effects. ''The Times'' (London), 29 April 1969, p. 4: "Saving young from embarrassing tattoos".</ref>

=== North America ===
Many [[Indigenous people of North America|Indigenous peoples of North America]] practice tattooing.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Root |first=Leeanne |date=13 September 2018 |title=How Native American Tattoos Influenced the Body Art Industry |url=https://indiancountrytoday.com/archive/native-american-tattoos-influenced-body-art-industry |access-date=12 June 2022 |newspaper=Ict News |language=en}}</ref> European explorers and traders who met Native Americans noticed these tattoos and wrote about them, and a few Europeans chose to be tattooed by Native Americans.<ref name="Friedman2012">{{cite thesis |type=PhD |last=Friedman Herlihy |first=Anna Felicity |title=Tattooed Transculturites: Western Expatriates among Amerindian and Pacific Islander Societies, 1500–1900 |date=June 2012 |publisher=University of Chicago |location=Chicago, IL |url=https://tattoohistorian.com/2017/01/07/tattooed-transculturites-read-my-phd-tattoo-history-dissertation-online/}}</ref> See [[History of tattooing#North America|history of tattooing in North America]].

By the time of the [[American Revolution]], tattoos were already common among American sailors (see [[sailor tattoos]]).<ref name="Dye">{{Cite journal |last=Dye |first=Ira |date=1989 |title=The Tattoos of Early American Seafarers, 1796–1818 |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/986875 |journal=Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society |volume=133 |issue=4 |pages=520–554 |jstor=986875 |issn=0003-049X}}</ref> Tattoos were listed in [[protection papers]], an identity certificate issued to prevent [[impressment]] into the British [[Royal Navy]].<ref name="Dye" /> Because protection papers were proof of American citizenship, Black sailors used them to show that they were freemen.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=fDsHKydL67kC&q=%22protection%20papers%22%20slavery&pg=PA305 Law in American History: Volume 1: From the Colonial Years Through the Civil War.] Page 305.</ref>

[[File:Tattooed sailor aboard the USS New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Sailor tattoos|Sailor being tattooed]] by a fellow sailor aboard [[USS New Jersey (BB-62)|USS ''New Jersey'']] in 1944]]
The first recorded professional tattoo shop in the U.S. was established in the early 1870s by a German immigrant, [[Martin Hildebrandt]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nyssen |first=Carmen |title=New York City's 1800s Tattoo Shops |url=https://buzzworthytattoo.com/saloon-tattoo-shops-of-new-york-citys-4th-ward/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170907022552/http://www.buzzworthytattoo.com/saloon-tattoo-shops-of-new-york-citys-4th-ward/ |url-status=usurped |archive-date=7 September 2017 |access-date=6 June 2022 |website=Buzzworthy Tattoo History |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last1=Amer |first1=Aïda |last2=Laskow |first2=Sarah |date=13 August 2018 |title=Tattooing in the Civil War Was a Hedge Against Anonymous Death |url=http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/civil-war-tattoos |access-date=5 June 2022 |website=Atlas Obscura |language=en}}</ref> He had served as a Union soldier in the Civil War and tattooed many other soldiers.<ref name=":0" />

Soon after the Civil War, tattoos became fashionable among upper-class young adults.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Namra |first=Inbar |title=Victorian Tattoos – Yes, They Were a Thing|url=https://greatest.ink/blog/victorian-tattoos-yes-they-were-a-thing/ |access-date=5 May 2023 |website=Greatest Ink |date=5 May 2023 |language=en-US}}</ref> This trend lasted until the beginning of World War I. The invention of the electric tattoo machine caused popularity of tattoos among the wealthy to drop off. The machine made the tattooing procedure both much easier and cheaper, thus, eliminating the status symbol tattoos previously held, as they were now affordable for all socioeconomic classes. The status symbol of a tattoo shifted from a representation of wealth to a mark typically seen on rebels and criminals. Despite this change, tattoos remained popular among military servicemen, a tradition that continues today.

In 1975, there were only 40 tattoo artists in the U.S.; in 1980, there were more than 5,000 self-proclaimed tattoo artists,<ref name="Think before you ink: Tattoo risks">{{Cite web |title=Think before you ink: Tattoo risks |url=https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/tattoos-and-piercings/art-20045067 |access-date=26 April 2022 |website=Mayo Clinic |language=en}}</ref> appearing in response to sudden demand.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1980/11/09/original-tattoo-artist-times-changing/99616353-ba75-477d-822c-4aeaf062d17a/ |title=Original Tattoo Artist: Times Changing |date=9 November 1980 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=5 March 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>

Many studies have been done of the tattooed population and society's view of tattoos. In June 2006, the ''[[American Academy of Dermatology|Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology]]'' published the results of a telephone survey of 2004: it found that 36% of Americans ages 18–29, 24% of those 30–40, and 15% of those 41–51 had a tattoo.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kirby |first1=David |title=Inked Well |date=2012 |publisher=Bedford/St. Martins |location=Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide |isbn=978-0-312-67684-1 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/patternsforcolle0000unse/page/685 685–689] |url=https://archive.org/details/patternsforcolle0000unse/page/685}}</ref> In September 2006, the [[Pew Research Center]] conducted a telephone survey that found that 36% of Americans ages 18–25, 40% of those 26–40 and 10% of those 41–64 had a tattoo. They concluded that [[Generation X]] and [[Millennials]] express themselves through their appearance, and tattoos are a popular form of self-expression.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://people-press.org/report/300/a-portrait-of-generation-next |publisher=[[Pew Research Center|The Pew Research Center for the People and the Press]] |title=A Portrait of 'Generation Next' |date=9 January 2007 |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref> In January 2008, a survey conducted online by [[Harris Insights & Analytics|Harris Interactive]] estimated that 14% of all adults in the United States have a tattoo, slightly down from 2003, when 16% had a tattoo. Among age groups, 9% of those ages 18–24, 32% of those 25–29, 25% of those 30–39 and 12% of those 40–49 have tattoos, as do 8% of those 50–64. Men are slightly more likely to have a tattoo than women.

Since the 1970s, tattoos have become a mainstream part of Western fashion, common both for men and women, and among all economic classes<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/history-ink/wQx72HUG |title=History, Ink – The Valentine |website=Google Arts & Culture |language=en |access-date=20 April 2020}}</ref> and to age groups from the later teen years to middle age. For many young Americans, the tattoo has taken on a decidedly different meaning than for previous generations. The tattoo has undergone "dramatic redefinition" and has shifted from a form of deviance to an acceptable form of expression.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Roberts |first=D. J. |title=Secret Ink: Tattoo's Place in Contemporary American Culture |journal=Journal of American Culture |volume=35 |number=2 |year=2012 |pages=153–65 |doi=10.1111/j.1542-734x.2012.00804.x |pmid=22737733}}</ref> As of 1 November 2006, [[Oklahoma]] became the last state to legalize tattooing, having banned it since 1963.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2006-05-11-0605110139-story.html |title=State last to legalize tattoo artists, parlors |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=11 May 2006 |access-date=6 June 2019}}</ref>

=== Australia ===
Scarring was practised widely amongst the Indigenous peoples of Australia, now only really found in parts of [[Arnhem Land]]. Each "deliberately placed scar tells a story of pain, endurance, identity, status, beauty, courage, sorrow or grief."<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Aboriginal Scarification |url=https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/body-art/aboriginal-scarification/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |website=The Australian Museum |language=en}}</ref><blockquote>''Barramoyokjarlukkugarr walang bolhminy now bolitj.'' They put it on the wound and then it comes up as an adornment scar. ([[Bob Burruwal]], [[Rembarrnga]], Arnhem Land)<ref name=":1" /></blockquote>

