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1).The most surprising thing about this topic is when I dug deep into various kinds of tattoos I came across other forms of body modifications like skin removal, tattoo scarification, injection skin modification, body piercings and tongue splits which kind of startled me.

2).This topic is related to me as I like tattoos and have few on my body which signifies some of my life history. For instance, I have tattooed latitudes and longitudes of the places that I have traveled so far and also have an owl tattooed on my body which represents my nature of working at night time.

3).Most interesting research for me was about the tongue splitting which shows that in-spite of significant risks and complications such as infections, cancers, nerve damage and blood loss people have a craze for splitting their tongue and getting fork-like, lizard tongue effect and exposing their body to high level of trauma and pain.

4).Thing I won’t forget from this research is I thought expression of one’s self through body modification was a new form of art but it can be dated back in 1500 BC.

5).Researching about this topic has changed my perspective of body modifications as I was not aware about the risks and complications related to it. Tattoos did interest me and still it is fascinating for me but other modifications such as tongue piercing and splitting seems to be dangerous and not a safe style of expressing one’s self.

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Practising the art of tatooing was not just found in the contemporary world, it had begun around the globe since the neolithic age, and was considered as  an ancient art to depict custom and traditions.

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Tattoos have played a role in the lives of prehistoric and modern man alike. Societal status, art, religion, and medicine all create a tradition in tattoo design that spans across centuries and around the globe. Depending on the times and culture, body art was considered to be lowly and barbaric, or a signifier of very high, royal status. These age-old images were symbols of power, healing, magic, and were a reflection of the natural world.

The decorative markings were often made of dyes, soot or burned plant material.

Evidence of this ancient practice can be seen today preserved in mummies. We take a look at some mummies and their mysterious markings:

Ötzi the Iceman

One of the more famous tattooed mummified human is Ötzi the Iceman, a well preserved natural mummy found in the Alps on the Austrian-Italian border in 1991. Ötzi lived and died in the mountains around 3,300 BC and his body was frozen in the ice. This prehistoric man's simple, dark marks amazed scientists as they had never found so early an example of tattoos for medicinal purposes. The marks seemed similar to acupuncture treatments, a therapy long thought to have originated in Asia 2000 years later.

Joann Fletcher of the department of archaeology at the University of York in Britain told Smithsonian that "the distribution of the tattooed dots and small crosses on his lower spine and right knee and ankle joints correspond to areas of strain-induced degeneration, with the suggestion that they may have been applied to alleviate joint pain and were therefore essentially therapeutic".
Examination of Ötzi mummy (©South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Eurac/Samadelli/Staschitz)
The Siberian Ice Maiden, Scythian Warrior

The 'Princess of Ukok' is the mummy of a young woman found in 1993 in Altai, near the shared border of Russia, Mongolia, China and Kazakhstan. She's believed to have been a shaman or spiritual leader of the nomadic Pazyryk people from 2500 years ago. Buried along with the woman were male warriors and a team of six horses. A Scythian warrior's body was discovered and was heavily tattooed with animals and flowing lines. Unlike the simple lines found on Ötzi the Iceman, these tattoos were expressive, elaborate, and colorful, proclaiming an important role within the tribe. Signifying her prestige, the young woman sported ornate images of panthers and sheep, leaping deer with big antlers, and even mythological creatures such as griffons and winged leopards. Many say the tattoos look modern, like something you would see people wearing today.

Novosibirsk scientist Natalia Polosmak told The Siberian Times, "Compared to all tattoos found by archeologists around the world, those on the mummies of the Pazyryk people are the most complicated, and the most beautiful [...] It is a phenomenal level of tattoo art. Incredible."

The designs are the best preserved ancient tattoos anywhere in the world.
The Princess of Ukok has the best preserved ancient tattoos. Credit: Newscom
The Lady of Cao

In 2005 in a funerary chamber deep within an ancient Peruvian ritual site, a Moche mummy was found exceptionally preserved, untouched since 450 AD. In yet another example of a high status burial of an ancient shaman woman, the chamber was filled with gold ornaments and symbols of power. The mummy sported several tattoos, which was a common practice in the Moshe world.

