Tattoos – interesting facts you don’t know

    Either you love them, either you hate them- Indisputably, tattoos have fascinating history.  

  It is believed that tattoos originate as a manner of healing, similar to acupuncture and evolves as a form of art nowadays. When western world meets them they become popular mainly among the sailors in the early 70s of XX-th century. No longer a rebel symbol, the art of tattoos is widely accepted as ever. Whether you have one or not, here are some facts you may not know.

1.  The oldest tattoo is discovered on the Yotzi Iceman’s skin, who lived between 3300 to 3100 b.c. His body was found in the Alps and it had 61 tattoos of simple lines and dots, made with a carbon ink.

2.  In 1891 was invented the first ever electric tattoo machine patented by Samuel O’Reilly. Inspired by Edison’s design, a prototype of an electric pen, O’Reilly added needles and ink cartridge.

3.  Around 5% of the Americans have a cover up tattoo.

4.  Tattoo needles pierce the skin between 500 to 3000 times a minute, in 1 mm depth.

5.  58% of women have at least one tattoo, while men with tattoos are 41%. But women are two times more likely to remove their tattoos than men.

6.  One of the oldest recipe recorded for making a tattoo ink contains Egyptian pine crust, corroded bronze, vinegar, vitriol, leek sauce and insect eggs.

7.  The word “tattoo” is the most common misspelled word in English. Very often –  “tatoo”

8.  The most tattooed man Guinness record holds Gregory Paul McLaren. He has his entire body covered with tattoos even including his lips, eyelids, ears. He has held the record since 2006.

9.  In laser tattoo removal the black is  the easiest pigment to remove, because it absorbs the most of the laser wave, while the green and yellow are the most difficult to remove.

10.  A survey in 2012 shows that 59% of tattooed people are women and the most common tattoos are hearts and angels.

11.  The wealthiest tattoo artist is Scot Campbell, who charges start from 1000$ for the first hour and he works only weekends.

12.  In 2005 Kimberly Smith got a tattoo “GoldenPalace.com” on her forehead, to pay her son education. This makes her the first ever person who had a tattoo for advertising purpose.    

13. The musician Tommy Lee sets a Guinness record for being the first man been tattooed in the atmosphere on board an aircraft in 2007.

14.  Tattoos are banned in some countries: Iran, North Korea, Turkey, United Arab Emirates.

15.  The world Guinness record for the longest tattoo session holds Aleksander Pakostin (Russia), set on 12.09.2019. The duration was 60 hours and 30 minutes, and he was allowed to rest only 5 min on every hour.

16.  The healing of the inner part of the lip takes 3 days, because of the rapid regeneration of the cells in this area. For the same reason tattoos on this zone will fade or disappear in 1 to 5 years.

17.  23% of people regret their tattoos, usually these were tattoos of names.

18.  When tattoo apprentices start their training, they usually practice on grapefruit or pig legs skin. Their texture is similar to human skin.

19.  The numbing creams help against pain but can also create obstacles in the tattoo process and the visual result of the design, because the skin swells and deforms.

20.  Government structures in USA have the most tolerant policy  towards tattoos and piercings, but barely 8% of the employees have tattoos and piercings.

21.  The most discriminative to tattoos and piercing states are Karolina, Oklahoma, Florida, Colorado and California.

22.  In the USA people spend $1,6 billions annually for tattoos. And 14% of all Americans have at least one tattoo.

23.  The most tattooed body part among women is the ankle, and among men the arm.

24.  The most tattoo shops in USA are in Miami, 24 per each 100 000 people.

25.  The most expensive tattoo in the world costs $924,000. It is made with a half carat diamonds, placed in the skin instead of ink. No one still hasn’t got it.

26.  The average price for a small tattoo in US is $45 an hour, and for a large one – $150 an hour.

27.  The New Zealanders are the most tattooed people in the world. This is why mostly because of the Maori people, who still get tattooed traditional polynesian tattoos.

28.  In the Soviet Union some prisoners got tattoos of Lenin and Stalin. This was not form of support, but in case they would be sentenced to death, their executors would  not shoot them, because it was against the law to shoot at their leaders images.

29.  Women find tattooed men more attractive. A recent survey of “Personality and Individual differences” magazine, revealed that women see men with tattoos as more masculine, dominative and healthy. Also they find these men as more capable of taking risks, as for some this is unwanted quality, but for some is attractive.

30.  The most expensive tattoo artist in the world.

  You wont believe how much he charges. Meet Joaquin Ganga better known as owner of Ganga Tattoo. He is known for tattooing some of the most famous celebrities such as Lil Dirk, Post Malone, Lebrone James and others. Using actual anestesia to put his clients to sleep, so they can get a tattoo without feeling any pain. Full day session with the anestesia would cost you $ 100 000