Tattooing has been a Eurasian practice at least since Neolithic times. Otzi the Iceman, dating from the fourth to fifth millennium BCE, was found in the Ötz valley in the Alps and had approximately 57 carbon tattoos consisting of simple dots and lines on his lower spine, behind his left knee, and on his right ankle. Other mummies bearing tattoos and dating from the end of the second millennium BCE have been discovered at Pazyryk Tattooed...

When properly used, autoclaves are an important part of any tattoo shop's overall sanitation program to keep both customers and artists safe from potential infections. An autoclave is a pressurized device designed to heat aqueous solutions above their boiling point to achieve sterilization. It was invented by Charles Chamberland in 1879. The term autoclave is also used to describe an industrial machine in which elevated temperature and...

There are many types of tattoo designs, which can be sorted into major categories such as black and grey tattoos, biomechanical tattoos, new school tattoos, Japanese, tribal, Celtic, and many others. Within these categories, the subject matter often follows various subjects, eg. Koi with Japanese tattooing, or cards, flames, dice, and swallows in New School Tattooing. Any image can be tattooed in the 'Japanese', 'New School' 'Tribal'...

Cryosurgery (also known as cryotherapy) is the application of extreme cold to destroy abnormal or diseased tissue. This method of tattoo removal surgery uses the application of liquid nitrogen to the area in question to freeze it. Then, this freezing causes a peeling action which in turn makes it possible for the top layer of skin to peel easily and deeper than usual. The name 'cryosurgery' suggests a rather invasive procedure. This is...

Tattoo removal is most commonly performed using lasers that react with the ink in the tattoo, and break it down. The broken-down ink is then absorbed by the body, mimicking the natural fading that time or sun exposure would create. This technique often requires many repeated visits to remove even a small tattoo, and may result in permanent scarring . The newer Q-switched lasers are said by the National Institute of Health to result in scarring...

Dermabrasion is a cosmetic medical procedure in which the surface of the epidermis of the skin (the stratum corneum ) is removed by abrasion (sanding). Dermabrasion for tattoo removal is less-used today, as other methods are considered safer, and less likely to leave scars. Dermabrasion is also used to remove sun-damaged skin and to remove or lessen scars and dark spots on the skin. The procedure is very painful and usually requires...

Ötzi the Iceman ( pronounced ˈœtsi ' ), Frozen Fritz , and Similaun Man are modern nicknames of a well-preserved natural mummy of a man from about 3300 BC (53 centuries ago), found in 1991 in the Schnalstal glacier in the Ötztal Alps , near Hauslabjoch on the border between Austria and Italy . The nickname comes from Ötztal , the region in which he was discovered. He is Europe's oldest natural human mummy, and has offered an unprecedented...

The Pazyryk ( Russian : Пазарык ) is the name of an ancient nomadic people who lived in the Altai Mountains lying in Siberian Russia south of the modern city of Novosibirsk , near the borders of China , Kazakhstan and Mongolia . In this part of the Ukok Plateau , many ancient Bronze Age barrow -like tomb mounds of larch logs covered over by large cairns of boulders and stones have been found. These spectacular burials of the Pazyryk culture...

When the Samoan Islands were first seen by Europeans in 1722 three Dutch ships commanded by Jacob Roggewein visited the eastern island known as Manua. A crew member of one of the ships described the natives in these words, “They are friendly in their speech and courteous in their behavior, with no apparent trace of wildness or savagery. They do not paint themselves, as do the natives of some other islands, but on the lower part of the body...

Created by the Akan people of Ghana, and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire in West African Tattoo History|Africa the Adinkra symbols represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used on fabric, walls, in pottery, woodcarvings and logos. They also can be used to communicate evocative messages that represent parts of their life or those around them. Nyame Nti Adinkrahene Akoma Ntoso Denkyem ...