The European history of the use of tattoo in Australia is that branding was used by European authorities for marking criminals throughout the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.<ref>Clare Andersen in Caplan, J. (2000). Written on the body: The tattoo in European and American history / edited by Jane Caplan. London: Reaktion. {{ISBN|1-86189-062-1}}</ref> The practice was also used by British authorities to mark army deserters and military personnel court-martialed in Australia. In nineteenth century Australia tattoos were generally the result of personal rather than official decisions but British authorities started to record tattoos along with scars and other bodily markings to describe and manage convicts assigned for transportation.<ref name="auto">Maxwell-Stewart, Hamish, in Caplan, J. (2000). Written on the body: The tattoo in European and American history / edited by Jane Caplan. London: Reaktion. {{ISBN|1-86189-062-1}}</ref> The practice of tattooing appears to have been a largely non-commercial enterprise during the convict period in Australia. For example, James Ross in the Hobart Almanac of 1833 describes how the convicts on board ship commonly spent time tattooing themselves with gunpowder.<ref name="auto" /> Out of a study of 10,180 convict records that were transported to then Van Diemen's Land (now Tasmania) between 1823 and 1853 about 37% of all men and about 15% of all women arrived with tattoos, making Australia at the time the most heavily tattooed English-speaking country.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-30/convict-tattoos-tasmanias-inked-history-explored-in-book/7798044 |title=Tattoo trend goes back to Tasmania's convict era, author finds |newspaper=ABC News |date=30 August 2016}}</ref>[[File:Fred Harris Tattoo Studio slnsw.jpg|thumb|upright|Fred Harris, Tattoo Studio, Sydney, 1937]]By the beginning of the twentieth century, there were tattoo studios in Australia but they do not appear to have been numerous. For example, the Sydney tattoo studio of Fred Harris was touted as being the only tattoo studio in Sydney between 1916 and 1943.<ref>PIX MAgazine, Vol. 1 No. 4 (19 February 1938)</ref> Tattoo designs often reflected the culture of the day and in 1923 Harris's small parlour experienced an increase in the number of women getting tattoos. Another popular trend was for women to have their legs tattooed so the designs could be seen through their stockings.<ref>SYDNEY WOMEN'S CRAZE. (6 October 1923). Maryborough Chronicle, Wide Bay and Burnett Advertiser (Qld. : 1860–1947), p. 11</ref>
 
By 1937 Harris was one of Sydney's best-known tattoo artists and was inking around 2000 tattoos a year in his shop. Sailors provided most of the canvases for his work but among the more popular tattoos in 1938 were Australian flags and kangaroos for sailors of the visiting American Fleet.<ref>Fred Harris Tattoo Studio Sydney, 1916–1943, State Library of New South Wales</ref>

In modern-day Australia, tattoos are common and widely accepted.<ref name="inkedmag-aus">{{Cite web |last=Roberts |first=Simon |date=2024-11-19 |title=Tattoos Down Under |url=https://inkedmag.com/art/tattoos-down-under |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=[[Inked (magazine)|Inked Magazine]] |language=en-US}}</ref> A 2024 study determined that there were 1,860 tattoo businesses in Australia.<ref name="inkedmag-aus"/> There are [[tattoo convention]]s held in major cities each year.<ref name="inkedmag-aus"/> The [[Flags depicting the Southern Cross|Southern Cross motif from the Australian flag]] is a popular but controversial tattoo.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stokes |first=Alan |date=2014-10-13 |title=The taboo tattoo: is there a national symbol to challenge the Southern Cross? |url=https://www.smh.com.au/opinion/the-taboo-tattoo-is-there-a-national-symbol-to-challenge-the-southern-cross-20141014-115lqf.html |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=The Sydney Morning Herald |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=VICE |date=2020-09-02 |title=We Asked People With Southern Cross Tattoos 'Why?' |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/we-asked-people-with-southern-cross-tattoos-why/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}</ref>

=== Latin America ===
Of the three best-known Pre-Columbian civilizations in the Americas, the Mayas and the Aztecs of Central America were known to wear tattoos while the Incas of South America were not.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Pre-Columbian Tattoos of Western South America |date=6 July 2020 |url=https://www.larskrutak.com/pre-columbian-tattoos-of-western-south-america/}}</ref> However, there is evidence that the [[Chimor|Chimu]] people who preceded the Incas did wear tattoos for magic and medical purposes.<ref name=Chimu/> The [[Chancay culture]] of coastal Peru had tattoos around 1250 A.D. which were studied with [[laser]]s by researchers at the [[Chinese University of Hong Kong]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.msn.com/en-ca/news/world/lasers-help-archaeologists-study-ancient-tattoos-on-peruvian-mummies/ar-BB1rnVYJ|title=Lasers help archaeologists study ancient tattoos on Peruvian mummies|last=Larson|first=Christina|work=[[MSN]]|via=[[Associated Press]]|date=January 14, 2025|access-date=January 31, 2025}}</ref> The diverse tribes of the Amazon have also worn tattoos for millennia and continue to do so to this day, including facial tattoos and notably, the people of the [[Xingu River]] in the [[North Region, Brazil|North]] of Brazil and the [[Putumayo River]] between Peru, Brazil, and Colombia<ref name=Chimu>{{Cite web |title=The Kayabi: Tattooers of the Brazilian Amazon |date=25 May 2013 |url=https://www.larskrutak.com/the-kayabi-tattooers-of-the-brazilian-amazon/}}</ref>

=== New Zealand ===
[[File:MaoriChief1784.jpg|thumb|upright|A [[Māori people|Māori]] chief with tattoos (''[[Tā moko|moko]]'') seen by Cook and his crew (drawn by [[Sydney Parkinson]] 1769), engraved for ''[[A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas]]'' by Thomas Chambers]]
The [[Māori people]] of New Zealand have historically practiced tattooing. Amongst these are facial designs worn to indicate lineage, social position, and status within the ''[[iwi]]'' (tribe) called ''[[tā moko]]''. The tattoo art was a sacred marker of identity among the Māori and also referred to as a vehicle for storing one's ''[[Tapu (Polynesian culture)|tapu]]'', or spiritual being, in the afterlife.<ref name="google1">{{Cite book |last=Atkinson |first=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BUxKHJAUSxgC&q=atkinson+tattooed&pg=PR3 |title=Tattooed: the sociogenesis of a body art |year=2003 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-0-8020-8568-9 |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref> One practice was after death to preserve the skin-covered skull known as ''Toi moko'' or ''[[mokomokai]]''. In the period of early contact between Māori and Europeans these heads were traded especially for firearms. Many of these are now being repatriated back to New Zealand led by the country's national museum, [[Te Papa]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Toi moko « Trafficking Culture |url=https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/toimoko/,%20https://traffickingculture.org/encyclopedia/case-studies/toimoko/ |access-date=2023-05-21 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=A Strange Trade — Deals in Maori Heads — Pioneer Artists |url=http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-RobMoko-t1-front-d2.html |website=victoria.ac.nz}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |first1=Marc |last1=Fennell |first2=Monique |last2=Ross |date=2020-12-13 |title=The headhunters |language=en-AU |work=ABC News |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-14/mokomokai-maori-heads-stuff-the-british-stole-repatriations/12771180 |access-date=2023-05-21}}</ref>

=== India ===
Tattooing in India has a long history, practiced by various tribes and communities. The art of tattooing was traditionally linked to cultural, social, and spiritual beliefs. In the northeastern states, such as Assam and Nagaland, tribal tattoos were symbolic of protection, rites of passage, and spiritual identity. The [[Gondi people|Gond people]] of central India and [[Warli]] tribe of Maharashtra also practiced tattooing, which represented their cultural heritage and connection to nature.

In [[Rajasthan]], tattoos were often considered to protect the wearer from evil spirits and bring good fortune. Among the [[Mising people|Mishing]] people of Assam, tattoos were seen as indicators of maturity and social standing. The tradition of tattooing evolved over time from a ritualistic and protective art form to an expression of personal identity and individuality.

