Sunday Delight; Tattoos; The New Craze For Social Identity in Nigeria

                 
Tattoos, once identified as cultural or spiritual marks, have become a fad, especially among youths.
Vivian, a young girl in her early 20s tatooed her boyfriend’s name on her left shoulder and displays it freely, without a care. Speaking to us on what informed her action, she said, “most of my favourite musicians have tattoos on their bodies. I don’t see any harm in having my body tattooed. Besides, mine is not permanent; it is a temporary one.”

Similarly, another youngster, Jeffrey, who has two tattoos on his body said, “my tattoos are not the permanent type. In fact, my friends and I did it at home because we couldn’t afford the expensive ones at the tatoo salons. We just want to belong; there is nothing to it.”

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Speaking further, Jeffrey said, “everybody is doing it and you will be surprised to know where some people have their tattoos. Some young girls have it inscribed on their private parts, on the navel and other sensitive areas. For the guys, it’s either at the back, hands and shoulders. Some go as far as having it drawn on their legs.”

Explaining the tatoo concept, a dermatologist, Khadijat Adeboyega said, tattooing has been practised for centuries in many cultures all over the world, and is used to identify or express something.

“The process involves inserting ink into the dermis layer of the skin to create a change. In my saloon, I have flash sheet that I show costumers that will allow them pick ready made images,” she stated.

She pointed out that there are different types of tatoos, among them, amateur tattoos, traumatic which is done when the person has an accident, pencil tattoo, cosmetic tattoo and medical tattoos, adding that some people get tattooed because of love, pledge, sexual acts, decoration, bravery, protection and other reasons.

“I know some people that get tattooed for occultic purposes,” she added.

Speaking further on how the tatoos are inscribed, Adeboyega said, “we use the machine which inserts ink into the skin with a needle or some needles, they are attached to oscillating units and the unit rapidly and repeatedly drives the needles in and out of the skin, usually 80 to 150 times a second. These needles are disposable after each use for medical reasons. First of all, we wash the body part that will be tattooed. We also wear gloves at all times and the wound must be wiped frequently with a wet towel. We also sterilise the equipment so that they remain clean.”

Speaking in the same vein, Peter Aluko, a therapist said, “people are tattooed for different reasons. In the past, tattoos were used to identify people as was done during the Hitler era when the Jews were sent to a concentration camp; their numbers were tattooed on their arms. Roman soldiers were required by law to have indentifying tattoos on their hands in order to make it difficult to hide if they deserted. Gladiators and slaves were likewise tattooed.

“Tattoo is becoming popular now because of the new process of doing it. Getting a tattoo can be a wonderful and intense experience for the youths, but the pain of having it has been a powerful deterrent for many people, especially the first timers. If you are thinking about getting a tattoo with less pain, then do it on the least painful parts of your body. The tattooist uses dyes, acridine, quinoline phthalocyani, napthol,carbon black, azo dyes, pigments and other chemicals which are then mixed to do the tattoo.”


Source; Leadership