by Silva Payne

Created on: May 24, 2009

Tattoos have a very long history; as long as man has had the ability to put colour of some kind on his skin, there have been tattoos. Traditionally, tattoo designs have been linked to spirituality, life progression within a community, and identity. These are still very powerful and common reasons for choosing to have a tattoo and which one is chosen, today.

A tattoo is a permanent mark on your skin, made by piercing the skin in some way and working ink into the wound. Tattoos should never be seen as fashion accessories; they may be fashionable but once the trend has moved on, the tattoos remain. Because the skin is cut to form the tattoo, there are strict laws that govern who can register as a legitimate artist, and the age of those who are permitted to legally get a tattoo. The equipment used must be kept sterile and either disposed of after use or thoroughly cleaning in special sealed units designed for medical equipment. The artists should observe meticulous hygiene procedures and offer aftercare advice.

The best advert for a tattoo artist or parlour, is their work. Most people know of a tattoo shop in their neighbourhood, and once you start asking around it should soon become clear if they are reputable or not. This is the kind of activity that lives by recommendations, so if you see tattoos that you like on someone else, ask them where the work was done. Many artists take part in body art exhibitions and competitions, so look for evidence of achievement in those areas too. Most artists worth anything at all will not tattoo anyone who shows up drunk, and many will not tattoo someone who does not make an appointment for a later date after the consultation. This is as much to preserve their reputation as it is to protect your safety. Many will ask for proof of age.

Once you have chosen your artist, you need to choose your design. Inside the tattoo shop there will be an array of stock designs that you can have, either individually or in combination with others. You can ask for different colours on a basic design, or for slight alterations. This approach is the one usually taken, but it will result in you having body art that other people are also walking around with. It is unlikely to be unique. If you have some artistic ability yourself, you can draw your own design. You can also work with the artist to come up with an individual design based on your ideas, although this will almost certainly add to the cost of the tattoo.

A tattoo should

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