Once it was simply a tool to ink your identity, today, tattoos have become a fashion statement. Once helpful in finding your missing child lost in a mela, today tattoo is your ticket to the trendy tag. Some find it poetic, for some it works as an amulet and for some it is simply a passport to liberation. For some a tattoo is a reflection of something very personal, a side which they want to share with somebody very close while for others it is means to publicly display their personality or love for somebody.
Tattoos were always symbolic of something deep and tribals used them for ages but in the last few years they have caught the imagination of the city folk. It is no longer just an item for the cool dude in the college. From models and actors to corporate honchos, tattoo is not such an offbeat fad anymore. In the last few years body tattoos have gained huge momentum with almost everyone wanting to get inked. You can find a bride with a tattoo and internationally the next big thing is dental tattoo! Bearing a tattoo not only screams attitude, but even demands it. You have to be a little brash, a little wild and a little irreverent to carry it off.
“Hundreds of tiny injections piercing my skin at the same time,” says Preetish Chawla, a college student, as an artist runs the tattoo machine on his forearm to carve out his name. It hurts, so be prepared to be tough and stand by your ‘devil-may-care' demeanour. “But it is worth the pain,” he quickly adds. Experts suggest as tattoos are reflection of one's personality, the key for selection is just being you. Don't be into trends. Don't make fashion own you, but you decide what you are and what you want to express through your tattoo.
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“A tattoo always has a meaning,” muses Lokesh Verma, tattoo artist and owner of Devil'z Tattooz in Greater Kailash. “It's on your skin, after all – if you get a tattoo, you wear an attitude on your skin. To people, you are what your tattoo means.” Lokesh says the common motifs among girls are butterflies, angels, tribal designs and flowery spirits on arms, shoulder and lower back while guys prefer to sport the rather manly creations that reflect power and passion. Symbols like the tiger, warriors, devils, dragons and demons are their favourites. For the spiritually inclined a Krishna, Ganesha, Shiva, Buddha or Christ on arm or symbols like Om, Swastik and chants and shlokas are a popular choice.
“Initially, black and white tribal tattoos were a hot cake. Now, live art and realistic tattoos that are doing rounds. It's all a game, with new rules every season,” says Lokesh. Tattoo designing is no more a hobby but has turned into a lucrative career option as for one square inch of tattooing, an artist, on an average, charges Rs.1500 followed by Rs.500 for every subsequent inch. No wonder, tattoo artists have become style statements in themselves among the tattoo freaks of the city.
“People are yet to open up and go for bigger and theme based tattoos,” says Karan Arora, a tattoo artist at RON Tattoos situated in Moti Nagar.
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As more and more youngsters go for tattoos, doctors advice that one must watch out certain precautionary hygiene aspects before flaunting a tattoo because if not done properly it can lead to allergic reaction and in some cases leave a permanent scar or a keloid. The equipments are usually imported and experts suggest that the ones that come from the US are safer. “You must ensure that the tattoo artist uses new set of disposable needles, gloves, inks and ink caps, approved by FDA. The machine should be sterilised after every session of tattooing and everything that touches the skin once is required to be replaced for the second session,” advises dermatologist Dr. (Sqn. Ldr.) V.K. Upadhyay.