Tattoos - A Modern Day Performer

Writen by Dagfinn Rognerud

When David Beckham, Sachin Tendulkar or Tiger woods enter their Arena, they are greeted by their fans, who generally decorate themselves with paintings on the face, head or shoulders, which can be seen by the whole world in the media.

More ardent fans identify themselves with their Heroes with almost semi or permanent body marks or designs based on their regions culture or Background.

These marks or paintings perform more dominantly than their Heroes of the Day!

These performers are the Tattoos that have been the most widely exhibited forms of expressions since the beginning of mankind. The working or labor class people followed tattoos, for a long time throughout the Globe, a major form of expression of their emotions, loyalty or identity etc., It is not the fans alone, who flaunt tattoos so prominently. For instance, in 2004 Louis Malloy flew from UK, to give David Beckham a new winged Cross Tattoo on the back of his neck - right in the midst of a soccer Game. Not just sportsmen - Angelina Jolie is probably the most tattooed Academy Award winning Actress to date. She has a Tribal - Dragon tattoo, a Thai Tiger and various Latin sayings across her shoulders.

Such is the influence of Tattoos in modern days. They are being flaunted not only by celebrities but also by their fans.

Today, middle and upper class people along with their thirst for custom Jewelry, Fashion Boutiques, high-end Antique shop, also throng the Tattoo shops in every Area of the world.

Even films are portraying Tattoos in their films. Films like MYSTIC RIVER and BARBWIRE, exhibited tattoos in them. It is estimated that 35% of the RICH and FAMOUS in various fields have been sporting tattoos. It has had a major impact on tattoo business. Thy have created a new market for high-end custom tattoo art studios geared to an affluent and demanding clientele that only patronizes vendors who provide high standards of service in clean, respectable surroundings.

The more established and popular tattoos can be classified mainly as Angel tattoos, Butterfly tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Cross tattoos, Dragon tattoos, Fairy tattoos, Flower tattoos, Henna tattoos, Lower Back tattoos and Tribal tattoos. The tattoo related arts are studied and celebrated by leading museums, galleries and art institutions across the globe. Millions of tattoo designs are available across the world in various forms like CDs, Internet and Albums.

Most tattoo enthusiasts refer to tattoos as art and to Tattooists as artists. This usage is rapidly gaining support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of tattoo designs and photographs of tattoos. Tattoo designs are mass produced and sold to tattoo artists and such studios are called Flash. “Tattoo Flash” is also the name of an American tattoo magazine.

This article is written by Dagfinn Rognerud, former Norwegian officer. This article may be reproduced as long as all Live links are included. Dagfinn has several pages about tattoos: http://www.angel-tattoo.info/ http://www.butterfly-tattoo.info/ http://www.celtic-tattoo.info/

10 Uses For Clip Art

Writen by Michael Perry

Clip art is used in many different ways, including newsletters, websites and flyers. Commonly found on a CD collection, clip art is often distributed by the hundreds or even thousands. These small images are more than capable of making a big statement, but you have to know their proper uses. Clip art is all about customization. It helps to distinguish one business from another and is largely used in the design of logos.

Newsletters. Many of today’s businesses realize the importance of a newsletter and keeping their customers informed of the latest happenings. A crucial part of any newsletter is color and style, which is made easier with the use of clip art. For instance, a jewelry designer may use a clip art featuring some type of jewelry in order to make his/her newsletter more customized.

Flyers. Whether you are posting flyers about a lost pet, an upcoming yard sale or other announcement, you will want your design to stand out. The best way to do that is with colorful clip art. A yard sale flyer may depict a large ‘Sale’ banner or perhaps another image that conveys the excitement of finding a bargain.

Websites. These days, websites are all about competition and design. The best way to make sure that any website is unique and fresh is through the use of strategically-placed clip art. Remember, clip art is just a small image and they do not take up a lot of space. This is why they are perfect for websites, especially those concerned with a page’s load time.

Newspapers. In almost every newspaper, there is a comic section or a cartoon that has been provided by a local artist. This is the perfect place to display some fun pieces of clip art that will provide readers with a smile. Clip art, even though it is small in size, can feature more than one image of an activity or an individual. In fact, some clip art actually features a small scene with more than one character. A good example would be an individual setting at a desk and drinking coffee, which many can relate to, and a small caption that notes a humorous saying.

Magazines. Much for the same reason as newspapers often use clip art, magazines also commonly place it throughout their pages. It’s fun, whimsy and can often fill a small space that was otherwise bare and boring.

