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Wrist Tattoos - The Hottest New Design Trend


At present, wrist tattoos are one of the hottest trends in the tattoo world. And as more and more celebrities are spotted wearing these designs the popularity of the wrist tattoo continues to rise. Just look at a some of the A-list celebrities who continue to fuel the demand for these tattoos.

Lindsay Lohan has a small star tattoo on the inside of her left wrist and the word "breathe" tattooed in white on her right wrist. Pink has "Tru Luv" and "What Goes Around Comes Around" tattooed around her right wrist. Britney Spears has a pair of lips tattooed on her wrist, Ashlee Simpson has a star tattoo while all nine actors who made up the fellowship in the Lord of the Rings, including Orlando Bloom, have the Elvish word for the number nine tattooed on their wrist.

Wrist Tattoo Designs

As we've just seen, some of the celebrity inspired designs include stars, lips and various words. However, that's just the tip of the iceberg. Popular designs include flowers, hearts, nautical stars, barbed wire, celtic knots and various words expressed in either English, Kanji or Sanskrit. But apart from the type of design used, wrist tattoos tend to be located in one of three main positions.

The most common type of wrist tattoo is a small design placed on the inside of the wrist. These are popular because they're easy to see yet can be easily hidden. This allows people to hide their artwork under a watch during the day (perhaps for work or other professional reasons) and display it to the world at other times. For example, Lady Churchill had a wrist tattoo that was covered by a diamond bracelet during formal occasions such as state ceremonies.

For those of you who are more daring, you may want to select a bracelet type design that wraps around the wrist. The most popular bracelet designs include barbed wire and celtic chains. Alternatively, some people choose to place their wrist tattoo on the top of their wrist so that it can blend with a larger hand tattoo or sleeve design.

Wrist Tattoo Symbolism

As with all tattoos, designs placed on the wrist area can mean many things to many people. In past centuries wrist tattoos were used to ward off illness and disease.

Over the years many seagoing people have also relied upon wrist tattoos, especially nautical star designs, to act as their guide and keep them safe until they arrive at their destination.

And in modern times many people use their wrist tattoo as a source of inspiration. When times are tough, one glimpse of their wrist design helps to carry them through their difficulties.

The most important thing is to find a wrist design that means something special to you and makes you feel better every time you see it.

But before you set your sights on a wrist tattoo there are a few important points to bear in mind.

First, it's important to consider the pain factor. Is a wrist tattoo painful? Traditional wisdom suggests that tattoos are more painful on areas where the skin is thinner and has less flesh to cushion the needle. So if your pain threshold is particularly low, it might be better to consider placing your tattoo on an area of your body that has more padding.

However, many people who have had a tattoo placed on their wrist have stated that the discomfort is no greater than areas where the skin is thicker. But regardless of the pain aspect, wrist tattoos can take longer to heal because the area is more exposed. And for the same reason, wrist tattoos may need to be refurbished years into the future in order to maintain the general sharpness of the design.

Second, it's vital that you're 100% committed to your choice of wrist tattoo. According to various reports, 25% of people who have tattoos placed on their wrists regret the decision shortly after the design is completed. In comparison all tattoos, wherever placed, cause fewer regrets that wrist tattoos, with only 17% of people unhappy with the outcome. So it's extremely important to be 100% certain before you place a tattoo on one of your wrists.

And finally, during the 1950's and 60's before tattoos had achieved mainstream acceptance, wrist tattoos, especially those depicting stars, were closely identified with the gay and lesbian communities. And although times have changed and the old associations have almost disappeared, it's worth being aware of the history of these tattoos before you proceed with your design.

If you bear these things in mind you'll be able to find a meaningful and popular design that you'll be happy with for many years to come.

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