This web page contains tattoo facts for kids and is an excellent resource for anyone of any age looking to learn about tattoos. Our goal is to provide you with accurate, up to date facts about tattoos. In addition to facts about tattoos, we provide additional resources to help you with your research on permanent body art.
The tattoo facts below will help you learn about the history of tattoos, who invented tattoos, how tattoos are given, what’s in tattoo ink, how tattoos are removed and other tattoo related facts. We hope these tattoo facts are interesting and help you learn more about this unique type of body art.
If any of the below tattoo facts are inaccurate, please contact us and let us know.
21 Tattoo Facts for Kids
- A tattoo is a type of body art, which can be either permanent or temporary, by inserting ink into human skin.
- The oldest tattoos ever discovered was on two mummies in Egypt that were dated between 3351 and 3017 BCE.
- A permanent tattoo is given by injecting ink into the dermis and can only be removed with tattoo removal surgery.
- A temporary tattoo is given using several different methods, including but not limited to henna ink and airbrush.
- Modern day tattoo artists use a tattoo machine to give permanent tattoos.
- A tattoo machine injects ink into the skin using one or more needles.
- A tattoo machine punctures the skin with a needle(s) between 80 to 150 times a second.
- There are three main types of tattoos and they are decorative, pictorial and symbolic.
- A decorative tattoo has no specific meaning to the person receiving it.
- A pictorial tattoo is a replica of a person or item, like a picture of a relative or a flower.
- A symbolic tattoo has specific meaning to the person receiving it, like a religious and spiritual symbol.
- Permanent makeup is a process where a person gets a tattoo with natural colors to resemble makeup.
- There are several health risks associated with getting a permanent tattoo.
- Blood-borne pathogens can be introduced during the tattooing process if recommended hygiene precautions aren’t followed by the tattoo artist.
- A new tattoo is at risk for infection while healing, proper care is required during the healing process to prevent any infections.
- Tattoo ink can travel through the bloodstream and start to buildup in lymph nodes, reducing their ability to fight infections. This was discovered in 2017 by researchers at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France.
- A permanent tattoo can be removed using laser surgery. However, the pain, cost and time associated with removing a tattoo is vastly greater than when you get a tattoo.
- Tattoo removal surgery uses a laser to remove a tattoo. The laser uses energy to send a strong pulse into the ink. The ink is broken apart and your body can then metabolize it.
- Tattoo removal surgery doesn’t always guarantee the tattoo will be removed. Depending on the ink type and ink colors it can take many treatments and at best fade the tattoo.
- According to the Guinness World Records, the woman with the most tattoos in the world is Charlotte Guttenberg with 98.75% of her body covered. This record was set in the United States on November 7th, 2017.
- According to the Guinness World Records, the man with the most tattoos in the world is Lucky Rich with 100% of his body covered. This record was set in the Australia on March 14th, 2006.
Tattoo Pictures
Additional Resources About Tattoos
- Tattooing Process – Discover what happens during a tatto on the UMass website.
- The History of Tattoos – Learn about the history of tattoos on the Smithsonian Magazine website.
- Tattoo Saftey and Your Health – Explore the FDA website to learn the health risks of the ink used in tattoos.
- Tattoo – Wikipedia – Read more about tattoos and their history on the Wikipedia website.