In the United States, and around the world, body art has become increasingly popular. Many American individuals enjoy the freedom to express themselves through body art. For example, one tattoo can hold an ample amount of meaning for people. Because of this, around 14% of Americans (of varying ages) have at least one tattoo, and 47% of Millennials and 36% of Gen Xers have tattoos! In addition, there are around 21,000 tattoo parlors in the United States alone. Needless to say, getting inked is special, important, and very common. Some many develop a tattoo addiction, others may enjoy the tattoo life, and others may love tattoo expression. Hooray for body art! Tattooing isn’t the only form of body art that is popular today. Another form of body expression is piercing. If you enjoy body art or body expression, have and/or want tattoos or piercings, here is information you need to know about tattoos, piercings, and tattoo removal.

Tattoos

So you’re scrolling through social media observing pictures of tattoos. They’re beautiful, unique, and they add personality to a body. You pick a tattoo that you want on your body as well as a placement. You get excited! Soon, you’ll be tattooed! There are some tips you should know before getting a tattoo. Here are some of them:

Research: This doesn’t include researching the type of tattoo you want, the size of the tattoo, or the placement of the tattoo (what part of your body do you want it on?). This research includes researching the tattoo parlor. You research can be actually visiting the tattoo parlor. You want to make sure the tattoo parlor is clean. You can also review the artwork the tattoo artist has done and the specific certification the tattoo artist has! This is important because the artist you choose should be knowledge not only on tattoo ink, but on safety. Lastly, you can also ask your tattoo artist about pricing of tattoos or other questions/concerns you may have before the process begins.

Alcohol: If you are twenty-one and older, it is best if you avoid alcohol the night before getting your tattoo. If there is alcohol in your system, you risk the possibility of bleeding a lot more during your tattoo session. Not only that, but you can risk a tattoo that isn’t esthetically pleasing. This is because the extra blood can affect the results of the tattoo.

The Tattoo Placement Or Area: This may be an obvious tip of known fact- certain areas hurt worse than others. If you have a low pain tolerance, you may want to consider getting your tattoo in a place that does not hurt as bad. For example, your ribs, feet, neck, ankles, and the backs of your knees hurt worse than other areas. Other places tend to hurt worse.

Tattoo Removal

Now, there are individuals who have a tattoo (or more than one) that they end up needing or wanting to get removed. In actuality, about 5% of Americans with tattoos have covered up their tattoo with a tattoo removal. There are many reasons include engage in tattoo removal. Here is some information or tips on tattoo removal.

Consider The Time: Tattoo removal through laser removal is not a quick process. In fact, the time that it takes to remove a tattoo is around a year or more, depending on the tattoo. During tattoo removal, the particles are broken down from your tattoo (after the laser makes contact), and then your body digests it through the immune system. Therefore, each time you go more particles will be broken down. It’s not one session and you’re done. Consider how many sessions you may need for tattoo removal.

The Ink: Some individuals have claimed that not all of the tattoo’s ink can be removed. However, this is false. All ink will be removed successfully!

Pain: You’ll experience pain after the session. This pain can last for up to a week.

Body Piercing

Body piercings are quicker than tattoos, and some may argue less painful. Additionally, some body piercings help with medical conditions. Daith Piercings are known to cure or subside migraine and migraine pain.