THE HISTORY OF TATTOING

06.11.2009  |  12º LH-A  | Pesquisado por Marta Ferreira

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http://www.tattoo-remove.com/history-of-tattooing.shtml

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The History of Tattoing

- Tattooing is an art form that has been in existence for thousands of years. Recently tattooing has come become more popular and acceptable in today's society. The history of tattooing is one of basic instincts and striving to create individuality for many, while for others it was about belonging to something more then one's self. Many people in today's society only see a tattoo as a fashion statement today. It is a trend that they feel does not mean more then the mark that it leaves on their skin. They are unaware of the long history of these ink markings. The history of tattooing is one that should be shared with all people who seek out a tattoo.

- Tattoos have been in existence since before the time of Christ. Early tattoos were used to show who were important religious figures in the community. Tattooing has been found mummified remains of early man dating back to 5,000 years ago. Many believe that early tattoos were used to ward off evil beings. There were tattoos given to youths to show that they had become members of their tribes. There is a belief that the first tattoos were given to women in Egypt to protect them from childbirth.

- Through trade the art of tattooing started to spread from its humble beginning as a way of tribes marking man hood and warding off evil spirits. With the rise of Christianity in Europe, tattooing started to become associated with criminals and what was deemed evil pagan ways. Tattoos were banned for a long time in Europe. It wasn't until much later that the western world slowly started to associate with tattoos again. British sailors traveling to Tahiti and other small island nations found islanders decorated in beautiful marking that they sought to have. Once again tattoos began to take on new meanings and grew to even more countries.

- In the United States, tattoos were seen as a mark that people who were not accepted by society would place on themselves. This sub culture began to thrive and as more and more people used tattoos as a way to distinguish themselves the meaning behind them began to blur. The tattoo went from being a way to mark being an outsider to once again being a sign of belonging to another group. Today tattoos are used to commemorate special events, belonging, and just a love of the art form itself.

- The history of tattooing is one that shows that the tattoos have may have changed but the reason for getting gone has not through the decades. A tattoo has been used for centuries to convey a special meaning from the wearer through a symbol or picture. Tattoos are more detailed and ornate then they have been in their long history. The tattoo may be different but the idea is the same to mark one's skin to convey a meaning. One thing is for sure in the ever-changing world of tattoos; the art of tattooing is here to stay.


The skin and skin Layers

- Compared to all other organs the skin has the heaviest weight and the largest surface expansion of the body. The sensitive papillas exist on the surface and different organs are inside the skin. These perform many special functions for the sweat gland, the hair follicle and the sebaceous gland. The skin protects the inner organs of the body from infections, injuries and the harmful rays of sun. In addition it is important for the regulation of the body's temperature. The skin of an average aged adult can weight up to 10 kilogram. On the most parts of the body the skin is just thin like paper.

- The skin consist of two different tissues - an outer layer which is called the epidermis and an inner layer, called dermis or corium. The surface of the skin or epidermis consists of dead cells which are rubbed off by normal movement such as wearing clothes or by taking a bath. This layer of the dead cells is often called "a false skin". Just beneath, in the dermis, the cells are full of life and they multiply themselves all the time to replace the used cells. The epidermis consists of four layers: the Stratum basale, the Stratum spinosum, the Stratum granulosum and the Stratum corneum.

- The dermal papillars are the elevations of the dermis similar to little warts which reach into the epidermis and support the lower tissue of the epidermis cells with food and oxygen. Each of the hair follicles gets fed by papillar. Rows of papillars reach from the dermis into the epidermis and form grooves which produce a pattern on the skin of the hands, the feet and the body. These grooves of the papillars are responsible for the individual finger prints on the finger tips. Before birth they are already developed and are not only unique for each individual but they do not change throughout one's lifetime.