[[Bind (caste)|Binds]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]] have used tattoos to signify the [[marital status]] of a woman, especially in remote rural areas. In the past, girls would get tattooed as soon as they started [[Menstrual cycle|menstruating]], which signaled to the family that it was time to begin searching for a [[Bridegroom|groom]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Saika |first=Neha |date=July 19, 2023 |title=Tattooing as a gendered practice: Why only Bind women get inked |url=https://idronline.org/ground-up-stories/tattooing-as-a-gendered-practice-why-only-bind-women-get-inked/ |access-date=May 14, 2025 |website=India Development Review (IDR)}}</ref>

In contemporary India, tattooing has become mainstream, particularly in urban areas, with many tattoo artists gaining international recognition. Tattoos are now a popular means of expressing personal stories, beliefs, and artistic style.<ref name="tattoo_history1">{{Cite web |last=Sharma |first=Dristi |year=2021 |title=A link through the ink |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/interactive/immersive/contemporary-tattoo-culture-know-history-tattoo-types-and-other-details/ |access-date=2021-12-23 |website=India Today }}</ref>

== Process ==
{{Main|Process of tattooing|Tattoo ink}}
[[File:Man_getting_a_tattoo.ogv|thumb|upright|A short video of the making of a tattoo. The artist wears [[Nitrile rubber|nitrile gloves]] to avoid causing infections while perforating the skin.]]
Tattooing involves the placement of pigment into the skin's dermis, the layer of dermal tissue underlying the [[epidermis (skin)|epidermis]]. After initial injection, pigment is dispersed throughout a [[Homogenization (biology)|homogenized]] damaged layer down through the epidermis and upper dermis, in both of which the presence of foreign material activates the [[immune system]]'s [[phagocyte]]s to engulf the pigment particles. As healing proceeds, the damaged epidermis flakes away (eliminating surface pigment) while deeper in the skin [[granulation tissue]] forms, which is later converted to connective tissue by [[collagen]] growth. This mends the upper dermis, where pigment remains trapped within successive generations of [[macrophage]]s, ultimately concentrating in a layer just below the dermis/epidermis boundary. Its presence there is stable, but in the long term (decades) the pigment tends to migrate deeper into the dermis, accounting for the degraded detail of old tattoos.<ref name=kilmer>{{cite web |url=https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1121212-overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081229064645/http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1121212-overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2008 |title=Tattoo Lasers: Overview, Histology, Tattoo Removal Techniques |date=13 September 2017 |publisher=[[Medscape]]}}</ref>

An alternative and painless method of permanent tattooing is to use patches covered by microneedles made of tattoo ink. The patch is pressed onto the skin the same way a temporary tattoo paper is applied to the body. The microneedles then dissolve, and after a few minutes the ink sinks into the skin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://research.gatech.edu/researchers-develop-painless-tattoos-can-be-self-administered|title=Researchers Develop Painless Tattoos That Can Be Self-Administered &#124; Research|website=research.gatech.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Song |last2=Kim |first2=Youngeun |last3=Lee |first3=Jeong Woo |last4=Prausnitz |first4=Mark R. |date=21 October 2022 |title=Microneedle patch tattoos |journal=iScience |language=en |volume=25 |issue=10 |pages=105014 |doi=10.1016/j.isci.2022.105014|pmid=36317159 |pmc=9617462 |bibcode=2022iSci...25j5014L }}</ref>

=== Equipment ===
[[File:Tattoo machine 2 coil.jpg|thumb|upright|A two coil tattoo machine]]
Some tribal cultures traditionally created tattoos by cutting designs into the skin and rubbing the resulting wound with ink, ashes or other agents; some cultures continue this practice, which may be an adjunct to [[scarification]]. Some cultures create tattooed marks by hand-tapping the ink into the skin using sharpened sticks or animal bones (made into needles) with clay formed disks or, in modern times, actual needles.

The most common method of tattooing in modern times is the electric [[tattoo machine]], which inserts ink into the skin via a single needle or a group of needles that are [[solder]]ed onto a bar, which is attached to an oscillating unit. The unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. The needles are single-use needles that come packaged individually, or manufactured by artists, on-demand, as groupings dictate on a per-piece basis.

In modern tattooing, an artist may use thermal stencil paper or [[hectograph]] ink/stencil paper to first place a printed design on the skin before applying a tattoo design.

=== Practice regulation and health risk certification ===
[[File:24B-cleaning work space with Madacide, a powerful hospital germicidal solution.jpg|thumb|upright|Cleaning work space with Madacide, a powerful hospital germicidal solution]]Tattooing is regulated in many countries because of the associated health risks to client and practitioner, specifically local infections and virus transmission. Disposable plastic aprons and eye protection can be worn depending on the risk of blood or other secretions splashing into the eyes or clothing of the tattooist. Hand hygiene, assessment of risks and appropriate disposal of all sharp objects and materials contaminated with blood are crucial areas. The tattoo artist's hands must be washed, as must the area of the client's body that will be tattooed. Gloves must be worn at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet disposable towel of some kind. All equipment must be sterilized in a certified [[autoclave]] before and after every use. It is good practice to provide clients with a printed consent form that outlines risks and complications as well as instructions for after care.<ref name="CIEH2013">{{cite web |title=Tattooing and body piercing guidance: Toolkit |url=https://www.cieh.org/media/1261/tattooing-and-body-piercing-guidance-toolkit-july-2013.pdf |publisher=Chartered Institute of Environmental Health |access-date=17 March 2017}}</ref>

== Associations ==

=== Historical associations ===
[[File:Body art, 1907 black n white.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Maud Wagner|Mrs. M. Stevens Wagner]] with arms and chest covered in tattoos, 1907]]
Among [[Austronesian peoples|Austronesian]] societies, tattoos had various functions. Among men, they were strongly linked to the widespread practice of [[head-hunting]] raids. In head-hunting societies, like the [[Ifugao people|Ifugao]] and [[Dayak people]], tattoos were records of how many heads the warriors had taken in battle, and were part of the [[initiation rite]]s into adulthood. The number, design, and location of tattoos, therefore, were indicative of a warrior's status and prowess. They were also regarded as magical wards against various dangers like evil spirits and illnesses.<ref>{{cite book |last1=DeMello |first1=Margo |title=Inked: Tattoos and Body Art around the World |date=2014 |publisher=ABC-CLIO |isbn=978-1-61069-076-8}}</ref> Among the [[Visayans]] of the [[pre-colonial Philippines]], tattoos were worn by the ''[[maginoo|tumao]]'' nobility and the ''[[timawa]]'' warrior class as permanent records of their participation and conduct in maritime raids known as ''[[mangayaw]]''.<ref name="scott2">{{cite book |author=William Henry Scott |title=Barangay: sixteenth-century Philippine culture and society |publisher=[[Ateneo de Manila University Press]] |year=1994}}</ref><ref name="arcilla">{{cite book |author=José S. Arcilla |title=An Introduction to Philippine History |publisher=Ateneo de Manila University Press |year=1998 |pages=14–16 |isbn=9789715502610 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uxEYobbU-D8C&q=timawa&pg=PA14}}</ref> In Austronesian women, like the facial tattoos among the women of the [[Tayal people|Tayal]] and [[Māori people]], they were indicators of status, skill, and beauty.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url=https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-RobMoko-t1-body-d1-d2.html |title=Moko; or Maori Tattooing |chapter=Moko and Mokamokai – Chapter I – How Moko First Became Knows to Europeans |page=5 |author=Major-General Robley |year=1896 |publisher=Chapman and Hall Limited |access-date=26 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="lach">{{cite book |author1=Lach, Donald F. |author2=Van Kley, Edwin J. |name-list-style=amp |title=Asia in the Making of Europe, Volume III: A Century of Advance. Book 3: Southeast Asia |publisher=[[University of Chicago Press]] |year=1998 |page=1499 |isbn=978-0-226-46768-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M4t8S7BfgeIC&pg=PA1499}}</ref>

Tattoos were part of the ancient [[Wu culture]] of the [[Yangtze River Delta]] but had negative connotations in traditional [[Han culture]] in [[China]]. The [[Predynastic Zhou|Zhou]] refugees [[Wu Taibo]] and his brother [[Zhongyong of Wu|Zhongyong]] were recorded cutting their hair and tattooing themselves to gain acceptance before founding the [[ancient Chinese state|state]] of [[Wu (state)|Wu]], but Zhou and [[imperial China|imperial Chinese]] culture tended to restrict tattooing as a punishment for marking criminals.<ref name=dem7-61>{{cite book |last=DeMello |first=Margo |title=Encyclopedia of body adornment |year=2007 |publisher=Greenwood Press |location=Westport |isbn=978-0-313-33695-9 |page=61}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Dutton |first=Michael |title=Streetlife China |year=1998 |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-63141-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/streetlifechina0000unse/page/163 163 & 180] |url=https://archive.org/details/streetlifechina0000unse/page/163}}</ref> The association of tattoos with [[criminal]]s was transmitted from China to influence Japan.<ref name=dem7-61 /> Today, tattoos remain generally disfavored in Chinese society.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dutton |first=Michael |title=Streetlife China |year=1998 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=Cambridge |isbn=978-0-521-63141-9 |page=[https://archive.org/details/streetlifechina0000unse/page/180 180] |url=https://archive.org/details/streetlifechina0000unse/page/180}}</ref>

