It seems that you don’t have to look too far on your TV screens to find a documentary about a tattoo parlour and it’s famous or not so famous customers. Whether it be LA Ink or Miami Ink, these shows may be fuelling the new surge in the popularity of tattoos.

Maybe it is also to do with the level of creativity that is involved in designing and inking a tattoo. Whether you choose a custom design or have something personal to your own situation, it seems that almost everyone these days has at least one tattoo on their body.

If you are thinking of getting a tattoo then think long and hard about what you want and where you want it – the worst thing you can do is to live to regret your choice, and although you can go some way to changing or removing it, it is pretty much there to stay.

The way that tattooing works is that the ink is injected into the dermis, which is the layer under the epidermis (where skin cells are shed), so it stays on permanently. Most tattoos are applied using an electrically powered needle that applies the ink through the skin and moves at up to 3000 times a minute.

Designs can be either drawn in freehand or by using a stencil and then the color is applied after the initial outline. Care should be taken to keep the tattoo dry for a 10 day period after the tattoo is applied.