10 Things You Didn't Know About Tattoos

Thanks for watching.....
#1: Tattoos are nearly as old as man.
#2: Tattooing is not an easy field to enter.
#3: Tattoo artists were not always artists.
#4: The FDA does not approve tattoo ink or equipment.
#5: Skin is not easy to draw on.
#6: Tattooers are not sadists.
#7: Many people are allergic to red tattoo ink.
#8: The tattoo process isn't over when you leave the shop.
#9: Tattoos can glow, vibrate and can be inked anywhere on the body.
#10: Drinking before being tattooed is a bad idea.
EXTRA FACT: Tattoo artists take pride in their work.

Source:
http://news.discovery.com/human/psychology/top-10-surprising-things-tattoo-shop-parlour-120514.htm

A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the etymology of tattoo as, "In 18th c. tattaow, tattow. From Polynesian tatau. In Tahitian, tatu." The word tatau was introduced as a loan word into English; its spelling was changed over time from the "tattow" seen in late 18th century writing to the modern "tattoo" and its pronunciation was changed to conform to English phonology. The first written references to the word, "tattow" appear in writings from the first voyage of James Cook by many of the crew members. Before the importation of the Polynesian word, the practice of tattooing had been described in the West as pricking, painting, or staining.

Tattoo enthusiasts may refer to tattoos as "ink", "pieces", "skin art", "tattoo art", "tats", or "work"; to the creators as "tattoo artists", "tattooers", or "tattooists"; and to places where they work as "tattoo shops", "tattoo studios", or "tattoo parlors".

Usage of the terms "skin art", "tattoo art", "pieces", and work" is gaining greater support, with mainstream art galleries holding exhibitions of both conventional and custom tattoo designs, challenging the stereotypical view of tattoos and who has them. Copyrighted tattoo designs that are mass-produced and sent to tattoo artists are known as "flash", a notable instance of industrial design. Flash sheets are prominently displayed in many tattoo parlors for the purpose of providing both inspiration and ready-made tattoo images to customers.

The Japanese word irezumi means "insertion of ink" and can mean tattoos using tebori, the traditional Japanese hand method, a Western-style machine, or for that matter, any method of tattooing using insertion of ink. The most common word used for traditional Japanese tattoo designs is Horimono. Japanese may use the word "tattoo" to mean non-Japanese styles of tattooing.

Anthropologist Ling Roth in 1900 described four methods of skin marking and suggested they be differentiated under the names "tatu", "moko", "cicatrix", and "keloid".

According to George Orwell, coal miners could develop characteristic tattoos owing to coal dust getting into wounds. This can also occur with substances like gunpowder. Similarly, a traumatic tattoo occurs when a substance such as asphalt is rubbed into a wound as the result of some kind of accident or trauma. These are particularly difficult to remove as they tend to be spread across several different layers of skin, and scarring or permanent discoloration is almost unavoidable depending on the location. An amalgam tattoo is when amalgam particles are implanted in to the soft tissues of the mouth, usually the gums, during dental filling placement or removal; 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.

Many tattoos serve as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of religious and spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets and talismans, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. The symbolism and impact of tattoos varies in different places and cultures. Tattoos may show how a person feels about a relative (commonly mother/father or daughter/son) or about an unrelated person. Today, people choose to be tattooed for artistic, cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, religious,