I’m a tattoo artist – here are the most cruel and dangerous places to get a tattoo

PEOPLE get tattooed for countless reasons.

Whether you’re commemorating someone or just fancy a new etching, inking is a very personal thing.

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Many people get scribbles on their arms or back and usually don’t have any problems.

But one expert has revealed the cruelest and most dangerous places to get a tattoo, and why there’s a fine line between inking and “mutilation.”

Speaking to Sun Health, Claudio Traina, an artist at Sixty ink in London, said one of the cruellest places to get a tattoo is around the bones.

This is simply because of the pain it will cause and it can also feel like someone is drilling into your bones – depending on your pain threshold.

He said: “Also hand tattoos are very trendy at the moment, like henna style on fingers.

“The process will hurt if you do this, especially around the nail and knuckles.

“These will also fade more over time than most tattoos.”

Claudio added that the healing process for these is a bit more difficult since you cannot wrap these areas in cling film to protect them.

So if you don’t care for them with a spray-on product like spray patches, you risk infection.

The expert warned of another trend that is currently doing the rounds and could damage it.

“Right now there’s a trend of tattooing meeting mutilation, which is pretty extreme but dangerous.

“We’ve seen people asking for things like black eyeballs.

“And in some more extreme cases, we’re aware that people are calling for forked tongues and partial ear removals.

“The black eyeball trend can go horribly wrong and you could lose sight of your eye.

“It’s done by injecting ink/dye into the eyeball, so avoid it at all costs,” he said.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

One of the most important things when it comes to getting a tattoo is research, Claudio said.

Claudio said that many customers often come after opting for cheap deals.

He sympathized with younger people and students looking for the cheapest places – but cautioned that “you only get what you pay for”.

“This is a permanent process and well worth the money spent on it.

“If you can’t, save up and wait until you can. You should never compromise or try to save money when getting a tattoo.”

He said paying a little more means you reduce the risk of problems, adding that his team has encountered tattoo artists who “sterilize” their needles in the dishwasher.

“A girl came to us and said she was 16 getting a tattoo in Spain and only had five euros, so she went to the cheapest place she could find, basically someone’s apartment.

“Ten years later she’s still paying the price, her leg became so badly infected that she ended up with a hole in her leg, a cavity that oozed pus for months, and she’s now permanently scarred and tender.

“Kids who save money end up paying the price and spending more in the long run to fix the problems,” he added.