National Geographic reports that the tattoos were achieved using charcoal pigment embedded beneath skin with a sharp needle or cactus spine. The images were sophisticated geometric designs and creatures like spiders, catfish, snakes, crabs, and mythical beasts.
The tattooed hand of the Lady of Cao ( ethnicjewelsmagazine)
Egyptian with Angel Tattoo

Ancient records make almost no mention of tattooing for Egyptians, but it was a practice now revealed by modern technology. The mummy of an Egyptian woman dating to 700 A.D. was examined using advanced medical scans. Through the linen wraps the scientists discovered a small tattoo on her inner thigh. The mark, translated from ancient Greek, reads "Michael", and includes a cross symbol. Researchers suspect this may have been worn there as spiritual protection, an appeal to the Christian Archangel Michael. Pregnant women in times past would tattoo divine names on their abdomens in the hope of a safe delivery, and others would reportedly wear them on their thighs to protect against sexual violation.

Back then, as today, tattoos were used to demonstrate one's faith.
The mummy with its tattoo of archangel Michael. Credit: The British Museum
The Beauty of Loulan

No mummy found to date receives as much attention for its good looks as the "Beauty of Loulan", found in China's Tarim Basin and dating back 3800 years. The woman's face is so well preserved from the arid, salty climate that her delicate features remain intact even after the nearly 4000 years since her death; she has smooth skin, full lips, and dark eyelashes. The mummies found in the Tarim Basin surprised many with their red and blonde hair, their tall height, and their loomed fabrics, and researchers suggested they were unrelated to China's ancestors. DNA testing revealed they originated from Europe and were Caucasian travelers and merchants. Tattoo artist and writer for Ancient Origins , Margaret Moose notes details of the Tarim mummies, "One of the female mummies has crescent moons and ovals tattooed on her face. The moon designs are suggestive of Goddess worship in many cultures and the presence of the tattoos on her face tells me, a tattoo artist, that whatever the designs meant they were very important to her since she chose to display them where she could not hide them; they also immediately identified her to others." Male mummies from that find possessed animal facial tattoos with curling line designs.

In life and in death tattoos and body art endures. Ancient tattoos were worn for many of the same reasons they are today, and it's not a tradition that will die out with the mummies.
Top image: Mummy of the Ukok Princess/Siberian Ice Maiden. Tattoos line her arms. (Wikimedia Commons) The article Ancient Ink: Mummies and Their Amazing Tattoos was originally published on The Epoch Times and has been republished with permission.

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Ancient Ink: Mummies and Their Amazing Tattoos

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Tattoos have played a role in the lives of prehistoric and modern man alike. Societal status, art, religion, and medicine all create a tradition in tattoo design that spans across centuries and around the globe. Depending on the times and culture, body art was considered to be lowly and barbaric, or a signifier of very high, royal status.

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Many civilizations have lived  the earth and the art of tatooing has reached an height where it has become a fad. The believe to express their thoughts in the form of body art.

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Today, tattooing is a ubiquitous facet of mainstream culture across the country. But New York City has a particularly complex relationship with the art form, as explored by an upcoming exhibit at the New York Historical Society. New York not only gave birth to modern tattooing-it played a role in forming the industry's subcultural roots and its technical evolution.

Of course, long before New York ushered in modern tattooing, Native Americans in the region would tattoo their bodies to memorialize victories or even to treat medical conditions like arthritis. Representations of native body art date back to the 1700s, making them the earliest recorded images of tattooing by Westerners.

Manhattan society women in the 1930s would travel downtown to get small tattoos that could easily be hidden.