Advertisements & Logo Design. When a company sets out to produce a new advertisement or logo design, they need to be looking at the use of clip art. Why? Because ads cost money and the larger the size, the bigger the price tag. Because clip art is small, it can provide some style to the advertisement or logo without overpowering the ad itself or causing it to be larger in size.

Resale. Many artists are taking their talent to the digital world. Clip art CDs are very popular and can be quite profitable in the world of retail. It is important to own all rights to any image before you sell it, however, so keep this in mind.

Stationary. Everyone loves stationary with a cute little cottage or a puppy dog. That’s what makes stationary so fun, but many people make their own stationary with their computer and the use of clip art. Books. Readers will often find that a book’s cover, both front and back, and even the internal pages often feature clip art. In between chapters or even in the table of contents, clip art is everywhere.

Sales Letters & Business Cards. Have you ever gotten a letter from a local car dealership? What stands out the most? Is it the black and white typeface? Probably not, but it may very well be the images on either the sales letter or business card that draws your eye to the actual letter. Clip art is widely used on business cards due to the fact that these cards are small in design and require small, but clear, images.

To get more facts about clip art, check out our website at http://www.clip-art-guide.info for lots of free clip art information and reviews.

Most Important Things You Need To Know Before Getting Japanese Kanji Symbols For Kanji Tattoos

Writen by Jun Yamamoto

Have you ever considered getting a Kanji tattoo? If the answer is yes, it may be worthwhile reading this article for you.

Today, thousands of people from western countries such as USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and from most of European countries have already some Japanese Kanji symbols tattooed into their skin. In other interesting cases, the Japanese Kanji symbols are often placed on cards, cars, motorcycles, and other personal things to express their uniqueness. Most of those people are eager to find a way of having one, or information about the Japanese Kanji symbols.

For those who have considered themselves more unique than others, or who want to stand out from the crowd, having a tattoo designed with the Japanese Kanji symbols seems to be one of the best solutions for them, because of the fact that the Japanese Kanji symbols have three distinctive features; form, sound, and meaning. Kanji is a set of ideographic alphabets which represents concepts and ideas, by which you can easily put your thoughts and ideas in the Kanji symbols used. This is why Kanji tattoos have gotten so popular among unique people all over the world.

With a Kanji tattoo, you can express how unique and special you are considering these features of Kanji symbols mentioned above. When having your name, a word or phrase translated into Kanji symbols, therefore, it is extremely important to choose accurate and appropriate ones that convey the meaning you wish to express with the Kanji tattoo.

Why am I saying this here? Because I have seen so many people who unfortunately have wrongly-put Kanji symbols tattooed, or have them tattooed upside down in their skin! I really want you to avoid this kind of situation. Also, beware of picking wrong Kanji symbols scattered across the Web, and some of the Japanese name generators that you can access for free, which may only cost you in the end.

In order for you to avoid this situation, I would strongly recommend consulting with a native speaker of Japanese who has a solid knowledge of the Japanese Kanji system. Based on my research on this subject, Your-Name-In-Japanese.com would be the best solution to this. Mr. Ken Suzuki, the operator of this site, is a native speaker of Japanese, and has been a reliable Japanese translator for many years. In case you decided to create a Kanji tattoo on your own, it is always safer for you have a Japanese translator check the Kanji symbols you are going to use, or consult a reliable resource like “The Image Dictionary of 500 Japanese Symbols for Creative People“

Either way, just be sure to have the Kanji symbols that you are going to use for your tattoo checked by a professional Japanese translator.

Tattoos and Time

Writen by Jolene Schwartz

Tattoos have represented personal identity, affiliations, philosophy, and creative choices from Paleolithic man to Corporate Execs, and are gaining a new interest and popularity with both sexes. It’s a fact that 10% of the people in the United States have at least one tattoo somewhere on their body.

A tattoo by definition is permanent. Pigment is inserted under the epidermis with a needle or sharp object into the dermis where the color is captured by the body for all time well almost.

Tattoos change over time because the skin is constantly changing from regeneration, sun, wind, water and other assaults. The appearance of a tattoo therefore must also change as the skin stretches, shrinks and ages. Pigment moves imperceptibly over time on a cellular level and elasticity and skin resiliency naturally decline. Age spots, tanning and wrinkles can take a toll on the clarity and color of tattoos too.