- The dermis or the corium is a quite soft and thick inner tissure of the skin. It protects and cures the injured tissue and it is approx. 4 times thicker than the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin). The mainpart of the dermis consists of the protein collages which build a scar tissue to close the cuts and the scrapings again. The dermis feeds the epidermis and it has the end of the nerves and the blood vessels. It is some fat in some cases too. The roots of the hair are placed here too. Beneath the dermis the hypodermis is situated. It is a subcutaneous layer that contains a lot of fat.

- The fat tissue belongs to numerous connective tissues in the human body. The connective tissues also produces a kind of leather skin on the surface of the skin. The cells of, the connective tissue are different to the cells of the epithelial layer itn the epidermis which are placed close to each other in masses. The cells of the connective tissue are scattered and have countless amount of fibres. The fat tissue (or the fat cells) is a metabolic active tissue which store the fat and releases it by nervous or hormonal stimulation. It also acts as an insulator to keep a constant body temperature. It is also a protective layer in certain parts. You can find a fat tissue in the bone marrow too.

- In the dermis are the branches and the section of the nerves which are called the open ends of the nerves. They are spread out in the Dermis in a complicated way and they cover the whole skin. The open ends of the nerves react to the numbs, especially to the painful ones. They are also situated in the cornea of the eye where they inform the eye about the touch and pressure.


Tattoing Health Risks

- A tattoo is a piece of artwork that a person will carry with them for the rest of their life. The decision to get a tattoo is one that should not be taken lightly. The procedure of getting a tattoo is very straight forward an uncomplicated for the person receiving the tattoo. This does not mean that there are risks. There are many tattooing health risks that should be taken into account before a person gets a tattoo. Tattooing health risks rarely happen when the proper precautions are taken when getting a tattoo, but the well-informed consumer needs to know that they do exist. Most of the tattooing health risks that exist come from the needle penetrating the person's skin with the tattoo ink. The FDA does not regulate tattoo ink because it is considered a cosmetic item. With the ever-growing popularity of tattoos, there have been fewer complications from tattoos but they do still exist. One of the most common tattooing health risks is that of blood borne diseases. These diseases can include HIV and hepatitis. The health risk comes from the reusing of the tattoo needles from one person to another. If the blood from an infected person is present on the tattoo needle it will infect the next person to get a tattoo. Many places lower the risk by using a new needle for each tattoo. This prevents cross contamination. Receiving a tattoo can cause many skin disorders on people who are already prone to them. One of the most common is the formation of keloids around the area of the tattoo. A keloid is a small granule of scar tissue. Many people are prone to this type of scar tissue without even receiving a tattoo. There are skin infections that can be a possible result of tattooing. This tattooing health risk comes form bacteria being trapped under the skin at the time the tattoos are given. An unlicensed tattoo artist can usually be blamed for these types of health problems. The use of unsanitary procedures when administering a tattoo can lead to bacterial infections that can lead to more serious health problems. Tattoo ink is a foreign body entering beneath the skin. This ink can cause an allergic reaction underneath the skin that will result in a red itchy rash over the tattoo. Red tattoo ink is most commonly known to cause this type of allergic reaction. The many tattooing health risks that exist are very rare and uncommon in the well-maintained tattoo parlor. They do however still exist. It is up to the consumer to properly educate themselves on these possible side effects of the tattoo of which they seek. Once they way these tattooing health risks they can then make the decision whether it is worth it to get a tattoo.