Tattooing of criminals and slaves was commonplace in the [[Roman Empire]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tattoos and the Romans... |url=https://ancientworlds.net/aworlds_direct/app_main.php?pageData=Post/55599 |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=ancientworlds.net}}</ref> Catholic [[Croats of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Croats]] of [[Bosnia]], especially children and women, used [[Sicanje]] for protection against conversion to [[Islam]] during the Ottoman rule in the Balkans.<ref>Truhelka, Ciro. ''Wissenschaftliche Mittheilungen Aus Bosnien und der Hercegovina'': "Die Tätowirung bei den Katholiken Bosniens und der Hercegovina." Sarajevo; Bosnian National Museum, 1896.</ref>

In the 19th century, released convicts from the U.S. and Australia, as well as British military deserters were identified by tattoos.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A Military Deserter Marking Instrument, 1842 |url=https://www.bada.org/object/military-deserter-marking-instrument-1842 |access-date=2024-04-16 |website=BADA |language=en}}</ref> Prisoners in [[Nazi concentration camps]] were tattooed with an identification number. Today, many prison inmates still tattoo themselves as an indication of time spent in prison.<ref name="Abington 2010" />

[[File:Tsukioka Yoshitoshi - Looking in Pain - a Prostitute of the Kansei Era.jpg|thumb|left|upright|An 1888 [[Woodblock printing in Japan|Japanese woodblock print]] (''[[ukiyo-e]]'') of a prostitute biting her handkerchief in pain as her arm is tattooed. Based on historical practice, the tattoo is likely the name of her lover. printed by [[Tsukioka Yoshitoshi]].]]
The [[Government of Meiji Japan]] had outlawed tattoos in the 19th century, a prohibition that stood for 70 years before being repealed in 1948.<ref>Ito, Masami, "[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20100608i1.html Whether covered or brazen, tattoos make a statement]", ''[[Japan Times]]'', 8 June 2010, p. 3</ref> As of 6 June 2012, all new tattoos are forbidden for employees of the city of [[Osaka]]. Existing tattoos are required to be covered with proper clothing. The regulations were added to Osaka's ethical codes, and employees with tattoos were encouraged to have them removed. This was done because of the strong connection of tattoos with the [[yakuza]], or Japanese organized crime, after an Osaka official in February 2012 threatened a schoolchild by showing his tattoo.

=== Modern associations ===
[[File:Tattoo Collection of the Laboratoire de sciences judiciaires of Montreal, 1925.jpg|thumb|[[Wilfrid Derome]] Tattoo Collection, 1925]]
Tattoos are strongly associated with [[Deviance (sociology)|deviance]], [[personality disorders]] and criminality.<ref name="Wesley">{{cite journal |title=Inked into Crime? An Examination of the Causal Relationship between Tattoos and Life-Course Offending among Males from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development |author1=Wesley G. Jennings |author2=Bryanna Hahn Fox |author3=David P. Farrington |date=14 January 2014 |journal=Journal of Criminal Justice |volume=42 |issue=1, January–February 2014 |pages=77–84 |doi=10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2013.12.006}}</ref><ref name="Adams">{{cite journal |last=Adams |first=Joshua |year=2012 |title=The Relationship between Tattooing and Deviance in Contemporary Society |journal=Deviance Today |pages=137–145}}</ref> Although the general acceptance of tattoos is on the rise in Western society, they still carry a heavy stigma among certain social groups.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/kevin-bailey/society-and-tattoos_b_15788552.html |title=Society And Tattoos |date=4 April 2017 |website=HuffPost UK |language=en |access-date=26 May 2019}}</ref> Tattoos are generally considered an important part of the culture of the [[Russian criminal tattoos|Russian mafia]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2010/oct/26/russian-criminal-tattoos |title=Russian criminal tattoos: breaking the code |last=Hodgkinson |first=Will |date=26 October 2010 |website=The Guardian |language=en |access-date=21 September 2018}}</ref>

Current cultural understandings of tattoos in Europe and North America have been greatly influenced by long-standing stereotypes based on deviant social groups in the 19th and 20th centuries. Particularly in North America, tattoos have been associated with stereotypes, [[folklore]] and racism.<ref name=google1 /> Not until the 1960s and 1970s did people associate tattoos with such societal outcasts as [[Outlaw motorcycle club|bikers]] and prisoners.<ref>''Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community''. Margo DeMello. Durham, NC: [[Duke University Press]], 2000. vii + 222 pp., photographs, notes, bibliography, index.</ref> Today, in the United States many prisoners and criminal gangs use distinctive tattoos to indicate facts about their criminal behavior, [[prison tattooing|prison sentences]] and organizational affiliation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Lichtenstein |first=Andrew |url=https://www.foto8.com/issue01/dprisontattoos/prisontattoos1.html |website=Foto8 |title=Texas Prison Tattoos |access-date=8 December 2007}}</ref> A [[teardrop tattoo]], for example, can be symbolic of murder, or each tear represents the death of a friend. At the same time, members of the [[United States Armed Forces|U.S. military]] have an equally well-established and longstanding [[history of tattooing]] to indicate military units, battles, kills, etc., an association that remains widespread among older Americans. In Japan, tattoos are associated with [[yakuza]] criminal groups, but there are non-yakuza groups such as [[Fukushi Masaichi]]'s tattoo association that sought to preserve the skins of dead Japanese who have extensive tattoos. Tattooing is also common in the [[British Armed Forces]]. Depending on vocation, tattoos are accepted in a number of professions in America. Companies across many fields are increasingly focused on diversity and inclusion.<ref>{{cite web |last=Hennessey |first=Rachel |url=http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/tattoos-no-longer-kiss-death-workplace-163214544.html |title=Tattoos No Longer A Kiss Of Death In The Workplace |publisher=Yahoo! Small Business Advisor |agency=Forbes |date=8 March 2013 |access-date=15 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130504133148/http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/advisor/tattoos-no-longer-kiss-death-workplace-163214544.html |archive-date= May 4, 2013 }}</ref> Mainstream art galleries hold exhibitions of both conventional and custom tattoo designs, such as ''Beyond Skin'', at the [[Museum of Croydon]].<ref name="croydon">{{cite web |title=Beyond Skin |url=http://www.museumofcroydon.com/beyondskin |website=Museum of Croydon |access-date=17 August 2018 |archive-date=17 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180817125017/http://www.museumofcroydon.com/beyondskin |url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Latin King .jpg|thumb|left|[[Latin Kings (gang)|Latin Kings]] gang member showing his gang tattoo]]
In Britain, there is evidence of women with tattoos, concealed by their clothing, throughout the 20th century, and records of women tattooists such as [[Jessie Knight (tattoo artist)|Jessie Knight]] from the 1920s.<ref name="Mifflin2013">{{cite book |last1=Mifflin |first1=Margot |title=Bodies of Subversion: A secret history of women and tattoo |date=2013 |publisher=Powerhouse Books |isbn=978-1-57687-613-8 |pages=192 |edition=3rd}}</ref> A study of "at-risk" (as defined by school absenteeism and truancy) adolescent girls showed a positive correlation between body modification and negative feelings towards the body and low self-esteem; however, the study also demonstrated that a strong motive for body modification is the search for "self and attempts to attain mastery and control over the body in an age of increasing alienation".<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Carroll |first1=L. |last2=Anderson |first2=R. |title=Body piercing, tattooing, self-esteem, and body investment in adolescent girls |journal=Adolescence |volume=37 |issue=147 |pages=627–37 |year=2002 |pmid=12458698}}</ref> The prevalence of women in the tattoo industry in the 21st century, along with larger numbers of women bearing tattoos, appears to be changing negative perceptions.