How well and how long a tattoo stays defined and the color vibrant is most affected by the immediate aftercare, and then the lifelong skin maintenance. Aftercare guidelines vary, but the common denominator is: prevent infection and promote healing to retain as much ink as possible in the tattoo. Tattoos generally heal completely within two to three weeks, but must be kept continually moist to prevent scabbing, which removes color from the tattoo.

A tattoo’s number one enemy is sun; tattoo pigments fade like all other color under direct sunlight; red and yellow are the most difficult color to maintain, black and blue is the most stable. Tattoos are part of the living skin organism and a minimal amount of color is treated like foreign molecules and transported away through the lymph system. The best defense in the battle of the fading tattoo is to stay out of the sun, cover the tattoo with clothing and wear a really good sunscreen.

Tattoos reside in the dermis layers and are seen through the epidermis. Simple common sense steps will keep the epidermis clean, healthy, smooth, and hydrated for optimal clarity of body art. Use a gentle cleanser weekly to remove the build-up of body oils, dirt, grime, and the dull ashy film that blocks the color of your tattoos. Daily use of a moisturizer (that dries with a residue free finish) reflects deeper color.

A tattoo that is expertly applied, healed properly and protected from the sun can remain vibrant for decades, but there is no escape from those changes that come, simply as a result of time.

© 2005 Jolene Schwartz

Jolene Schwartz is a grooming specialist for over 20 years; as a master barber and licensed cosmetologist in her own men’s salon. She launched http://appearancesformen.com e-com site; writing monthly columns about men’s products, lifestyle, and offering the finest in men’s grooming products.

Safety Concerns When Getting Tattooed or Pierced

Writen by Sarah Freeland

Getting a tattoo is an exciting moment for those who crave the pleasure and pain of being inked or pierced. But when getting inked, one always must be aware of safety.

Make sure to research out the tattoo shop or shops for safety precautions. They should have a clean atmosphere, and must know how to follow proper procedures. The entire shop must have the proper resources to run a shop. Otherwise do not acquire their services under any circumstance.

The artist must have proper tattoo or piercing equipment. They must be aware of a clean tattoo gun, and how mandatory it is when they ink the customer. Cleaning their tattoo gun is a must, to avoid infectious diseases on the customer. When dealing with piercers, they must have proper piercing equipment. The piercing needles must be fresh, or else the odd of getting diseases is high. Clean equipment must be shown, as using fresh needles is a vital part of getting pierced, or else the customer’s health is at risk.

Make sure they have the best tattoo machine or industrial piercing set they can get. They should know what these are, so they will not scare off customers. Plus if they are skilled, they may use homemade tattooing machines, which should still follow the guidelines of safety, but without the fancy tags of the bigger company labels. Piercers should have industrial piercing equipment available, as those brands tend to be high on the market, as well as rate high in quality when customers get pierced.

These items are available through most tattoo supply companies, as tattoo guns and piercing kits are widely available to artists who perform these. These items are available wholesale, so the artist should know how to acquire these items.

Five Must-Knows When Getting a Kanji Tattoo

Writen by Stephen Munday

Japanese tattoos are cool. But if a personal translator is out of your league how can you avoid becoming a kanji fashion victim and get stuck with a tattoo you will really regret?

1. Know the difference - hiragana, katakana and kanji

Before you talk to your tattoo artist, make sure you know what you are talking about. You say you want a Japanese tattoo, but what do you know about Japanese characters? You need a quick stint in 2-minute Japanese boot camp.

First off, let’s be clear that there is no Japanese “alphabet”. There are three sets of Japanese characters - hiragana, katakana and kanji - and each group has its own history, function and style. Get your head around these facts and you will already know more than 99% of the people walking around with Japanese tattoos right now:

Hiragana - These simple, rounded characters represent sounds, but have no independent meaning. They were developed by women in the Heian period and are still considered feminine by Japanese people.

Katakana - Developed by Buddhist monks around the same time as hiragana, these are simple, angular characters that also represent sounds and have no meaning of their own. You saw them cascading down the screen in Matrix (although they were backwards!)

Kanji - Originally from China, these characters are like pictures, representing a meaning and also several different sounds depending on the situation.

Just reading this has probably given you an idea of which style you might like for your tattoo - but don’t stop just yet! Now you know what kinds of Japanese characters there are, let’s move on to

2. Writing styles

Come a bit closer. Lean forward towards the screen. That’s right. Now, look at the words in front of you. Take a good, close look at the shapes of these letters. OK? Now tell me honestly: Would you want a tattoo in Times New Roman? How about Tahoma? What’s that? You don’t want a tattoo by Canon or Epson? Sure you don’t. And in the same way, you don’t want to have your Japanese tattoo looking like a printout either!

