It is no longer just for male but women of all walks of life embrace it more and more, especially the artists and actresses. Pin up girl tattoos, girl back tattoos, sexy girl tattoos, biker girl tattoos are just some of the kind of tattoos available for women. It is a fashion statement that appears on female's shoulders, stomach, neck, back, legs and ankles, also found on more private body parts. The trend is growing at a fast rate.

Why women do tattoo themselves? It is a need to express their personality and embellish a body part and most women would tell you that it is an art.

What does tattooing consist of? What is the technique used? What are the health precautions to take?

Tattooing is a technique ancestral used thousands of years ago. In those days getting tattoos meant being part of a tribe, or religion, like pirates with their skeleton image tattoo.

Tattoos are made of ink that resides under the skin; tattoos don't get old because of the placement of the pigments between the derma and the epidermis.

Tattoos are made with a dermograph, a tool that vibrates on needles filled with ink colors, these needles puncture the skin at a dept of 1 to 2 millimeter. The puncture skin can get infected if a lack of hygiene is present. Tattoos parlors must maintain a high standard of hygiene, all tools must be sterilized, the working hands must be also well cleaned with antiseptic substances, and the shop must be disinfected every day. Every shop must possess an autoclave, autoclave sterilizes materials with pressurized steam at an extremely high temperatures. All needles are new and disposed of after use.

Following the procedure, a covering is applied on the tattoo, you can remove the covering after 2 - 4 hours, and you can wash your tattoo gently with a very mild soap and water. Never scrub your tattoo, you should buy Neosporin, bacitracin if you prefer, and apply one of these creams to your tattoo 1 or 2 times per day for at least 3 to 5 days.

Tattoos are not recommended for:

Pregnant women, people with AIDS, also people with ink allergies.

The price of a tattoo varies depending on the size, number of colors and so on, look at spending between $200.00 and $300.00 for an average small tattoo.

FHM-US Magazine published their annual list of the 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2002 as voted on by their readers. The poll offers a fascinating insight into the popularity of tattoos among female celebrities.