Body Tattoos: A non-fading history

By Jamie Griffiths

Tattoos have been around for more than 5,000 years and with shows like "LA Ink" and "Miami Ink" drawing in audiences, they have become prevalent in today's society.

Just about everywhere you go you can spot people sporting pieces of artwork on their bodies. Hopefully, the artwork is something enjoyable since it will be with them for the rest of their lives. Yes, tattoos are permanent and can never be fully removed.

There are several processes available designed to remove tattoos, but all involve pain, money and scarring.

Salabraision is a process that rubs salt on the tattoo to "sand" it out. If that does not sound appealing, then you can have tissue expansion. Tissue expansion involves a surgery to implant a balloon that will inflate to stretch the skin and another surgery to cut out the tattoo, replace it with the extra skin and remove the balloon. There are medical lasers and staged excisions as well.

"Make sure you love your selection deeply before you get it put on," said Gary Surber, co-owner of Tattzoo. "The most common mistake is getting a boyfriend's or girlfriend's name."

After careful consideration, if you decide you definitely want to get a tattoo, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Make sure the artist you select can handle your artwork.

• Remember you pay for what you get, so settle on a price.

• Look at the artist's portfolio for quality of his or her work.

• Check out how the shop sterilizes its equipment.

• Make sure you wear something comfortable.

• Do not drink any alcohol or take any aspirin beforehand.

• Come in with food in your stomach and bathed, not sweaty.

• Depending on the size and detail, it might take two or three
sessions to complete.

• For larger tattoos, the outline is done one week and the color
is done the next week.

"I had to have one of mine covered up because no one could tell what it was," said Christina Holmes, a literature major. "You have to put more thought into it, visit places, get references and look at previous work."

Keeping that in mind, remember that getting a tattoo is somewhat painful, not to mention permanent. Just like a tattoo, the trend has not faded away.