So, now we move on to writing styles. Just like there are three kinds of Japanese characters, there are also three ways they can be written. Don’t worry. This is easy! I know, you are thinking that you can’t even read Japanese, so how on earth will you be able to recognize these different styles? Well, try this:

Kaisho - Block letters. You learned to write your ABCs like this, and Japanese kids learn to write their characters in just the same way: Like a Volvo - boxy but good.

Gyousho - Cursive letters. You moved up to middle school and learned you could write faster by letting the parts of some letters flow into the next. Yes, you guessed it - the Japanese do the same thing, and they call it gyousho.

Sousho - Super-cursive letters. Ever seen a prescription from a doctor? Then you know what sousho is like in Japanese: Sure, the writer or some other trained person can (probably) read it, but no one else has a clue what it says!

Are you getting the picture? If you want to look like a computer printout, then be my guest and go for the kaisho style. That’s your choice. But I think you probably want to use either gyousho or sousho for your tattoo. My personal preference would be gyousho: It’s stylish, but it won’t leave even native speakers baffled.

3. Real or fake?

Remember I mentioned Mel C at the beginning? Well guess what kanji she got tattooed on her arm? That’s right - “Girl Power”: Great in English, but show this kanji combination to most Japanese people and you’ll get a blank look at best. Want a worse example? Try “big daddy”. Now, you know what it means in English, but put it into kanji and you end up with “large father”! It just doesn’t work.

I’m sure you remember that kanji are the only characters that have meaning as well as sound. And their beauty means that they are what most people want for their tattoos. But watch out: As well as being popular, they can also be the most dangerous!

Let’s see if we can find a pattern here: Look carefully at the examples above. What are they communicating - concrete concepts or abstract ideas? Can you see the difficulty the translators had? The kanji for “dragon”, “samurai”, “love” or any other concrete ideas are pretty easy to discover. But go for anything with an idiomatic meaning and whoever is trying to help you translate it is going to get a major headache!

Just an idea, but how about this suggestion: Rather than trying to force a round English peg into a square Japanese hole, why not find a real Japanese phrase that you like and get that instead? Bushidou (the Way of the Warrior) and Ninjutsu (The Art of Stealth) are two good examples of real Japanese terms that would make great tattoos.

4. Your name in Japanese

As I’m sure you remember from 2-minute Japanese boot camp, katakana are the characters usually used to write foreign words and names. So, if you want to get a tattoo of your name, technically these would be the characters you would choose. But I am guessing that, like most people, you want your name written in kanji.

Do a quick search on Google and you can find a number of sites that specialize in translating names into kanji. Basically there are two different methods that these sites use, so let’s look at them here.

Translating the meaning

This method involves finding out the original meaning of the English name, and then researching the kanji equivalent.

For example, my name has its origins in Greek and means “crowned one”. The one who is crowned is the king, so I could translate my name into the kanji for king and call myself ohsama. (Perhaps a little pretentious - and disturbingly similar to Mr. Bin Laden’s first name!)

Translating the sound

This is a lot more difficult! Flick through a dictionary and you will find a bunch of kanji that can be combined to sound like your name. But sound isn’t everything: Remember that kanji have meaning as well. In fact, it is even more complex than this! Be sure to check each of the following factors with anyone who translates your name like using this method:

1. Sound - Does it sound like your name or not? I have seen my name “translated” on certain websites to sound like Stefan. Shame my name (Stephen) is actually said the same as Steven!

2. On-yomi and kun-yomi - Yes, more technical words! But don’t panic - they are easy to understand: Basically, kanji have two kinds of reading. One kind, on-yomi, is their original Chinese sound. The other, kun-yomi, is their Japanese-only sound. What to watch is that (like oil and water) on-yomi and kun-yomi don’t mix. Use either all on-yomi reading or all kun-yomi readings to make the sound of your name.

3. Meaning - Do the kanji have a good meaning together? Now, it can be very difficult to find kanji that sound right and have a good meaning, so you may need to compromise a little on one of these.

4. Masculine or feminine - I guess this is more like a sub-category of meaning, but it is something you need to check out to avoid embarrassment. For example, while “Asian Beauty” may be a great combination for a woman, I get the feeling most men would not be too happy about having that permanently written into their skin!

5. If in doubt, check!

First, use your new-found knowledge of Japanese to ask a few difficult questions to your tattoo artist or kanji “specialist”. If you get the feeling they don’t know what they are talking about, you probably want to look elsewhere.