In ''Covered in Ink'' by Beverly Yuen Thompson, she interviews heavily tattooed women in Washington, Miami, Orlando, Houston, Long Beach, and Seattle from 2007 to 2010 using [[participant observation]] and in-depth interviews of 70 women. Younger generations are typically more unbothered by heavily tattooed women, while older generation including the participants parents are more likely to look down on them, some even go to the extreme of disowning their children for getting tattoos.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thompson |first=Beverly Yuen |title=Covered in Ink |date=24 July 2015 |publisher=New York University Press |doi=10.18574/nyu/9780814760000.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-8147-6000-0}}</ref> Typically how the family reacts is an indicator of their relationship in general. Reports were given that family members who were not accepting of tattoos wanted to scrub the images off, pour holy water on them or have them surgically removed. Families who were emotionally accepting of their family members were able to maintain close bonds after tattooing.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Beverly Yuen |title=Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women and the Politics of the Body |date=2015 |publisher=[[New York University Press]] |pages=87–88}}</ref>

=== Tattooing and mental health ===

{{More citations needed section|date=May 2025}}
Tattoos are increasingly recognized as a tool for emotional healing, offering a way for individuals to process trauma, reclaim control over their bodies, and mark personal recovery. Many individuals use tattoos to symbolize resilience or to commemorate significant life events such as overcoming abuse, illness, or mental health challenges. For those who have experienced trauma, the act of choosing and receiving a meaningful tattoo can provide a sense of empowerment and emotional relief.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Healing Trauma with the Help of Tattoo Art {{!}} Psychology Today |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/talking-about-trauma/201911/healing-trauma-with-the-help-of-tattoo-art |access-date=2025-04-25 |website=www.psychologytoday.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

In some communities, mental health clinics and support groups offer free or low-cost [[Cover-up tattoo|cover-up tattoos]] to cover self-harm scars, particularly for those in recovery. Clients of these programs often report that these tattoos are transformative, turning marks of pain into symbols of strength and survival.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muller |first=Robert T. |date=2019-03-22 |title=Healing Trauma with the Help of Tattoo Art |url=https://trauma.blog.yorku.ca/2019/03/healing-trauma-with-the-help-of-tattoo-art/ |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=The Trauma & Mental Health Report |language=en-US}}</ref>

Tattoos can play a role in shaping self-esteem and body image. Research has found that individuals who get tattoos often report improvements in body acceptance and a greater sense of self-worth. One study showed that men and women experienced decreased anxiety and enhanced body image shortly after receiving tattoos, with these effects lasting for weeks.<ref name=":9">Curtis, Russ et al. (2024). [https://tpcjournal.nbcc.org/ink-ling-of-identity-unraveling-tattoo-culture-for-mental-health-counselors/ “Ink-ling of Identity: Unraveling Tattoo Culture for Mental Health Counselors.”] ''The Professional Counselor.'' 14(3):241–254.</ref> In particular, tattoos are seen as a way to assert identity and autonomy over one's body, especially among individuals who have faced trauma or medical challenges. Tattoos are also a common form of gender affirmation and medical recovery. For example, some breast cancer survivors choose decorative tattoos in place of reconstruction, with many reporting positive impacts on body image and a sense of personal agency.<ref>Reid-de Jong, Victoria (2022). “Unveiling Beauty: Insight into Being Tattooed Postmastectomy.” *Nursing Forum* 57(4):536–544.</ref>

Memorial tattoos are a meaningful way for individuals to commemorate loved ones who have passed or to mark significant life events.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Buckle |first=Jennifer L. |last2=Corbin Dwyer |first2=Sonya |date=2021-10-10 |title=Embodied meaning making: Memorial tattoos as a visual expression of grief |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34632966 |journal=Death Studies |pages=1–9 |doi=10.1080/07481187.2021.1983889 |issn=1091-7683 |pmid=34632966}}</ref> These tattoos often serve as a lasting reminder of those lost, offering a way for people to process grief and keep the memory of the deceased alive.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Corbin Dwyer |first=Sonya |last2=Buckle |first2=Jennifer L |date=30 March 2022 |title=‘A tattoo is for life’: how memorial tattoos help the bereaved {{!}} Psyche Ideas |url=https://psyche.co/ideas/a-tattoo-is-for-life-how-memorial-tattoos-help-the-bereaved |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=Psyche |language=en}}</ref>

While tattoos are associated with emotional healing for many, experts caution against viewing tattooing as a substitute for clinical treatment. Some critics argue that media depictions of trauma-related tattoos may romanticize the process, suggesting that tattooing alone can lead to emotional recovery. Additionally, the permanence of tattoos means that designs chosen during vulnerable moments may later lead to regret if their meanings change.<ref>Phillips, Suzanne B. (July 18, 2021). “Tattoos After Trauma: 6 Qualities of Healing Potential.” *Psychology Today*. Retrieved 2025.</ref> Mental health professionals are advised to explore the personal significance of tattoos with clients rather than making assumptions about their impact. Although tattoos are not intrinsically linked to mental illness, their meaning can vary widely depending on individual context and cultural factors.<ref name=":9" />

== Health risks ==
{{Main|Health effects of tattoos}}{{More medical citations needed|section|date=May 2025}}
The pain of tattooing can range from uncomfortable to excruciating, depending on the location of the tattooing the body. With the use of modern numbing creams, pain may be eliminated or reduced. Fainting can occur during tattoo procedures, but is not considered very likely.

Because it requires breaking the immunologic barrier formed by the skin, tattooing carries health risks, including infection and allergic reactions. Modern tattooists reduce health risks by following universal precautions working with single-use items and sterilizing their equipment after each use. Many jurisdictions require that tattooists have [[Blood-borne disease|blood-borne pathogen]] training such as that provided through the [[Red Cross]] and [[Occupational Safety and Health Administration|OSHA]]. As of 2024, the U.S. [[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]] said there have been no known cases of HIV contracted from tattoos.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2024-11-25 |title=How HIV Spreads |url=https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/causes/index.html |access-date=2025-05-18 |website=U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) |language=en-us}}</ref>

In amateur tattooing, such as the practice in prisons, there is an elevated risk of infection. Infections that can theoretically be transmitted by the use of unsterilized tattoo equipment or contaminated ink include surface infections of the skin, fungal infections, some forms of [[hepatitis]], [[herpes simplex virus]], [[HIV]], [[staph]], [[tetanus]], and [[tuberculosis]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/tattoos-and-piercings/MC00020 |title=Tattoos: Risks and precautions to know first |publisher=MayoClinic.com |date=20 March 2012 |access-date=5 April 2012}}</ref>

[[File:Tattoo keloid.JPG|thumb|left|[[Keloid]] formation at the site of a tattoo]]
Tattoo inks have been described as "remarkably nonreactive histologically".<ref name="kilmer" /> However, cases of allergic reactions to tattoo inks, particularly certain colors, have been medically documented. This is sometimes due to the presence of nickel in an ink pigment, which triggers a common metal allergy. Occasionally, when a [[blood vessel]] is punctured during the tattooing procedure, a [[bruise]]/[[hematoma]] may appear. At the same time, a number of tattoo inks may contain hazardous substances, and a proposal has been submitted by the [[European Chemicals Agency]] (ECHA) to restrict the intentional use or concentration limit of approximately 4000 substances when contained in tattoo inks.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://echa.europa.eu/-/proposal-to-restrict-hazardous-substances-in-tattoo-inks-and-permanent-make-up |title=Proposal to restrict hazardous substances in tattoo inks and permanent make-up – All news – ECHA |website=echa.europa.eu |language=en-GB |access-date=26 October 2018}}</ref> According to a study by the European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON), a number of modern-day tattoo inks contain nanomaterials.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://euon.echa.europa.eu/documents/23168237/24095696/070918_euon_nanopigments_literature_study_report_en.pdf/58977ab1-1059-4b41-f003-18ae9d7a157c |title=Literature study on the uses and risks of nanomaterials as pigments in the European Union |website=European Union Observatory for Nanomaterials (EUON)}}</ref> These engender significant [[Nanotoxicology|nanotoxicological]] concerns.

