Interesting facts about tattoos

July 17th is actually tattoo day and the main purpose of it is to raise awareness about them and their ancient and respected history.

This day is meant to erase the negative views about tattoos. I come from a Christian African home and we all know our parents' view of tattoos. Story for another day.

African parents think these marks are evil, and you know how changing the mind of an African parent is an extreme sport. Enjoy these interesting facts about tattoos as you think of how to convince that African parent why you need one.

1. ‘Tattoo’ is one of the most commonly misspelled words in the English language. I keep on spelling it ‘tatoo’, thanks to Microsoft word spell check. It’s ok to misspell the word but remember not to have a misspelled tattoo.

2. Research says that having a tattoo provides therapeutic relief for those with anxiety and depression. This sounds weird, right? How can pain bring relief? As you get a tattoo you experience pain and that causes release of endorphins, that helps you deal with pain and provide stress relief. Now you know.

3. Tattoos in Africa are seen as a way of warding off evil spirits. Women in Japan also do lip tattooing as a sign of maturity and to repel evil spirits.

4. The word ‘tattoo’ is said to have originated from a Polynesian noun ‘tatou’ which means ‘puncture mark made on the skin.’

5. Did you know that hennas used by Muslims for body decoration are also termed as tattoos? Interesting, right.

6. The first evidence of a tattoo dates to 3100BC and Otzi the iceman who is believed to be Europe’s oldest mummy shows the truth of this claim.

7. Some people collect tattoo skins. Crazy. it’s done by a Japanese mafia known as the Yakuza. A museum in Philadelphia known as Mutter Museum also keep tattooed human skin in its large collection of macabre exhibitions.