Nearly 100 years later, in the early 19th century, seamen would pass through New York's port and show off their tattooed bodies in pop-up sideshows to make a few extra bucks. Tattooed ladies were also a popular attraction at sideshows-some of the most celebrated tattooed ladies were able to use their popularity to become financially independent, even though the practice was considered coarse and unbecoming for women. By 1859, tattoos had already begun to make more permanent inroads into New York's downtown with the city's first established tattoo parlor.

Then, in 1891, the tattoo artist Samuel O'Reilly patented the first electric tattoo machine in the Bowery, inspired by Thomas Edison's patent of the electric pen. The machine's speed made the practice faster and cheaper, allowing tattooing to spread quickly around the city. Through the decades, tattoo artists in New York continued to invent their own variations, making the city a hub for the technology behind the craft. By the 1920s, the Bowery neighborhood had become the center of New York tattoo culture-ostensibly because of its then-reputation as a hub for the city's grittiest inhabitants.

Then as now, tattoos were both a fashion statement and a marker of identity. While in the 20th century they became associated with gang allegiances, tattoos also made their way into high society. According to the exhibition curator Cristian Petru Panaite, Europeans traveling to the States made tattoos somewhat of a fashion statement in the early 20th century. Manhattan society women in the 1930s would travel downtown to get small tattoos that could easily be hidden-a little mark of rebellion in a repressive world.

"Flash"-the paper drawings of tattoo designs that often decorate the walls of parlors and give artists a portfolio of designs from which to work-also originated in New York. In the early 20th century, the tattoo artist "Lew the Jew" Alberts developed and popularized them because they enabled anyone to walk into a tattoo shop, point at a design, and walk out with it inked on their skin. Flash drawings have been a staple of shops across the country ever since.

The industry flourished until 1961, when New York's Health Department banned the practice of tattooing. According to Panaite, there are several competing stories as to why. The official line is that the agency was responding to a cluster of hepatitis B cases that had come out of Coney Island tattoo shops. But if you talk to tattoo artists who were around at the time, he says, they'll tell you it was because a high-level bureaucrat wanted revenge on a tattoo artist who'd broken his heart (maybe he regretted getting her name tattooed across his bicep).

Irving Herzberg (1915-1992). Tattoo shop of "Coney Island Freddie" just prior to New York City's ban on tattooing, 1961. [Image: via Brooklyn Public Library]

The ban forced tattooing underground, but at the same time, mainstream visual artists began to get into the art form. In the 1970s, the sculptor Mike Bakaty would tattoo clients in his apartment while his more traditional work was displayed in gallery shows. His studio is considered the longest running tattoo parlor in the city-once the ban was lifted, he set up shop in the Bowery. Before beginning research on the Historical Society exhibition, Panaite got a tattoo of a bird from Bakaty's son to memorialize his mother.

While the ban's existence may sound dramatic, Panaite says that only one of the many tattoo artists featured in the exhibition was actually imprisoned for working during those years (and even then, Panaite says, he was likely let out of jail after a day or two since he wasn't caught in the act). Because only the act of tattooing was illegal, it was easy enough to dodge inspectors. By the 1980s, tattoo artists had actual storefronts in the Bronx-even the cops would go there to get inked-and the ban was eventually lifted in 1997. Today, there are more than 270 tattoo shops across the city.

Romanian-born Panaite knew almost nothing about tattoo culture before beginning research into its history in New York, but the art form charmed him enough that he recently got his second tattoo on New Year's Eve. It's the date he became a naturalized American, woven into the word "Brooklyn"-a style that harkens back to a 1930s fad when people would tattoo their social security numbers, embedded in words and graphics, on their skin. With a president-elect who opposes much immigration about to take power, Panaite says, this tattoo is a permanent "just in case," proof of where he belongs.

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The Story Of How N.Y.C. Created Modern Tattoos

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Today, tattooing is a ubiquitous facet of mainstream culture across the country. But New York City has a particularly complex relationship with the art form, as explored by an upcoming exhibit at the New York Historical Society. New York not only gave birth to modern tattooing-it played a role in forming the industry's subcultural roots and its technical evolution.