Certain colours – red or similar colours such as purple, pink, and orange – tend to cause more problems and damage compared to other colours.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://livsstil.tv2.dk/kropogsundhed/2014-03-26-gode-r%C3%A5d-om-tatoveringer-de-her-farver-skal-du-undg%C3%A5 |title=Gode råd om tatoveringer: De her farver skal du undgå |date=26 March 2014}}</ref>

In 2017, researchers from the [[European Synchrotron Radiation Facility]] in France found that some of the chemicals in tattoo ink accumulate in the [[lymph node]]s, obstructing their ability to fight infections.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Schreiver |first1=Ines |last2=Hesse |first2=Bernhard |last3=Seim |first3=Christian |last4=Castillo-Michel |first4=Hiram |last5=Villanova |first5=Julie |last6=Laux |first6=Peter |last7=Dreiack |first7=Nadine |last8=Penning |first8=Randolf |last9=Tucoulou |first9=Remi |last10=Cotte |first10=Marine |last11=Luch |first11=Andreas |date=2017-09-12 |title=Synchrotron-based ν-XRF mapping and μ-FTIR microscopy enable to look into the fate and effects of tattoo pigments in human skin |journal=Scientific Reports |language=en |volume=7 |issue=1 |page=11395 |doi=10.1038/s41598-017-11721-z |issn=2045-2322 |pmc=5595966 |pmid=28900193|bibcode=2017NatSR...711395S }}</ref> However, the authors noted that most tattooed individuals, including the donors analyzed, do not suffer from chronic inflammation.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Akst |first=Jef |date=2017-09-12 |title=Tattoo Ink Nanoparticles Persist in Lymph Nodes |url=https://www.the-scientist.com/tattoo-ink-nanoparticles-persist-in-lymph-nodes-30933 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20240229115210/https://www.the-scientist.com/tattoo-ink-nanoparticles-persist-in-lymph-nodes-30933 |archive-date=2024-02-29 |access-date=2024-08-17 |website=The Scientist Magazine |language=en}}</ref>

Tattoo artists frequently recommend sun protection of skin to prevent tattoos from fading and to preserve skin integrity to make future tattooing easier.<ref>{{Cite journal |date=18 September 2018 |title=Re: Cutaneous melanoma attributable to sunbed use: systematic review and meta-analysis |url=https://www.bmj.com/content/345/bmj.e4757/rr/615167 |journal=The BMJ |pages=e4757 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rosenbaum |first1=Brooke E. |last2=Milam |first2=Emily C. |last3=Seo |first3=Lauren |last4=Leger |first4=Marie C. |date=2016 |title=Skin Care in the Tattoo Parlor: A Survey of Tattoo Artists in New York City |journal=Dermatology |language=en |volume=232 |issue=4 |pages=484–489 |doi=10.1159/000446345 |pmid=27287431 |issn=1018-8665 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

A clear relationship between tattoos and cancer has not been established,<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dodig |first1=Slavica |last2=Čepelak-Dodig |first2=Daniela |last3=Gretić |first3=Davor |last4=Čepelak |first4=Ivana |date=2024-12-29 |title=Tattooing: immediate and long-term adverse reactions and complications |journal=Archives of Industrial Hygiene and Toxicology |language=en |volume=75 |issue=4 |pages=219–227 |doi=10.2478/aiht-2024-75-3921|pmid=39718089 |pmc=11739707 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kluger |first1=Nicolas |last2=Koljonen |first2=Virve |date=April 2012 |title=Tattoos, inks, and cancer |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22469126/ |journal=The Lancet. Oncology |volume=13 |issue=4 |pages=e161–168 |doi=10.1016/S1470-2045(11)70340-0 |issn=1474-5488 |pmid=22469126}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Warner |first1=Freda M. |last2=Darvishian |first2=Maryam |last3=Boyle |first3=Terry |last4=Brooks-Wilson |first4=Angela R. |last5=Connors |first5=Joseph M. |last6=Lai |first6=Agnes S. |last7=Le |first7=Nhu D. |last8=Song |first8=Kevin |last9=Sutherland |first9=Heather |last10=Woods |first10=Ryan R. |last11=Bhatti |first11=Parveen |last12=Spinelli |first12=John J. |date=October 2020 |title=Tattoos and Hematologic Malignancies in British Columbia, Canada |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32699076/ |journal=Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention |volume=29 |issue=10 |pages=2093–2095 |doi=10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-20-0515 |issn=1538-7755 |pmid=32699076}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kluger |first=Nicolas |date=2024-12-01 |title=A recent study on tattoos and lymphoma does not support a possible association |journal=Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie |volume=151 |issue=4 |pages=103320 |doi=10.1016/j.annder.2024.103320 |pmid=39413673 |issn=0151-9638|doi-access=free }}</ref> but a few studies found that tattoos may be associated with an increased risk of [[malignant lymphoma]] and [[skin cancer]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Nielsen |first1=Christel |last2=Jerkeman |first2=Mats |last3=Jöud |first3=Anna Saxne |date=2024 |title=Tattoos as a risk factor for malignant lymphoma: a population-based case-control study |journal=eClinicalMedicine |volume=72 |pages=102649 |doi=10.1016/j.eclinm.2024.102649 |issn=2589-5370 |pmid=38827888|pmc=11141277 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Clemmensen |first1=Signe Bedsted |last2=Mengel-From |first2=Jonas |last3=Kaprio |first3=Jaakko |last4=Frederiksen |first4=Henrik |last5=von Bornemann Hjelmborg |first5=Jacob |date=2025-01-15 |title=Tattoo ink exposure is associated with lymphoma and skin cancers – a Danish study of twins |journal=BMC Public Health |volume=25 |issue=1 |pages=170 |doi=10.1186/s12889-025-21413-3 |doi-access=free |issn=1471-2458 |pmc=11736920 |pmid=39819495}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=McCarty |first1=Rachel D. |last2=Trabert |first2=Britton |last3=Kriebel |first3=David |last4=Millar |first4=Morgan M. |last5=Birmann |first5=Brenda M. |last6=Grieshober |first6=Laurie |last7=Barnard |first7=Mollie E. |last8=Collin |first8=Lindsay J. |last9=Lawson-Michod |first9=Katherine A. |last10=Gibson |first10=Brody |last11=Sawatzki |first11=Jenna |last12=Carter |first12=Marjorie |last13=Yoder |first13=Valerie |last14=Gilreath |first14=Jeffrey A. |last15=Shami |first15=Paul J. |date=October 2024 |title=Tattoos and Risk of Hematologic Cancer: A Population-Based Case-Control Study in Utah |journal=Cancer Medicine |volume=13 |issue=20 |pages=e70260 |doi=10.1002/cam4.70260 |issn=2045-7634 |pmid=39444249|pmc=11499570 }}</ref>

== Removal ==
{{Main|Tattoo removal}}
While tattoos are considered permanent, it is sometimes possible to remove them, fully or partially, with laser treatments. Typically, carbon based pigments, or iron-oxide-based pigments, as well as some colored inks can be removed more completely than inks of other colors.
The expense and pain associated with removing tattoos are typically greater than the expense and pain associated with applying them. Methods other than laser tattoo removal methods include [[dermabrasion]], salabrasion (scrubbing the skin with [[salt]]), reduction techniques, [[cryosurgery]] and [[wiktionary:excision|excision]]—which is sometimes still used along with [[skin graft]]s for larger tattoos. These older methods, however, have been nearly completely replaced by laser removal treatment options.<ref>{{cite web |title=Images of Tattoo removal procedure |url=https://www.tattoo-bewertung.de/content/aktuelle-laserbehandlung |access-date=12 January 2011 |language=de}}</ref>

Pew Research found that about 24% of Americans with tattoos regret at least one of them.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/08/15/32-of-americans-have-a-tattoo-including-22-who-have-more-than-one/ |accessdate=2025-02-15 |publisher=[[Pew Research Center]] |title=32% of Americans have a tattoo, including 22% who have more than one |date=15 August 2023 }}</ref> A survey of tattooed people in India revealed that about 26% regretted their tattoos.<ref>{{cite journal |journal=[[Indian J Dermatol]] |year=2022 |volume=67 |number=6 |page=834 |doi=10.4103/ijd.ijd_879_22|doi-access=free |pmc=10043702 |title=Tattoos |last1=Altunay |first1=İlknur Kıvanç |last2=Güngör |first2=İlayda Esna |last3=Ozkur |first3=Ezgi |last4=Aydın |first4=Cigdem |last5=Manav |first5=Vildan |last6=Ozden |first6=Hatice Kaya |last7=Ertekin |first7=Sumeyre Seda |last8=Calikoglu |first8=Emel Erdal |last9=Erdoğan |first9=Hilal Kaya |last10=Taskin |first10=Banu |last11=Ficicioglu |first11=S. |last12=Memet |first12=Bachar |last13=Gürok |first13=Neşe Göçer |last14=Ermertcan |first14=Aylin Turel |pmid=36998875 }}</ref> A survey by a dermatology clinic also tracked significant regret.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.advdermatology.com/blog/statistics-surrounding-tattoo-regret/ |title=The Statistics Surrounding Tattoo Regret and How to Avoid It |website=advdermatology.com |date=27 April 2017 |accessdate=2025-02-15}}</ref>

== Temporary tattoos ==
[[File:Ambigram tattoo Love Eros.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|[[Decal]] temporary [[ambigram]] tattoo ''[[Love]] / [[Eros (concept)|eros]]'', on wrists]]
A '''temporary tattoo''' is a non-permanent decorative image on the skin resembling a permanent tattoo. The image can be applied with a decal or with [[body painting]] techniques.

