Chinese Neck Tattoo

Tattoos no longer have the shock value they once had. With reality TV shows like Miami Ink on TLC, one could argue they have gone main stream. The stigma of tattoos has greatly declined over the years and has crossed both economic and social boundaries. The following are some interesting statistics:

• A Harris Poll done in 2003 revealed that 16% of Americans had at least one tattoo. That's roughly 40 million people. That's up from 6% back in 1936 when only 10 million Americans had tattoos.

• A survey done by Esquire magazine in 2002 stated that 1 in 8 Americans has a tattoo.

• According to a study in 2005 from The American Society of Dermatological Surgery, out of the people that they treated for laser and light therapy, only 6% were getting tattoos removed.

• US News & World Report says there are more than 20,000 tattoo parlors operating in the United States and on the average; a new parlor is opening every day.

One segment of body art that is gaining popularity is the "always visible" tattoo. These include tattoos on the neck and face that can't always be covered up by clothing. Most neck tattoos are placed on the side of the neck or the back of the neck which is known as the nape. An owner of a tattoo parlor in New York says 20 - 30 percent of the tattoos he does are on the hand, face, or neck.

A question often asked when deciding on getting a neck tattoo is will it be more painful than getting a tat on other parts of the body? Because the skin on the back of the neck is thinner, the needle naturally comes closer to the bone which does make getting a neck tattoo a little more painful. Of course, it all depends on the individual's physical and psychological makeup.

A tattoo usually heals in 2-3 weeks but a neck tattoo might take a little bit longer. This is due to the motion created by the movement of the head which causes the neck tattoo to scab quickly. As a result, you might need to re-ink a neck tattoo to fix some of the patchiness. Luckily, these re-ink sessions are not as painful as the initial session.

One advantage of a neck tattoo over hand or a foot tattoo is that they are less prone to infections. Do take precautions with sun exposure as it can cause the ink to fade so it is important to apply sun screen.