Types of Tattoos
_ The American Academy of Dermatology distinguishes 5 types of tattoos: traumatic tattoos, also called "natural tattoos", that result from
injuries, especially 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. Tattoos have also been used as forms of identification.
Traumatic Tattoos
_ 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.
In addition, tattooing of the gingiva from implantation of amalgam particles during dental filling placement and removal is possible and not uncommon. 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.
In addition, tattooing of the gingiva from implantation of amalgam particles during dental filling placement and removal is possible and not uncommon. 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.
Amateur and Professional Tattoos
_ 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 cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, religious, and magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs (see criminal tattoos) but also a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture. Some Māori still choose to wear intricate moko on their faces. In Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, the yantra tattoo is used for protection against evil and to increase luck.
In the Philippines certain tribal groups believe that tattoos have magical qualities, and help to protect their bearers. Most traditional tattooing in the Philippines is related to the bearer's accomplishments in life or rank in the tribe. Among Catholic Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, tattoos with Christian symbols would be inked on to protect themselves from the Muslim Turks.
Extensive decorative tattooing is common among members of traditional freak shows and by performance artists who follow in their tradition.
Today, people choose to be tattooed for cosmetic, sentimental/memorial, religious, and magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs (see criminal tattoos) but also a particular ethnic group or law-abiding subculture. Some Māori still choose to wear intricate moko on their faces. In Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand, the yantra tattoo is used for protection against evil and to increase luck.
In the Philippines certain tribal groups believe that tattoos have magical qualities, and help to protect their bearers. Most traditional tattooing in the Philippines is related to the bearer's accomplishments in life or rank in the tribe. Among Catholic Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina, tattoos with Christian symbols would be inked on to protect themselves from the Muslim Turks.
Extensive decorative tattooing is common among members of traditional freak shows and by performance artists who follow in their tradition.
Cosmetic Tattoos
_ When used as a
form of cosmetics, tattooing includes permanent makeup and hiding or
neutralizing skin discolorations. Permanent makeup is the use of tattoos
to enhance eyebrows, lips (liner and/or lipstick), eyes (liner), and
even moles, usually with natural colors, as the designs are intended to
resemble makeup.
Medical Tattoos
_ 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).
Tattoos are used in skin tones to cover vitiligo, skin pigmentation disorder.
Identification Tattoos
_ People have also
been forcibly tattooed. A well-known example is the identification
system for inmates in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust.
Tattoos have also been used for identification in other ways.
For example, during the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers were required by law to have identifying tattoos on their hands in order to make it difficult to hide if they deserted. Gladiators and slaves were likewise tattooed, exported slaves were tattooed with the words "tax paid" and it was a common practice to tattoo "Stop me, I'm a runaway" on their foreheads. Emperor Constantine I banned tattooing the face around AD 330 and the Second Council of Nicaea banned all body markings as a pagan practice in AD 787. The Latin word for "tattoo" was "stigma", hence the English word "stigmatise".
In the period of early contact between the Māori and Europeans, Māori chiefs sometimes drew their moko (facial tattoo) on documents in place of a signature. Tattoos are sometimes used by forensic pathologists to help them identify burned, putrified, or mutilated bodies. As tattoo pigment lies encapsulated deep in the skin, tattoos are not easily destroyed even when the skin is burned.
An identification tattoo on a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Tattoos are also placed on animals, though very rarely for decorative reasons. Pets, show animals, thoroughbred horses and livestock are sometimes tattooed with identification and other marks. Pet dogs and cats are often tattooed with a serial number (usually in the ear, or on the inner thigh) via which their owners can be identified.
Also, animals are occasionally tattooed to prevent sunburn (on the nose, for example). Such tattoos are often performed by a veterinarian and in most cases the animals are anesthetized during the process. 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.
For example, during the Roman Empire, Roman soldiers were required by law to have identifying tattoos on their hands in order to make it difficult to hide if they deserted. Gladiators and slaves were likewise tattooed, exported slaves were tattooed with the words "tax paid" and it was a common practice to tattoo "Stop me, I'm a runaway" on their foreheads. Emperor Constantine I banned tattooing the face around AD 330 and the Second Council of Nicaea banned all body markings as a pagan practice in AD 787. The Latin word for "tattoo" was "stigma", hence the English word "stigmatise".
In the period of early contact between the Māori and Europeans, Māori chiefs sometimes drew their moko (facial tattoo) on documents in place of a signature. Tattoos are sometimes used by forensic pathologists to help them identify burned, putrified, or mutilated bodies. As tattoo pigment lies encapsulated deep in the skin, tattoos are not easily destroyed even when the skin is burned.
An identification tattoo on a survivor of the Auschwitz concentration camp. Tattoos are also placed on animals, though very rarely for decorative reasons. Pets, show animals, thoroughbred horses and livestock are sometimes tattooed with identification and other marks. Pet dogs and cats are often tattooed with a serial number (usually in the ear, or on the inner thigh) via which their owners can be identified.
Also, animals are occasionally tattooed to prevent sunburn (on the nose, for example). Such tattoos are often performed by a veterinarian and in most cases the animals are anesthetized during the process. 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.