Time And Tattoos

Throughout the course of time, tattoos have been used to personify and represent someone’s affiliations, personal preferences, and their creative outlook on life. Tattoos are gaining in popularity these days as well with both men and women. Research has shown that nearly 1 in 4 people have at least one tattoo on their body.

By definition, a tattoo is a permanent marking on the skin. The ink is injected by needle under the skin, creating the image of the tattoo. The needle moves very fast, puncturing the skin and depositing the ink into the epidermis. As the ink is depositing into the epidermis, the skin captures the color of the ink. The artist will continue to clean the tattoo as he works on it, wiping it off with antiseptic and disinfecting the wound.

Over time tattoos will chance with the skin on a constant basis due to the wind, sun, regeneration, water, and other things. The way a tattoo looks and the design must also chance with the skin as it shrinks, stretches, and ages. The pigment that makes up the tattoo must remain the way it is over time, although tanning and wrinkles can affect the color and clarity of the tattoo.

The overall length of time that a tattoo styles healthy and vibrant in color all depends on how well it was taking care of after it was completed and how the skin is taking care of. Even though infection is always a concern with tattoos, you must also promote healing in the sense of retaining as much ink as you possibly can. Most tattoos will heal completely within a few short weeks, although they must be kept moist to prevent scabbing. If allowed to scab, the scab that forms will remove some of the color from the tattoo.

The number one enemy of tattoos is the sun. Just like other colors that are exposed to sunlight, the pigments found in tattoos will fade. Yellow and red are the hardest colors to maintain over time, blue and black are the easiest and most stable to maintain. Tattoos are considered to be part of the organism of living skin and need to be maintained to keep the color alive and fresh. If you are going to be out in the sun, you should always cover your tattoos and wear a quality sunscreen as well, just to be on the safe side.

Tattoos that have been properly applied, properly healed, and protected from the rays of the sun can remain their best for years and years. Although the colors will remain vibrant as well, time and the sun are definite enemies for tattoos. No matter how well you take care of your tattoos and protect them, there really is no escape from changes that come as a result of time itself.

How to Choose a Butterfly Tattoo (For Women)

from wikiHow - The How to Manual That You Can Edit

Of all the popular designs for lower back tattoos available, one stands out as being particularly popular with women: the lower back butterfly tattoo. If you have decided that you want a butterfly tattooed on your lower back, there are literally millions of designs you could choose from. Follow these steps to choosing the perfect one for you.

Steps

1. Decide whether you want to have a realistic depiction of a butterfly. Many women prefer to incorporate a more fictional vision of a butterfly; one that is almost mythical and ethereal. It's up to you to decide which path you want to go down. However, bear in mind that there are thousands of species of butterfly, so there should be one which has the colors you are after.
   
2. Next up, decide on what colors you want. As outlined above, there are many species to choose from (if you want a realistic depiction or just some straightforward inspiration). You'll need to decide whether you want multi-colors, one color or just black. Play about with some sketches (if you have children, maybe you could get them involved!), and see what appeals to you.
   
3. Do you want the butterfly to be alone or accompanied by other images? Some woman like the butterfly to have some pollen or ivy close to butterfly to extend the breadth of the tattoo without having to make the butterfly too large. It's also a way of incorporating some natural curves to accentuate your curviness and make the tattoo ideally suited for your lower back.
   
4. Connected with this is size. How large do you want the tattoo to be? Many women prefer smaller butterflies. Nevertheless, it's up to you and there are some pretty stunning butterflies out there that are wider than they are tall, so they would be perfect for your lower back. You might also want to consider having the main butterfly made up from lots of smaller butterflies (or perhaps initials of loved ones). It's up to you.
   
5. Collate all of your ideas and discuss them with your tattoo artist. They will be able to show you some examples of their work, but make sure that the tattoo you choose is special to you.
   

Related wikiHows

• How to Choose Some Lower Back Tribal Tattoos
  
• How to Care for a New Tattoo
  
• How to Appreciate Old School Tattoo Designs
  
• How to Get Perfect Chinese Symbol Tattoos
  

Article provided by wikiHow, a wiki how-to manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Choose a Butterfly Tattoo (For Women). All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.

Tongue Tattoos

Tattoos are a hot commodity these days, becoming more and more popular than they have ever been in the past. There are hundreds and thousands of different designs and styles of tattoos to choose from, giving you the chance to express yourself. Although tattoos are very popular, the new trend that is rapidly taking effect in the world of tattoos is known as tongue tattoos.

Although many aren’t familiar with tongue tattoos yet, they are just now starting to take shape. They resemble other designs and styles, although they cover the muscle known as the tongue. There are tattoos that cover the entire tongue, or just a single area. In most cases, those who already have them, chose to have their tongue tattooed a certain color. Whether it be purple, orange, black, or blue, the tongue can be tattooed a variety of different colors.

The designs that are poplar with tongue tattoos include stars, tribal work, and other shapes and designs that cover a region of the tongue. Stars are popular with the lower area of the tongue, near the tip. There are also designs that can be tattooed farther back on the tongue, near the middle of it. As tongue tattoos become more and more popular, more and more designs are implemented.

As far as the procedure goes, it’s very similar to getting a tattoo on any other part of your body. A tattoo involved needles puncturing the skin, depositing ink into the epidermis. The needles move extremely fast, breaking the skin and leaving the pigments of ink. The tongue, just like the skin, will swallow the pigments once the surface has been punctured by the needle. Once the pigments of ink are absorbed by the tongue, the color will remain there forever.

Those who have had tongue tattoos in the past say that they aren’t very painful. Unlike tattoos on the skin, the tongue is a giant muscle. A tattoo on the tongue is often described as a tickling sensation or the feeling of numbness in your mouth. When the tattoo artist does the tattoo, he will normally use a tool to hold the tongue out. If you’ve ever had a tongue piercing, you’ll know what it looks like. Once the tongue is out, the artist will begin work. The process normally does take very long, as long you hold still and don’t move around.

If a tongue tattoo sounds interesting to you, the first thing to do is find a tattoo artist in your area who is experienced with doing them. Not a lot of tattoo artists are familiar with tongue tattoos, as they are just now beginning to surface. A tongue tattoo is a bit on the creative side – something that you just don’t see in public everyday.