Scientific interest in body modifications continues to grow, and tattoos have recently become a subject of empirical aesthetics. While conceptual structures of tattoo aesthetics have been studied, the question of how tattoos are aesthetically appreciated has not yet been studied. In this study, we examined how tattoos influence the aesthetic appreciation of human stimuli and uncovered differences in beauty perceived by experts (tattoo artists) and nonexperts, tattooed and nontattooed individuals, and individuals older and younger than 50, which we consider indicative of different internalized social norms. Images of a male and a female model were manipulated to vary in the amount of tattoo coverage across six manipulation conditions: Baseline (none), Light, Moderate, Heavy, Extreme, and Extreme + Face. N = 487 participants rated the beauty of these stimuli. The results suggest overall group differences (experts vs. nonexperts; tattooed vs. nontattooed; older vs. younger). The perceived beauty of the stimuli decreased as the extent of tattoos increased, with the Extreme + Face condition standing out as the lowest rated condition. These findings confirm that tattoos influence aesthetic appreciation, which is highly dependent on expertise and social norms as indicated by age. We also discuss the generalizability and implications of the findings.

Nowadays, tattoos are considered body art and are largely spread. They are applied by injecting coloured inks into the dermis and are meant to stay life long, thus resulting in long term exposure to the chemicals injected including their degradation products. Permanent Make-up (PMU) consists in (semi)permanent tattoos used to resemble make-up. This dataset originated from replies to questionnaires, peer-reviewed literature and national reports, has been used to address the issue of the safety of tattoo/PMU products and practices with a view to contribute to consumers' health protection:

1 - National statistics on tattoo and permanent make-up such as age of individuals for their first tattoo, number of tattoos/person, size and localisation of tattoos, skin exposure, tattooed individuals, number of tattooists, list of colorants in use in tattoo/PMU inks.

2 - Adverse health effects linked to permanent make-up applications and removal such as frequency of health issues amongst people having undertaken tattoo/PMU, complication following tattoo/PMU application/removal, adverse health effects (e.g. allergy, inflammation, infections, local and systemic side effects).

Background: The reasons or the motivations that compel people to get a tattoo or a body piercing (BP) are plentiful and personal. Patients with chronic cutaneous or systemic conditions may be interested in getting tattooed or pierced. Objective: To determine the frequency of body art practices in hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) and to evaluate the possible impact of HS in the decision-making process. Methods: An anonymous specific paper-based questionnaire was prospectively offered to patients (≥18 years) consecutively managed for HS from September 2016 to March 2017 in a French specialized center. Results: In total, 209 patients participated in the study, of whom 77 (37%) and 50 (24%) had tattoos and BP, respectively. These proportions were higher than those reported in the French population. HS prevented the decision to get a BP or a tattoo in 2 and 5%, respectively (fear of infection or healing difficulties). Fifteen patients (7%) got tattooed to hide a surgical HS scar (n = 5, 2%), to regain control over the pain or their bodies (n = 9, 4%), or to turn others’ eyes away from HS lesions or scars (n = 1, 0.5%). HS severity influenced a proportion of patients who intended to get a new tattoo. Conclusion: HS is associated with a significant increase in body art practices.

This global data set identifies naturally and deliberately preserved tattooed human remains from the archaeological record. Entries in the data table are organized broadly by date, and rely on direct dating wherever possible. Where radiocarbon data is available, dates represent calibrated ranges. Each entry also includes documentation as to the associated archaeological culture, site, and significant source material. Citations are not comprehensive. At the present time, historical European examples, unpublished and/or unprovenienced specimens from museums and private collections, and deliberately preserved historical skin samples are not generally included in the data set.

Update for Version 6.0: Please be sure to check out the ArcGIS StoryMap built with this data: https://arcg.is/0LS89e0 This visual interface is an ongoing effort, and will be built out with images and hyperlinked citations as time permits.

Continuous monitoring of arterial blood pressure (BP) in non-clinical (ambulatory) settings is essential for a proper understanding of numerous health conditions. While conventional ambulatory BP devices exist, they are uncomfortable, bulky, and intrusive. In this work, we introduce a dataset of BP measurement using atomically-thin graphene electronic tattoos (GETs) and bioimpedance (Bio-Z) as measurement modality. The Bio-Z is measured from radial and ulnar arteries on the wrist. Afterward, a machine learning regression model is employed to relate the recorded bioimpedance to BP, yielding an effective beat-to-beat BP monitoring platform. In this database, we are sharing the raw time data for the 4-channel GET Bioimpedance signals with BP and PPG signals. The GETs are used to monitor arterial blood pressure from N=7 individuals for 300+ minutes each. A medical-grade BP monitoring device, Finapres NOVA, was used to measure the subject's control BP during the experiments. On average, each participant underwent 4±1 hours of continuous BP monitoring. Altogether, we performed on average ~2500±600 BP measurements per participant, which resulted in a total of 18667 datapoints.

Abstract This study aimed at identifying motivations, risk behavior and social practices, comparing tattooed and non-tattooed women. 316 women (50% tattooed) were surveyed online, answering questions on sociodemographic data, social practices, motivations, and risk behavior. Data collection strategies included snow-balling, social networks, personal contact, and visits to tattoo parlors. The main results indicate that the majority of women express satisfaction with their physical appearance after getting tattooed, and wouldn’t get the tattoo removed. Being tattooed correlated with risk behaviors such as casual sex with unknown people, alcohol and drug use, and psychopathology. The sample presented more similarities than differences between tattooed and non-tattooed groups, suggesting that growing popularization and social acceptance of tattooing has led to a decrease of the differences between the groups. Such results may inform future research and the production of informative materials aimed at demystifying negative stereotypes associated to tattoos.

Background: Allergic reactions to tattoos are amongst the most common side effects occurring with this permanent deposition of pigments into the dermal skin layer. The characterization of such pigments and their distribution has been investigated in recent decades. The health impact of tattoo equipment on the extensive number of people with inked skin has been the focus of neither research nor medical diagnostics. Although tattoo needles contain high amounts of sensitizing elements like nickel (Ni) and chromium (Cr), their influence on metal deposition in skin has never been investigated. Results: Here, we report the deposition of nano- and micrometer sized tattoo needle wear particles in human skin that translocate to lymph nodes. Usually tattoo needles contain nickel (6–8%) and chromium (15–20%) both of which prompt a high rate of sensitization in the general population. As verified in pig skin, wear significantly increased upon tattooing with the suspected abrasive titanium dioxide white when compared to carbon black pigment. Additionally, scanning electron microscopy of the tattoo needle revealed a high wear after tattooing with ink containing titanium dioxide. The investigation of a skin biopsy obtained from a nickel sensitized patient with type IV allergy toward a tattoo showed both wear particles and iron pigments contaminated with nickel. Conclusion: Previously, the virtually inevitable nickel contamination of iron pigments was suspected to be responsible for nickel-driven tattoo allergies. The evidence from our study clearly points to an additional entry of nickel to both skin and lymph nodes originating from tattoo needle wear with an as yet to be assessed impact on tattoo allergy formation and systemic sensitization.