With any modification to one’s body there are risks involved. But besides the physical ones such as infection or rejection there are others which we usually overlook, such as divorce, bra straps, and psychiatric commitment, among others. The BME encyclopedia risks site has information on almost all of them.

For divorce one man talks about losing a custody battle for a few mod related reasons. The judge deemed him unfit for full custody  after hearing about his voluntary castration thinking that his wife had made him do it and that made him weak. Also, his wife had a shrink tell the court he forced her to get body piercings. Just another thing to keep in mind during a divorce.

Some people may think of you as certifiably insane after an extreme body modification. Then they just may have you hauled in for psych evals up the ying  yang. But chances are they won’t find anything and you’ll be free in 72 hours.

In the bra strap category they warn people about bra straps snagging on new tattoos or piercing and suggest going braless or wearing some sort of padding or cushion under the strap until healing is complete. They also advise to be careful of children around any modifications they can pull on or grab at such as stretched ears or transdermal implants.

For more risks click here

Tattoos are gaining more popularity every day. They are something that can make us different from the person sitting next to us. But with all the people getting tattooed these days it is not hard to imagine more people having the same tattoo. Especially, with the popularity of some classic designs such as hearts with the strip of writing, certain military tattoos, tribals, and other flash favorites. People usually do not want to show a stranger a tattoo only to find out they have the same one.

This is why there are custom shops which guarantee they will never give the exact same tattoo twice. They do not just have flash hung up on the wall and put the stencils on and go. They draw up a design for a customer. They will take the customers artwork and make it a little different as well, bringing it to a new level.

However, with all the people with tattoos in the world, is a person having a similar tattoo to yours really a bad thing. I see people all the time with tattoos that I like and want. But I think to myself, “No, I can’t get that same design, that’d not cool.” A lot of times I take ideas from other’s tattoos and combine them with other elements. But with all the flash designs out there, and their popularity, it cannot be too hard to find someone with the exact same tattoo and probably with the same placement. So I am starting to open up the idea of a classic flash tattoo design, such as a sugar skull or Black Panther, and not worry too much about other people having the same thing. It really just means having similar taste in tattoos and something to talk about.

Recently, two parents were arrested for giving their children tattoos with a homemade tattoo machine. They are being charged with illegal tattooing, cruelty to children, and reckless conduct . The children are ages 10-17 and all their own children. But they were children they two parents both had from former marriages. The mother of the children belonging to the man, the one who gave the children the tattoos, was the one who reported the couple to the police.

The machine was made from a power supply and electric motor, some wiring, an ink pen barrel and a sharpened guitar string used as a needle. This guitar string was used on all the tattoos given.  I did not see anything about any reports of infection yet but that is one issue I have with the situation. Also, that the mother of the man’s children did not agree with the tattoos being given. If she had agreed, then it would be fine I think.

I really do not think what the couple did is so reckless or cruel. This is not much better than their kids sneaking around going to some back alley tattoo artist. The tattoos given were small black crosses, nothing obscene or vulgar and the children wanted them.  The tattoos I saw on the man’s girlfriend, that he did, looked just as good as something you might get from a professional shop. Also, it was their children, not anyone else’s. But, I do think the other two parents should have been asked for permission if they have custody of the children. Also, the guitar string needle should have been changed between tattoos. But the report did not say if it was sterilized between tattoos.

Here is the video report

Tattoos are always thought as something we see. This has excluded blind people from experiencing tattoos as we do. But things have changed. Now more than just the visual sense can be used to experience a tattoo.

Braille tattoos are not so much tattoos in the definition that normally comes to mind. Instead of ink being used tiny metal implants  under the skin to raise it up and is spaced just right to be understood byanyone that can understand braille letters. There are also inked braille tattoos but they are not functional, and only mean something for those who understand braille but are able to see the dots.

Since it is a series of implants it is not technically a tattoo but that is not the point. I have always thought the worst part of being blind would be losing the ability to see my tattoos. I think of them as the one thing people can’t take from me. These implants give someone who cannot see

the chance to have something they can understand on their skin, even if the rest of us don’t know what it means it is still spectacular for that person.  The tattoo  experience is indescribable.

The implants are said not to last long and have to be fixed over time due to migration. But all tattoos fade at some point and could use a touch up. Like the tattoos people get on the inside of the lip that only last a few years at best unless they are redone  multiple times.

Birthdays are awesome days for getting new tattoos. I, like many young people do, celebrated my eighteenth birthday with a tattoo a few years ago. I also celebrated my last day of high school with a second tattoo a few months later, but that isn’t the point.

What is the point? That birthdays are one of the best days to get tattoos. I am hoping to receive enough money for a new tattoo or something cool like that, but tattoos cost money and I do not want to get my hopes up. But I have rounded up some spectacular tattoo, piercing, and body mod pics for you all.

Before one goes for a tattoo it is customary to hear from at least one person, “You know that’s permanent right, are you sure you are going to like that when you are old and wrinkly.” But of course, this is not an effective method of stopping someone from getting tattoos. However, about one-fourth of all people who get tattoos report to regretting their decision later on. Laser removal is used by many people to remove their old tattoos but this can be painful and takes multiple sessions even for just one tattoo.  This stops some people from getting tattooed. They think “what if I change my mind, it would be painful and expensive to get it removed”. But now, there is a new ink that makes changing your mind a lot easier.

