Posts Tagged ‘Piercing’
Both tattoos and piercing have been practiced in various civilizations for hundreds of years. A tattoo is almost a branding, in that the tattoo artist produces a drawing on your skin by using needles and ink. Once you have had a tattoo it’s virtually impossible to remove, just like being branded.
Body piercing is where the person has a part of their body, often the ears or the nose, but it can be other areas of the body, pierced, and a ring or decorative jewel fitted through the hole. In ancient times it was often rich people who had tattoos in order to display their wealth or a symbol of beauty.
People in ancient Egypt used to have their ears pierced with something known as gauge plugs. This practice was usually only followed by the Egyptian Royal family, and they would have their navels pierced as well as their ears. Rich Egyptians displayed both their wealth and their beauty by having their earrings made in the form of lotus flowers.
Even in the time of the Bible body piercing, it was quite common once the Romans came because they pierced many parts of the body, particularly male nipples as this was a sign of virility. In order to prevent serious injury, Roman gladiators would have their penis pierced with a ring; ties were slotted through the ring to hold back the genitals during a tournament. Gladiators were also slaves and the piercing was designed to stop them having sex without the permission of their owners.
As part of their ancient religious rituals, both the American native Indians and also the Aztec Indians, had their tongues pierced. Body piercing and tattoos have been used throughout history by communities all over the world. Tattoos also date back to the time of the ancient Egyptians where tattoos were used as a decoration and slave owners used them as a means of identifying their slaves.
The word tattoo is believed to derive from the old Tahitian term of “Tatau”, which means to make a mark on something. Over the years tattoos have been used in different contexts to beautify or identify something, for instance, a woman’s particular skills. In many societies a woman was regarded as excellent material for marriage if she had a tattoo on her forearm relating to her various skills.
In some cultures tattoos were, and still are, used on the hands and fingers as both a means of decoration and a way of warding off evil spirits. Tattoos have been used, and some cultures still are used to signify a person’s membership of a particular group, clan or even a gang.
Both body piercing and tattoos have been used in many cultures for hundreds of years as either a sign of wealth or beauty, as a brand of ownership, and as a mark of belonging. Nowadays people will endure the painful pleasure of having their ears, navels or other body parts pierced to express their beliefs or to beautify a particular area of their body.
Many people who have body piercings or tattoos, see them as a mark of belonging to a particular social group or as a signal of remembrance. Some people will have both tattoos and piercings, simply because they like to look different from the rest of the crowd. Tattoos and piercings are enjoying a boost in popularity and so they are here to stay for a long time.
Before getting a tattoo or a body piercing find out what all the risks are and how to get rid of the tattoo or body piercing if you no longer want it.
A tattoo may only take a few minutes to get but it can last a lifetime. Tattoos are permanent. They are designs put on your skiing with pigments injected into the top layer of your skin with needles.
Here is how tattoos are created: A needle is connected to an apparatus with tubes which contain dye. These needles pierce the skin multiple times kind of like a sewing machine but on your skin. The needle inserts tiny drops of ink creating the tattoo. Tattoos can hurt and a large tattoo can take up to several hours to create. The tattoo may even bleed
What are the downsides of getting a tattoo?
You are piercing your skin so you may be a risk for more skin infections if you get a tattoo or piercing.
If you get a tattoo you put yourself at risk for getting blood related diseases. If the machine the tattoo artist uses you can you can get hepatitis C, hepatitis B, tetanus, tuberculosis and even HIV.
If you use red ink in your tattoos you may get a rash with bumps.
Tattoos can also lead to bacterial infections. The symptoms are redness, warmth, swelling and pus.
Again if you use red ink in your tattoo this can cause allergic reactions that can last for years.
Your tattoo will also require cleaning and maintenance. Your tattoo artist will give you instructions on how to clean and maintain your tattoo. You should apply skin care products and avoid too much exposure to the sun for your tattoo. Especially in the beginning.
Tattoos takes several days to heal. Do not pick at the tattoo. Give the tattoo time to heal properly.
What if you want to get rid of your tattoo? This is very common.
Tattoo removal is difficult and often still leaves scars and skin discolorations.
Laser surgery if the best way to get rid of a tattoo. Laser beams penetrate the top layer of the skin and the light is accepted by the tattoo. This method may demand up to 10 treatments over a period of a year and even then the tattoo might not completely disappear.
Another method of tattoo removal is called Dermabrasion. The tattoo is frozen until the skin is numb then the skin is sanded down. This method does not hurt very much but it usually leaves a scar.
You can also remove that tattoo surgically but this invariably leaves a scar.
John the Tattoo and Piercing Guy runs the Tattoo and Piercing Blog at http://tattoo–piercing.blogspot.com/ where you can learn all about tattoos and piercings.
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