What is the history of tattoos ?

Tattooing is an art that has been around for ages. Several tattooed mummies bearing tattoos have been recovered that are dated from around the 2nd millennium BCE. Ancient tattooing wasn't isolated to a specific region of the world. Examples of ancient tattooing can be found from China, Egypt, India, Europe, Japan, the Middle East, and so on.

Tattooing has many purposes, but its roots mainly go back to various forms of symbolism for different cultures. In some cultures, warriors were tattooed as decorations for their bravery. People from other cultures were tattooed during rites of passage, or to symbolize cultural status or rank. Some cultures used tattooing as sexual lures, while others used it as forms of punishment. Slaves were tattooed to show ownership. Convicts were tattooed to identify the crime they were convicted of.

During darker times, people devoted to certain religions were forcibly tattooed as a means of identification, such as Jews during the Holocaust era.

Tattooing has evolved from it cultural roots of ancient times, to something totally different in today's society. Today, tattoos are used for cosmetic or sentimental reasons. Tattoos may symbolize a person's belonging to a group or gang. In some cases, a favorite team name, or band, or name of a loved one may be tattooed for sentimental purposes.

Tattooing also plays a cosmetic role today with permanent makeup. Tattooing can be used to enhance lips and eyes, or to enhance eyebrows. It is also a common practice to tattoo beauty marks.

Tattooing has found new popularity over the last couple of decades, with a major surge in popularity in the most recent generation of young adults. It is estimated that one out of every three 18 - 29 year old Americans have at least one tattoo. The current popularity of tattoos has resulted in an explosion in the number of new tattoo parlor openings.

It is also estimated that up to 50% of the people who receive tattoos regret getting them at some point in their lives. So tattoo removal physicians have also seen their business growing by leaps and bounds.