Just 4 your info ... Tatoos (the real ones) may contain large amounts of heavy metals such as Lead and Mercury, which as you may know have a type of poisoning associated with their names. Of course, maybe small ones may contain less poison, but .... uhhh ... I don't really wanna feel like I am being poisoned every day because I have a tatoo that looks "cool", it may not look so cool when you realize that it has been poisoning you ever since you got it, and you didn't know it.
Note: Many laws have been passed to prohibit heavy metal use in tatoos, but, of course, do you really think it's easy to tell if they used heavy metal inks to do your tatoo ? Recent news stories have said that the laws are not being enforced, and that only certain states have passed laws banning heavy metal inks. If you are in Europe, you should make sure the inks have no heavy metals. Why are heavy metals used as inks ? Because the complexes they form are colored, and alternatives are too expensive, or produce too little a profit.
Medical effect of lead poisoning:
http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/lead_...al_effects.html"It can be safely assumed that toxic overload is one of the major causes of immune system breakdown disorders and of virtually any illness today. In other words, if you have an autoimmune disorder such as chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, lupus, interstitial cystitis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, allergies, or systemic candidiasis, to name but a few, you can be sure that metal and/or chemical toxicity is playing at least some role in your disorder. " from:
http://www.evenbetternow.com/environmental-toxicity.htmlHere are what the colors contain, if they are using illegal inks (in some states they are not illegal): Carbon (blue), mercury (red), chromium (green), cadmium (yellow) and cobalt (blue).
Didn't mean to scare you, but it's better to know before you get a tatoo to check and see if it is safe. I'm sure there are inks that are not toxic, but are more expensive, and less profitable to the tatooers.
Oh, and personally I don't really like tatoos. Why not get a temporary tatoo, that way you can change it when it's not 'cool' anymore. But, heck, that would ruin the plastic surgeons who have to remove them.