Next, before you get anything permanent done, use an online dictionary to check whether the Japanese really means what you want it to. You may not be able to input Japanese yourself, but you can copy and paste characters from an email or web page and see what they mean.

Finally, if you are lucky enough to know any, ask a Japanese person what they think. Their confused expression may tell you that you have come up with another “big daddy”!

Follow this advice and you will avoid the most dangerous pitfalls of Japanese tattoos and get a kanji tattoo you can be proud of.

Stephen Munday lives in Japan. He works for Provide Cars, who buy cars at japanese car auctions and sell them to japanese car importers around the world. This article is (c) Stephen Munday 2005. Permission is given to reproduce this article in whole with the URLs correctly hyperlinked.

Need a Tattoo Idea? Tattoo Designs and Ideas

Writen by Bryan Super

Need a Tattoo Idea or Design? Well you have come to the right place. With the growing popularity of tattoos, you cannot help but think about getting one. One thing that you want to make sure you do is get a tattoo idea that you will like forever, because tattoos are permanent. Unless of course you are willing to pay a ton of money to get it removed.

You may have a great tattoo idea but cannot find a design or picture that you really like enough to go and get it done. Some people search for a tattoo design for several months before they finally get one. The basic idea when getting a tattoo is that you should really do your research and find something you really like. Whatever you do, don’t just go into a tattoo parlor and pick out one of their tattoo designs and get it done. You should take your time and think about the design. Here are some possible solutions.

Research your tattoo idea. Many times you may have an idea of the exact tattoo you want, then you browse through some tattoo designs and you find a similiar one that you like better. This is one great reason why you shouldn’t just pick a tattoo idea out of the tattoo parlor book. While many people have a picture in mind for their tattoo, some people consider Japanese or Chinese lettering. You can spell out a name or something special to you. So you see, a tattoo doesn’t always have to be a picture of something. It should really be whatever you want, after all it is your body. Don’t get a tattoo just because you saw a cool tattoo picture.

After you research your tattoo idea it is a good idea to browse the internet for other possible tattoo designs. You never know, you may come across a whole new idea that you like better than your old one. This is why research comes in handy because you don’t want to go get a tattoo and then find an incredible tattoo design months later and regret your first one. Many search engines will help you out greatly. Just try a search on google for “tattoo idea”. You will get some great tattoo ideas.

Now that you have picked out a tattoo design you may want to go and seek out a worthy tattoo artist. This can be difficult. You don’t just want to get your tattoo at the first parlor you walk into. Again, research is key. Ask people you know where they got their tattoo and how the artist was. Many times you can find a tatto artist that will draw your tattoo idea so you can visualize how it will look once on your skin.

If you follow these steps you will appreciate it in the long run. Just because you have a tattoo idea now doesn’t mean there is not a better one out there. Do you research and pick something you like.

Find a great tattoo idea now!

Tattoos and Body Art on Hollywood Celebrities

Writen by Declan O Reilly

Celebrity tattoos are becoming more and more visible and socially acceptable in mainstream pop culture these days. Angelina Jolie recently voted most sexy woman has plenty of tattoos and is probably the most famous and desirable celebrity with tattoos in Hollywood. Her tattoos to date consist of tribal dragons, a Thai tiger, and various Latin sayings across her shoulders and arms.

This surge in popularity of celebrity tattoos began in the 1960s. Lyle Tuttle the forefather of American tattooing tattooed Janis Joplin. Time was when tattoos were the preserve of those on the fringes of society but now it is not uncommon to see celebrity tattoos. Even super models such as Kate Moss and Sarah O’Hare strut around flashing their body art on the cover of glossy magazines or on the cat walk.

Actor Johnny Depp ranks as heavily tattooed for his caliber of talent and breadth of acting work. His tattooed arms are as often painted to be blank flesh as left with their own tattoos showing and incorporated into the character.

Vin Diesel is covered with a mix of modern tattoos styles, as befitting an underground government secret agent in the movie xXx. The character he plays agent X has one full sleeve, one partial sleeve, chest work and tattoos on his stomach.

As vampire slayer BLADE, Wesley Snipes has tribal blackwork on his arms, chest and back, as well as the sides of his head and the back of his nect. Pamela Anderson had her arm tattooed for real with a barbed wire armband for her role in the movie BARBWIRE. Following her split from husband Tommy Lee, (who is heavily tattooed) she had the “Tommy” tattoo on her finger edited to read “Mommy” in reference to her two sons. She also has tribal tattoos on the small of her back and a tattoo on her ankle.