=== Types ===

==== Decal-style temporary tattoos ====
[[Decal]] (press-on) temporary tattoos are used to decorate any part of the body.<ref name=":7" /> They may last for a day or for more than a week.<ref name=":7">{{cite web |date=2024-10-15 |title=Temporary Tattoos, Henna/Mehndi, and "Black Henna": Fact Sheet |url=https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductsIngredients/Products/ucm108569.htm |access-date=14 May 2025 |work=U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)}}</ref> Foil temporary tattoos are a variation of decal-style temporary tattoos, printed using a foil stamping technique instead of using ink.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baldwin |first=Pepper |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=a4uaCwAAQBAJ&dq=foil+temporary+tattoo&pg=PA28 |title=DIY Temporary Tattoos: Draw It, Print It, Ink It |date=5 April 2016 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=978-1-250-08770-6 |pages=28 |language=en}}</ref>

Cosmetic products, such as decal temporary tattoos, must have had their color additives approved by the [[Food and Drug Administration|U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] to be legally sold in the United States.<ref name=":7" /> Temporary tattoos may include unapproved color additives or other ingredients that cause skin irritation.<ref name=":7" />

==== Airbrush temporary tattoos ====
To paint a temporary decoration on skin, an artist can use an [[airbrush]] with alcohol-based cosmetic inks and stencils.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Boykin-Patterson |first=Eboni |date=2023-03-16 |title=Clients like Taylor Swift and 'Euphoria' love my realistic airbrush tattoos. Here's how I built my business. |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/taylor-swift-euphoria-realistic-airbrush-tattoos-hollywood-career-artist-2023-3 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Business Insider |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-05-22 |title=The child's tattoo that isn't what you think |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/the-childs-tattoo-that-isnt-what-you-think/YAGF7MUOHRS2KKP4AA5IA2DA2U/?c_id=1&objectid=11643526 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=NZ Herald |language=en-NZ}}</ref> The artist should only use inks approved for use on skin. Like decal tattoos, airbrush temporary tattoos are easily removed with rubbing alcohol.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-04-22 |title=Dye of the Needle: How Safe Are Kids' Temporary Tattoos? |url=https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kids-temporary-tattoos/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Scientific American |language=en}}</ref>

==== Henna temporary tattoos ====
[[File:Applying Mehndi.JPG|thumb|Henna being applied on a hand]]
[[Henna]] is a plant-derived substance painted on the skin to stain it a reddish-orange-to-brown color, creating decorations known as [[mehndi]]. In the United States, henna is approved only for use as a [[Hair coloring|hair dye]].<ref name=":7" /> The natural henna plant is relatively safe for use on skin; allergic reactions are rare.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=de Groot |first=Anton C. |date=2013 |title=Side-effects of henna and semi-permanent ‘black henna’ tattoos: a full review |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/cod.12074 |journal=Contact Dermatitis |language=en |volume=69 |issue=1 |pages=1–25 |doi=10.1111/cod.12074 |issn=1600-0536}}</ref> Serious problems can occur, however, from the use of "black henna", which contains the additive [[paraphenylenediamine]] (PPD).<ref name=":7" /> PPD is a textile dye approved by the FDA for human use only in hair coloring. In Canada, the use of PPD on the skin, including hair dye, is banned. Research has linked these and other ingredients to a range of health problems including allergic reactions, chronic inflammatory reactions, and late-onset allergic reactions to related clothing and hairdressing dyes. They can cause these reactions long after application.

== Religious views ==
{{Main|Religious perspectives on tattooing}}

[[Ancient Egyptians]] used tattoos to show dedication to a deity, and the tattoos were believed to convey divine protection. In [[Hinduism]], Buddhism, and Neopaganism, tattoos are accepted.<ref name="ferguson">{{cite web |last1=Ferguson |first1=Matthew |title=Opinions on tattoos differ by religion |url=http://websterjournal.com/2018/10/31/opinions-on-tattoos-differ-by-religion/ |website=Webster Journal |date=31 October 2018 |access-date=13 April 2019}}</ref> Southeast Asia has a tradition of protective tattoos variously known as ''sak yant'' or [[Yantra tattooing|yantra tattoos]] that include Buddhist images, prayers, and symbols. Images of the Buddha or other religious figures have caused controversy in some Buddhist countries when incorporated into tattoos by Westerners who do not follow traditional customs regarding respectful display of images of Buddhas or deities.

[[Judaism]] generally prohibits tattoos among its adherents based on the commandments in [[Leviticus 19]]. Jews tend to believe this commandment only applies to Jews and not to [[gentiles]]. However, an increasing number of young Jews are getting tattoos either for fashion, or an expression of their faith.<ref name="torgovnivk">{{cite news |last1=Torgovnick |first1=Kate |title=For Some Jews, It Only Sounds Like 'Taboo' |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/17/fashion/17SKIN.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=17 July 2008 |access-date=17 August 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Jesus is So Cool.jpg|thumb|[[Christianity|Christian]] couple with matching cross symbol tattoos]]
There is no specific teaching in the [[New Testament]] prohibiting tattoos. Most [[Christianity|Christian]] denominations believe that the [[Old Covenant]] ceremonial laws in Leviticus were [[Abrogation of Old Covenant laws|abrogated]] with the coming of the [[New Covenant]]; that the prohibition of various cultural practices, including tattooing, was intended to distinguish the [[Israelites]] from neighbouring peoples for a limited period of time, and was not intended as a universal law to apply to the gentiles for all time. Many [[Coptic Christians]] in Egypt have a cross tattoo on their right wrist to differentiate themselves from Muslims.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195137989.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195137989-e-30?rskey=8UTz0Y&result=1 |title=The Coptic Community |first1=Juan E. |last1=Campo |first2=John |last2=Iskander |date=26 October 2006 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195137989.001.0001 |isbn=978-0-19-513798-9}}</ref> However, some [[Evangelical]] and [[Christian fundamentalism|fundamentalist]] [[Protestant]] denominations believe the commandment applies today for Christians and believe it is a [[sin]] to get a tattoo.

Most scholars of [[Sunni Islam]] consider tattoos to be [[haram]] for Sunni Muslims.<ref name=":8" /> Some scholars of [[Shia Islam]] believe Shia Islam does not prohibit tattooing.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web |first=Pia |last=Velasco |title=My Muslim Culture Says Tattoos Are Haram-But Are They? |url=https://hellogiggles.com/beauty/are-tattoos-haram/ |access-date=26 April 2022 |website=[[HelloGiggles]] |date=23 March 2021 |language=en}}</ref> Some Shia Muslims, including in Lebanon and Iran, have tattoos with religious themes.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ammar |first=Hassan |date=2016-07-29 |title=Lebanon Shiite tattoos |url=https://apimagesblog.com/blog/2016/07/29/lebanon-shiite-tattoos |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=Associated Press |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mahamad |first=Ata |date=March 6, 2024 |title=Ink of Faith: Rising Tattoo Trend in Iran Amid Challenges |url=https://iranwire.com/en/features/126118-ink-of-faith-rising-tattoo-trend-in-iran-amid-challenges/ |access-date=2025-05-16 |website=IranWire |language=en}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Fashion|Medicine|Visual arts}}

=== Styles ===
* {{annotated link|Black-and-gray}}
* [[Borneo traditional tattooing]]
* {{annotated link|Deq (tattoo)}}
* [[New school (tattoo)]]
* [[Old school (tattoo)]]
* {{annotated link|Peʻa}}