Laser Tatoo Removal

- The laser that is used in laser tattoo removal is simply a high energy concentrated beam of light in bursts with a high energy, which consists of a certain wavelength and impulse length. According to the treated colour, the laser has to be adjusted exactly for the following: The colour of non-transparent pure coloured bodies gets formed by remission. This remission is a cooperation of absorbtion and reflection. It means that a white light (not coloured) hits a body which absorbs the light and it reflects the light of a certain wave length again. If a body is blue, just a blue light gets reflected which is a light of the wavelength 450 mm. Therefore it means: the lighter the colour of the tattoo the more laser light it will reflect, so it becomes more difficult to remove this colour completely. Among other things the so-called solid laser are used like the Rubin Laser, the Nd-Yag laser and the Alexandridlaser. The colour of the tattoo is placed in isolated pigments of the skin which get a 'burst' by the laser. These remnants of the colour are removed by the 'feeding cells'. There are usually no scars remaining, except if the patient is susceptible to an extreme scar formation. If an allergic reaction to the red colour pigments is existing for example, you have to be aware that the allergic reaction is the result of the body's removal of the affected red particles after the treatment. In the case of allergies you should contact a skin physician. Nearly all colours are removable by using a Rubin laser and a Nd-Yag laser. If a light natural coloured tattoo is existing, it is rare to have an irreversible change of the colour to black/brown.

- The period of a laser treatment / expenses:
- It is impossible to give exact information about the period of a treatment without first seeing the tattoo. In the use of laser tattoo removal there are many methods and types of laser. The removal of a tattoo with several colours can take a couple of months, depending on the method, the tattoo, the part of the skin and the budget. You should take into account that the removal of a tattoo via laser tattoo removal could cost you more than getting the actual tattoo in the first place. Wondering what to do about that tattoo you got when you were 18 that you swore was the coolest thing ever and you would want it for the rest of your life? And now you realize, well, that it's not? There are many different tattoo coverups available for someone who has decidedly made a mistake in their ink.

- Tatoo Coverups
- The first option is cosmetic and requires daily maintenance. Put simply, using make-up. There are quite a few different companies out there that produce make-up that is specifically made to cover up a tattoo. Think stage make-up. While this may be a pain to keep up there is no actual pain involved and is good for a quick fix. Especially if that wedding dress comes a little too low and you don't want to scandalize the in-laws. Your next option is getting another tattoo to cover up the previous one. Any tattoo artist worth his/her salt will be able to cover up most tattoos as they probably have had to do tattoo coverups on themselves. Just remember if your tattoo is done in black you are going to have to get black put on top. Unfortunately, green just won't cover up black work. Option number three for tattoo coverups is laser removal. This is probably the most popular option these days but comes with a lot of draw backs. For one, it is very painful. Think grease splattering your skin. For another, it isn't an instant removal. Laser removal takes many sessions and each session can cost $250 and up. So for a large tattoo you could be spending thousands of dollars to get it removed. Another bit of information to know is that color tattoos are much more difficult to remove than black work. Another option is tattoo removal cream. The only problem with these is that a lot of them don't work. If you are considering using one of these you need to consult with a doctor. See if he has any recommendations. Also it's good to look up consumer reviews on these products, that will tell you a lot as well. There is even the option of looking up the company with the Better Business Bureau to see what kind of rating they have with them and if they are a legit company. These creams can run well over a hundred dollars so do your homework before choosing this option. There are multiple options for tattoo coverups. When people think of coverups they only think of having an actual tattoo put over a previously existing one. However, that is no longer the case anymore. The options are there, you just have to look and see which one is the best for your situation.


Types of Tatoo

- Generally professional tattoos are in the upper third of the leather skin. Therefore it is easy to remove them, but it takes a few sessions depending on the intensity of the colors, witch means that the colours pigments have settled down in the deeper laying cells. You always have to remove the top layer first. The works of amateurs or self made tattoos using a needle and Indian ink, can be attached to the fat tissue of the lower skin. In this case it is possible that some little colour spots will remain after the removal treatment, but are hardly visible after the development of the lower skin. The procedure of the removal is similar to that of professional tattoos, just a little of the color pigments remain in the fat tissue after removing the last color pigment from the leather skin. Under certain conditions the body removes this by its own actions. The so called bio - or temp Tattoos are made in the top cells of the leather skin. Therefore it is easiest to remove this kind of tattoo. Generally it can be said that it is possible to remove all kinds of tattoos which are placed in the leather skin and the removal takes several sessions depending upon the depth or the amount of the concerning cells.