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This can be also called as electronic tattoos. To make it more simple for understanding it can be known as thr tattoos that are  done with the advancement of technology.

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For years we have been hearing all sorts of promises about futuristic tattoos that are right around the corner. It's the start of a new year, and it seems like the perfect time to check in on these tattoos and see how far they've come.

Some of the really far out ideas are, at best, a distant reality. Such as Emerge Interactive's E-Ink tattoo:

While this turned out to be nothing but an April Fool's day prank, there are a lot of cool innovations that are being tested and/or introduced today.

The future of tattoo inks

Over the past year, questions about tattoo ink safety were raised. As a result, tattoo ink manufacturers are putting the focus on the quality of ingredients in 2018. The best shops already only purchase from reputable ink dealers. And many tattoo artists are requesting government regulations on tattoo inks. In some countries, like Spain, such regulations are already in place.

Ink quality is not the only focus for the future of tattoo inks. People are always on the lookout for inks that could change the business or offer cool new looks.

Disappearing tattoos

For those who love tattoos, but not their permanence, there are continued advances in disappearing tattoos. Tattoo purists may not view these as true tattoos. But they are an opportunity for people who wouldn't get a tattoo otherwise.

A number of brands have come out with one year, four year, or five year tattoos. These tattoos are applied just like a regular tattoo, but with ink that is designed to disappear naturally. The benefits are a professional looking tattoo where no one can ask you, "how will that look to your grandchildren?"

However, there are downsides. For one, the one year, four year, and five year designations are estimates. They can sometimes last longer or shorter than intended. As well, the appearance of the tattoo gets worse over time. It begins to fade naturally and it's hard to be sure how long your tattoo will still look its best.

Admittedly, these short-term tattoos have come a long way, and it will be interesting to see how they improve over the next few years.

So far, this is the case is not strong for easy removal inks. While they are easy to remove, they are not yet made to last. For now, laser tattoo removal is generally the best solution when you want to swap out your ink

Glow-in-the-dark tattoos

There is another type of disappearing tattoos, ones that only show up in the dark. Well, sort of. Glow-in-the-dark tattoos are a bit of a misnomer. They're actually UV tattoos that show up under a blue light.

While they aren't a totally new type of ink, they are definitely futuristic looking and a sure way to stand out at the club. The drawback is that they are more likely to be rejected by your body than standard tattoo inks. As a result, many tattoo shops refuse to offer them.

Tattoo ink for diabetics

Researchers at Harvard and MIT created biosensitive inks that can be tattooed on the body. These would be convenient for diabetics as they ink changes colours to let you know if glucose levels are too high or too low.

While it sounds like a far off technology, scientists claim the kinks are worked out and it is ready for both short-term and long-term use. While it is not readily available to the public yet, it is something that could be accessible as early as this year.

Tattoo techniques

Modern culture is obsessed with nostalgia. So it's really no surprise that some of the emerging tattoo techniques aren't new at all.

Stitching tattoo

Skin stitching tattoos are an indigenous tattoo style and technique. Today, people are bringing back this lost art form. The name is pretty accurate for the process. A needle and ink-soaked thread are used to create permanent stitching patterns on the skin. The result is a cool and unique looking tattoo.

Some people who like the style are seeking it through standard modern tattoo practices. The reason for this are twofold:

1. There are not many places where you can get skin stitching done.

2. It is more painful than typical tattooing.

However, not everyone agrees with using modern techniques to copy the look. The reemergence of stitching is a form of historical and cultural reclamation. As these tattoos begin to include modern as well as cultural designs and themes, it will be interesting to see how the designs evolve in the near future.

Scarification tattoos

Normally, the goal is to prevent tattoo scarring. But with scarification, the scar is the tattoo. Scarification is a very old technique that was used for a wide variety of purposes - anything from a ritual or rite of passage to a status sign.