Musicians have traditionally enjoyed more freedom than actors when it comes to body art. For movie stars having to transform into a different character each time they shoot a movie can be limiting especially if they are playing historical figures. But that has not stopped a lot of actors from getting tattooed in very visible places.

Historically rock stars were renowned for getting tattoos. The band Red Hot Chili Peppers are an example where the band members have a well-developed collection of tattoos. Singer Henry Rollins began his tattoo collection as the lead singer of Black Flag. Eminem continues to add to his tattoo collection but some critics have claimed that it will inhibit him if he wants to play a bigger acting role. Eminem’s tattoos are a combination of a style that is typical of Hip Hop and R&B artists such as Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent and Pharrel.

See a Hip Hop RnB Artists Tattoos

Of all the celebrities with tattoos sports stars tend to sport more tattoos than most especially basketball players. You can be big in sports and be tattooed, but the clean cut type still seems to be favored amongst Madison Avenue advertising gurus.

Unique Tattoo Pictures Designs

Subscribe to Kinky Ink eZine FREE

Female Tattoos - Because its Worth It!

Writen by Declan O Reilly

Stereotypes and the stigma associated with tattoos prevented women from feeling confident with a tattoo up until even a decade ago. A common belief was that only ‘criminals, whores and homosexuals’ got tattoos is being challenged. This is further fueled by popularity of all things 1950’s and the popularity of retro vixens such as the Suicide Girls.

Women are generally more style conscious than men so are more decerning about what tattoo they want and where on their body they want it. Men usually just quickly pick out a tattoo on the spur of the moment, choose a spot on their body and thats it. Traditionally it has usually been males who got tattoos. Now the balance seems to be swinging back the other way. It now appears that as many females are getting tattoos as males.

According to many tattoo artists - women are also much better than men when getting tattooed and dealing with pain. Men like to think they are tough can withstand the pain. But when the needle hits their skin a lot of guys pass out in the chair. Women, on the other hand anticipate the pain and have a higher tolerance.

So what are the most popular female tattoos? It seems anything floral, tribal designs, lower back tattoos, roses, old school designs and Japanese and Eastern style tattoos designs. Every year demand for a particular tattoo design changes but there will always be certain tattoo styles that are being requested.

Looking for tattoo designs? Visit Tao of Tattoos for more ideas.

Subscribe for FREE to ‘Kinky Ink’ ezine for the kookiest tattoo pictures of the month.

Tattoos; Not Just for Drunken Sailors

Writen by Richard Amburn

Tattoos are not new. They have been around longer then recorded history. It just seems I have been noticing them a lot more lately. I don’t know if that was because I started to take an interest or there are a lot more people getting them.

Before I decided to get my tattoo, I did some home work. I don’t come from a background of drunken sailors, so my only thoughts were those dark and dingy, back alley shops you see on late night TV. As most of you reading this can guess, I was wrong. There are clean and reputable tattoo shops even in my town. Some of these tattoo shop are even open during the day light.

I did a lot of internet searching and have learned a lot about tattoos and tattoo shops. Mostly I learned not to prejudge. But some of the things I learned I thought would be worth passing on to my kids and to whoever is deciding to get a tattoo.

Tattoos can put you at risk for contacting many diseases, such as HIV, Hepatitis and even tuberculosis. Tattoos can bring on skin infections such as impetigo, dermatitis and possibly an allergic reaction to the tattoo pigment. To minimize the risk you really need to follow a couple of common sense rules when seeking out a tattoo shop.

Stop by a tattoo shop and look and see if they are using single service equipment. Make sure all needles and tubes are individually packaged, dated, sealed. The person who tattoos should use guidelines created by OSHA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for the handling of body fluids. And of course, the person doing the tattoo should be wearing gloves.

After you get your tattoo, don’t pick or tug on the area of the tattoo. Clean with soap and water not with alcohol. Tattoos are sensitive to sun; use SPF 30 or greater to protect them. Also, use antibiotic cream for several days. The body considers tattoos as an open wound.

I hope anybody considering a tattoo or who has a tattoo and is getting another will just take a few precautions.

Remember friends don’t let friend’s get a tattoo while under the influence of alcohol or after just meeting Mr. or Ms. Right.

Authored by Richard Amburn http://www.body-art-online.com

Tips on Tattoos http://www.body-art-online.com