=== Location ===
* [[Body suit (tattoo)]]
* [[Genital tattooing]]
* [[Lower back tattoo]]
* [[Scleral tattooing]]
* [[Sleeve tattoo]]

=== Others ===
*[[Body art]]
*{{annotated link|Foreign body granuloma}}
*[[Legal status of tattooing in European countries]]
*[[Legal status of tattooing in the United States]]
*[[List of tattoo artists]]

== References ==
<!-- This article has adopted an informal Harvard referencing style; please add cited sources here, and refer to them by author name when used in main text. -->

=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General sources ===
{{refbegin|30em}}
; Anthropological
* Buckland, A. W. (1887). "On Tattooing", in ''Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland'', 1887/12, p.&nbsp;318–328
* Caplan, Jane (ed.) (2000): ''Written on the Body: the Tattoo in European and American History'', [[Princeton University Press]]
* DeMello, Margo (2000) ''Bodies of Inscription: a Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo Community'', California. Durham NC: Duke University Press
* {{cite journal |last=Fisher |first=Jill A. |year=2002 |title=Tattooing the Body, Marking Culture |journal=Body & Society |volume=8 |issue=4 |pages=91–107 |doi=10.1177/1357034x02008004005 |citeseerx=10.1.1.602.5897 |s2cid=145369916}}
* Gell, Alfred (1993) ''Wrapping in Images: Tattooing in Polynesia'', Oxford: Clarendon Press
* Gilbert, Stephen G. (2001) ''Tattoo History: a Source Book'', New York: Juno Books
* Gustafson, Mark (1997) "''Inscripta in fronte'': Penal Tattooing in Late Antiquity", in ''Classical Antiquity'', April 1997, Vol. 16/No. 1, pp.&nbsp;79–105
* Hambly, Wilfrid Dyson (1925) ''The History of Tattooing and Its Significance: With Some Account of Other Forms of Corporal Marking'', London: [[H. F. & G. Witherby]] (reissued: Detroit 1974)
* Hesselt van Dinter, Maarten (2005) ''The World of Tattoo; An Illustrated History''. Amsterdam, KIT Publishers
* Jones, C. P. (1987) "Stigma: Tattooing and Branding in Graeco–Roman Antiquity", in ''Journal of Roman Studies'', 77/1987, pp.&nbsp;139–155
* Juno, Andrea. ''Modern Primitives''. ''[[Re/Search]]'' #12 (October 1989) {{ISBN|0-9650469-3-1}}
* Kächelen, Wolf-Peter (2004): ''Tatau und Tattoo – Eine Epigraphik der Identitätskonstruktion.'' [[Shaker Verlag]], Aachen, {{ISBN|3-8322-2574-9}}.
* Kächelen, Wolf-Peter (2020): "Tatau und Tattoo Revisited: Tattoo pandemic: A harbinger of global economic and social collapse." In: [https://www.shaker.de/de/content/catalogue/index.asp?lang=de&ID=8&ISBN=978-3-8322-2574-2 Wolf-Peter Kächelen – Tatau und Tattoo], abstract pp.&nbsp;4–6
* Lombroso, Cesare (1896) "The Savage Origin of Tattooing", in ''Popular Science Monthly'', ''[[Popular Science]]'' Vol. IV., 1896
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100827000158/http://tattootemple.hk/ Pang, Joey (2008) "Tattoo Art Expressions"]
* Raviv, Shaun (2006) "Marked for Life: Jews and Tattoos" (''[[Moment Magazine]]''; June 2006)
* [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=GatewayURL&_origin=AUGATEWAY&_method=citationSearch&_piikey=S0003552103000840&_version=1&md5=f6dd58d559c19d58799b93a66225b038 "Comparative study about Ötzi's therapeutic tattoos" (L. Renaut, 2004, French and English abstract)]
* Robley, Horatio (1896) ''Moko, or, Maori tattooing''. London: Chapman and Hall
* Roth, H. Ling (1901) "Maori tatu and moko". In: ''Journal of the Anthropological Institute'' vol. 31, January–June 1901
* Rubin, Arnold (ed.) (1988) ''Marks of Civilization: Artistic Transformations of the Human Body'', Los Angeles: [[UCLA Museum of Cultural History]]
* Sanders, Clinton R. (1989) ''Customizing the Body: the Art and Culture of Tattooing''. Philadelphia: Temple University Press
* Sinclair, A. T. (1909) "Tattooing of the North American Indians", in ''[[American Anthropologist]]'' 1909/11, No. 3, p.&nbsp;362–400
* Thompson, Beverly Yuen (2015) ''[https://nyupress.org/books/978-0-8147-8920-9/ Covered in Ink: Tattoos, Women and the Politics of the Body] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180927122609/https://nyupress.org/books/978-0-8147-8920-9/ |date=27 September 2018 }}'', [[New York University Press]]. {{ISBN|9780814789209}}
* Wianecki, Shannon (2011) [https://web.archive.org/web/20110712031242/http://www.mauimagazine.net/Maui-Magazine/July-August-2011/Marked/ "Marked"] ''[[Maui No Ka 'Oi Magazine]]''.
* Lodder, Matt (2004) ''Tattoos - The Untold History of a Modern Art'' New Haven: Yale University Press {{ISBN|0-3002-6939-0}}

; Popular and artistic
* Green, Terisa. ''Ink: The Not-Just-Skin-Deep Guide to Getting a Tattoo'' New York: [[New American Library]] {{ISBN|0-451-21514-1}}
* Green, Terisa. ''The Tattoo Encyclopedia: A Guide to Choosing Your Tattoo'' New York: New American Library {{ISBN|0-7432-2329-2}}
* Kraków, Amy. ''Total Tattoo Book'' New York: [[Warner Books]] {{ISBN|0-446-67001-4}}

; Medical
* {{cite web |title=CDC's Position on Tattooing and HCV Infection |url=https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm#cFAQ10 |access-date=12 June 2006 |publisher=[[Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]]}}
* {{cite web |title=Body Art (workplace hazards) |url=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/body_art/ |access-date=15 September 2008 |publisher=[[National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health]]}}
* {{cite web |title=Tattoos and Permanent Makeup |work=CFSAN/Office of Cosmetics and Colors (2000; updated 2004, 2006) |url=https://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductInformation/ucm108530.htm |access-date=12 June 2006 |publisher=[[United States Food and Drug Administration]]}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Haley |first1=R. W. |last2=Fischer |first2=R. P. |title=Commercial tattooing as a potential source of hepatitis C infection |journal=Medicine |date=March 2000 |volume=80 |issue=2 |pages=134–151 |doi=10.1097/00005792-200103000-00006 |pmid=11307589 |s2cid=42897920|doi-access=free }}
* Paola Piccinini, Laura Contor, Ivana Bianchi, Chiara Senaldi, Sazan Pakalin: ''Safety of tattoos and permanent make-up'', [[Joint Research Centre]], 2016, {{ISBN|978-92-79-58783-2}}, [[doi:10.2788/011817]].
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==
{{Library resources box |by = no |onlinebooks = no |about = yes |wikititle = tattoo }}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qkaBAAAAMAAJ&q=tattoo |title=Tribal tattoo designs |first1=Maarten Hesselt |last1=van Dinter |location=Amsterdam |isbn=9789054960737 |year=2000 |format=Hardcover |publisher=Pepin Press}}
* {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1YsIzgEACAAJ |title=Painted People – Humanity in 21 Tattoos |first1=Matt |last1=Lodder |location=London |isbn=978-0-00-840206-8 |year=2022 |format=Hardcover |publisher=Harper Collins Publ.}}

== External links ==
* {{Wikiquote-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Tattoos}}
* {{Wikisource-inline|Tattooing}}
* [http://video.pbs.org/video/2219469018 Tattoos, The Permanent Art], documentary produced by [[Off Book (web series)|Off Book]]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150201142150/https://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/exhibit/history-ink/wQx72HUG?hl=en History, Ink], article produced by Meghan Glass Hughes for The Valentine Richmond History Center

{{Tattoo|state=expanded}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tattooing| ]]
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[[Category:1980s fashion]]
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[[Category:Skin conditions resulting from physical factors]]