Tattoo By You

Imagine a beautiful picture of a smiling child put onto the skin of a happy parent. It requires the skills of an experienced tattoo artist, the tattoo machine and of course the tattoo ink. It is all three elements working together that can bring pictures to life on the human canvas. Many people have a misconception regarding such things as the ink which can ultimately make them come to regret their tattoo.

Tattoo ink is produced through a chemical process. It is comprised of a pigment or dye that is mixed with a carrier. Depending on the quality level of the ink, a carrier solution can be any number of products some of which can be toxic and deadly to the human body.

The oldest record of pigment is that of ground minerals and perhaps black charred coal or burnt timber. The ranges of colors found in pigments are limited to those found in nature. Some of the natural elements found in quality tattoo ink are: ochre (brown), carbon (black), red (iron oxide), and green (malachite). Other pigments can be obtained through a mixture of certain elements such as Chrome Yellow which is made up of different chemical elements.

A natural agent, though not temporary, is found in henna. This plant’s leaves are ground up to produce a reddish brown powder which is then mixed into the tattoo ink. It is applied carefully with a small brush or sticks and will wear off with time.

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The first tattoos hardly resemble the incredible work of art performed by accomplished tattoo masters. Television shows are devoted to the styling’s of some of the more famous names such as Kat Von D and her amazing reproductions of artwork done upon the skin. Early mankind used the art tattoo to signify lineage or to mark a special occasion in life. Times have changed and the popularity of ink on flesh has increased dramatically.

The art tattoo has come into popular culture in many forms. Ancient ritualized markings denoting caste levels, honor to various gods and goddesses as well as accomplishments have found themselves at the end of a tattoo machine for the modern human canvas as a way to show personal expression. 

Early tattoos have been discovered on every populated continent and group of people ranging from Polynesia to Native Americans and Vikings.  Early explorers discovered the mummified bodies of ancient Egyptians elected for many years to not make the discovery of tattoos known to the public due to the negative reaction that it might generate.  This nondisclosure was not made public until 1891. 

Whereas in many cultures tattooing was solely reserved for warriors, the Egyptians practiced the art tattoo for women in service to the Gods and Goddesses.  This spirituality is one of the more common reasons for tattooing.  They believed that by paying homage with the body, it assured the wearer a more devoted retribution from their chosen deity and a greater chance for a rewarding afterlife.

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Many people decide on a tattoo design based on a special occurrence in their lives. It might be a deceased loved one’s name or even a current husband or wife. People want to let others know that their tattoo has meaning and is not just a passing fancy. Regardless of modern reasons, the tattoo once held deeper meaning. It could mean the difference between life and death for the wearer.

Japan’s history of tattooing goes back to 10000 B.C.E. to 300 B.C.E. (Before the Common Era). It was used for healing, identifying a soldier should he perish on the battlefield and be stripped of his armor and even to identify rites of passage for certain tribes. Perhaps the most familiar of Japanese body art is associated with the organized crime group the Yakuza. Similar to the Italian Mafia, the Yakuza has long been associated with the less than desirable elements of society. Anything from illegal gambling to racketeering is within its grasp.

Surprisingly though, the tattoo design found most often on Yakuza members is that of beautiful scenes and elaborate details. The method used though is less than beautiful. Yakuza members, as a way to test their resolve and strength, do not get tattooed with a tattoo machine. It is a hand held instrument that is not without pain. The images are not just a back tattoo either. They span the entire body from collar to ankle.

Tattoo’s signifying power or lack of is not the sole property of China or Japan. In Russia a tattoo design can be a calling card of that person’s life choices. If the person is a murderer, his or her tattoos will show this to the world and everyone will know. The flip side is true as well. If a person is an informant or has lied about a deed, he or she may be forcefully tattooed to show their mistakes to the world.

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Twenty-five or thirty years ago it would have been unheard of to televise a show based solely on a tattoo artist and his or her customers. It was simply not done. Tattoos were for those people who lived in the shadier areas of life. Thankfully times have changed and with them a new attitude towards permanently inking a design into the body. A person no longer has to be in prison or a less desirable area of town in order to find an artist. Many people can find a tattoo convention within their state and find all the ink they could possibly want.

The most a person could hope for was to be trained from someone already in the business. The designs were often rudimentary and done with homemade machines or by hand. The sanitary conditions under which a tattoo artist operated were atrocious. Not much was known about antibacterial precautions and as a result there were wide numbers of ink poisoning due to ill prepared inks and dyes.

Luckily for the modern world the tattoo artist has reached a new respectability. There are specialty magazines and gatherings where the artwork of tattoos can be found. The tattoo “joint” common to the fast food nation where everything is done as quickly as possible with little thought to quality has now come into competition with tattoo parlors resembling upscale salons.

The clientele of these establishments want something more exotic than the standard butterfly tattoo. They are looking at this permanent design as a way to showcase superior skills. Many times incredible one of a kind drawings and pictures can be found that show the most intricate details.

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The overwhelmingly popular act of tattooing the body has spread across the globe as a hallmark of entering adulthood. Teens anxiously wait the time when they can legally get a tattoo and parents try their best to warn their teens of the consequences of their actions. Many tattoo studios see individuals come into the parlor with a set idea of getting another person’s name inked into their skin. All the artist can do is shake their head in silence and remind them the only way to loose the ink later is through laser tattoo removal.

The process of tattooing the skin is not the sole property of a licensed tattoo studio or parlor. Many tattoo’s that later undergo laser tattoo removal are homemade tattoos done in someone’s home. These primitive and low quality tattoos are often the most difficult to remove due to the application under which they are applied. The homemade tattoo machine is similar to the professional one used in the studio. It is the tattoo artist that is different. One person has training and chances are the other does not. The untrained operator often goes too deep into the dermis (skin) of the person. The laser tattoo removal then becomes very expensive.

Laser tattoo removal is the application process of a specialized laser to the skin surface. The laser burns the layers of skin and after a few applications, depending on the depth of the ink, the tattoo is removed. The actual procedure is a beam of light directed at the pigments of the tattoo. After breaking apart the body’s immune system does the actual removing.

Black dyes are the easiest to remove because they absorb all wavelengths. Colors such as green, red and yellow must have selective wavelength used that are specific to their spectrum.

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