Infinit ink is tattoo ink that can be removed with one laser session. The ink also comes out more completely and with less damage to the person’s skin. The ink is so far available at 15 U.S. locations and is also available in Australia. Only black infinit has been released, but colored inks are said to be expected to hit the market in the next few years.

This somewhat permanent ink is made by the folks at Freedom2. Researchers for Infinit ink also included top scientists from Harvard, Duke and Brown universities. This can make us all feel a little safer. Also, the Freedom2 CEO/President, Martin Schmeig, had eight different versions of the ink tested on his own skin, so it must be safe if he is willing to put it in his own body.

Schmeig says despite what people might think, they are not in support of temporary tattoos. He also said that all tattoo artists hate the idea of Infinit ink when they hear about it. Keep in mind all tattoos are removable, Infinit ink is just easier to remove.

Freedom2 has also brought the world things like Virgin Ink, an ink free of toxins, and Hawk tattoo equipment that uses click in and click out needles. Hawk equipment also has a cleaner surface which is said to eliminate hepatitis.

If you have tendency to change your mind but still want a tattoo check out Infinit Ink.

Sub dermal implants and tattoos are both very awesome things. But when combined they can be astounding and remarkable. An implant can bring your artwork to a whole new level. A tattoo could make your implant something that will anyone’s breath.

I myself had doubts when I heard about it. I thought, how can something like that even work? Wouldn’t the tattoo needle go into the implant and cause it to rupture? Au contraire my friends.

Implants are a usually few layers down into the skin and tattoo ink just goes into the first few layers. This gives you a  tiny bit of leeway. But it is recommended to get the tattoo first as not risk the implant moving or  tearing, incase it was not put in deep enough

Just imagine if you had a flower tattoo, but it didn’t look real enough for you. Or maybe you wanted somethingcompletely different from what everyone else has. Implants and tattoos combined can give you a 3D tattoo. Come on, who wouldn’t be awestruck when went out and show off a 3D tattoo.

Church and Tattoos where something that have never been thought to mix well. Just imagine getting a tattoo in church, right at up at the altar; ha no way you say, but wait you are wrong.

This past Sunday (November 22, 2009) at a community church in Mill Creek, Washington in a recently added feature to the sermon titled “Permanent Ink”, live tattoos being given at the altar at the end of the sermon.  This church also boasts twenty-minute rock sessions before each sermon begins.

Several of the 150 parishioners in attendance were tattooed that day. The previous Sunday the church watched a video of one of its attendants getting a tattoo removed. (Tattoo removal equipment was too cumbersome to bring into the church).

The church does not advocate for or against tattoos it says. Tattoos are up to a person to decide on. They say are giving the same sermons as before but just finding new ways to tell it. According to the pastor, permanent markings are in the bible. The most popular symbol being 666, sign of the devil. Allegedly, there where even markings on Jesus.

For more details read this article.

When getting a tattoo and you have decided on a design, there is the decision to make of where to put it on your body. There are so many places it could go depending on the size. Some people also want something that can be concealed for work and visible in their off time. There are many places god for that, such as arms, legs, backs, and arm pits. Wait armpits?

Arm pit tattoos are nothing new. People have been getting them for ages. Many people even make their arm pits a joke with their tattoos. But keep in mind this area could be painful and have healing issues. I can only imagine how sensitive the under arm skin is to needles. Especially, when I consider how much it hurt my armpits just having a rash from bad deodorant. Also, you’d have to shave a lot unless the hair would compliment that tattoo.

But, if you can go through the pain of an armpit tattoo you must be tough. To all those who dare to get this done I salute you.

all images are from oddee. com

Sailor Jerry was one of the greats of old school tattoos when they weren’t referred to as old school but just tattoos. Almost everyone with eyes has seen his work somewhere or something inspired by his work. He created some of the most notable tattoos designs to come out of the old school.

Born in 1911 as Norman Collins, it is said he got the nickname Jerry from a donkey named Jerry that his father owned. The sailor part I can only imagine came from his time in the navy.

The navy was where he saw the world. Especially Southeast Asia, where he was influenced heavily for his own artwork. He opened his first shop in Honolulu’s Chinatown. A haven for drunk military men, and one of the only places at that time to get a tattoo.

Most of his tattoo designs where navy inspired. The famous large ship with the words Homeward Bound is one of his most famous designs. He was also notorious fordrawing beautiful women with perfect breasts. Many in military outfits or naked. One tattoo features a  brunette appearing naked in a martini glass.

When he died in 1973, Sailor Jerry left specific instructions with his wife that the shop and his artwork where to be offered to his three protégés, Don Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, or Zeke Owen. If neither of them wanted it, the shop and artwork where to be burned to the ground.

Mike Malone decided to take over the business. In the 1980’s when tattoos became more popular Malone teamed up with Hardy to release books of Sailor Jerry Flash to sell to tattoo shops. (Flash- tattoo designs, usually hung on the walls of tattoo shops for customers to see and choose from or get an idea from). Sailor Jerry designs where soon hung on walls of tattoo shops everywhere.

In the 1990’s came the Sailor Jerry Limited brand of tattoo inspired clothing and accessories. The brand has even teamed up with Converse shoes to make sailor jerry chuck taylor’s.

Sailor Jerry brand rum soon came as well. The spiced rum came from a recipe that is said originate from a recipe found among Sailor Jerry’s personal belongings and to be a seafaring style of rum.