Today, scarification is starting to make an appearance in Canada. It provides a unique look and is said to release a big endorphin rush, resulting in a euphoric state. The scars made by branding or cutting and are aggravated at intervals to make them scar more.

Scarification tattoos can be very striking and complex designs:

There are definite concerns with scarification as body art. The sanitary concerns of a regular tattoo are enhanced as you are much more prone to infection and blood borne disease.

Futuristic tattoo technology

As we can see from some of these emerging and reemerging tattoo techniques, tattoo technology has come a long way. Tools are more precise, consistent, reliable, and sanitary. Some companies are going even further with even more advanced tattoo technology.

While most love the experience of getting inked by a tattoo artist, 3D printed tattoos have been making their mark the past couple of years. French company, Appropriate Audiences, converted a 3D printer into a mechanical tattoo artist called Tatoué.

The 3D printer has become more impressive over time. The device now uses sensors to measure contours and can determine the texture of skin. The Appropriate Audiences team has also been working with tattoo artists to refine techniques. As a result, Tatoué is capable of delivering better tattoos year after year.

So far, they are no match for the skill of a human tattoo artist. But for the tech lover, this is definitely a cool tattoo.

Interactive & digital tattoos

Every year, we hear about incredible ideas for interactive and digital tattoos. Most of the time they aren't quite there yet. We take a look at what people are attempting, and what the closest equivalents currently are.

At the 2017 Consumer Electronics Show a smart tattoo was displayed that is to release in mid-summer:

A lot of companies are attempting this concept of tattoos that replace wearable technology. So far most of them are not true tattoos, but something that is placed temporarily on your skin. They're still pretty cool, but aren't quite there yet.

Still, improvements over recent years have come a long way. And the addition of a gesture controls for VR offers new potential for digital tattoos.

App integration

Much of the current technological limitations can be overcome with the use of your smartphone. For instance, the animated tattoos promised in that first Emerge Interactive video may not be possible. But, it is possible to bring tattoos to life on your phone, as demonstrated by the Polaxis app:

Another cool advancement in interactive tattoos using smartphone apps is soundwave tattoos. Skin Motion has released tattoos that capture an audio file. When the app scans the tattoo, the soundwave plays aloud.

This is cool for two reasons:

1. It's an interactive tattoo that plays sound.

2. It demonstrates the capability of tattoos to store and share information digitally.

The future of tattoos

The future of tattoos has a lot of promise to offer. No matter what advances occur, the traditional tattoo experience will always be our favourite. And we expect, will remain the most commonly sought. But we're always excited to see and test out the latest tattoo innovations.

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The Future of Tattoos, What's Coming Next? | Chronic Ink Tattoo

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For years we have been hearing all sorts of promises about futuristic tattoos that are right around the corner. It's the start of a new year, and it seems like the perfect time to check in on these tattoos and see how far they've come.

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The most intense of all tattoos scarification.This is attained with the help of a tatoo machine and some tattoo artists call it etching. It works by over-tatooing the  area with completely no ink.

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entails "hanging the human body from (or partially from) hooks pierced through the flesh in various places around the body." It is one form of body modification

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Just when you thought body art  could get any worse! Pay a check on this. These tattoos are embodied on the inner layers of the skin creating bodily modifications that are way more than the words "painful".

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Extreme Tattoos: Body Modification fans slicing sections of their skin off to create SCAR tattoos

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The modification of one's own body is called piercing. The act of practicing piercing on any part of the body can be termed as metonymy. This art has been carried out from the beginning of civilization and is practised by both the sexes.

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Known to be one of the most dangerous of all body arts. Its said to be an act of gothicness. These tattoos are done with injections that create a bloating of a desired design on the upper layer of the skin cells.

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Tongue bifurcation or forking the edge of the tongue is quite an act of painful bravery. People do this to make themselves unique and it known to give control over one's own body.