Month: April 2019

Tattoos for Health

No photo description available.
Photo from The Semicolon Tattoo Project Facebook Page

According to the Advances in Psychiatric Treatment, it has been found that the ages of 18 to 24 are when mental health issues begin to play a part in many people’s lives. Similarly, adolescence is the most common time to acquire tattoos.

Links between mental illness and tattoos remain prevalent. A study by the International Journal of Dermatology titled “Are tattoos associated with negative health‐related outcomes and risky behaviors?” even found people with tattoos were more likely to be diagnosed with mental health issues.


Considering the college aged population has a lot of new stressers, higher rates in mental illnesses can be understood. While stress differs from person to person, it exists for everyone. From roommates, to deadlines, to living away from home. There is a variety of areas stress can come from in college.

In an annual survey of American college students, over 39 percent of them said that they felt so depressed that it was hard to function. This brings to question: what can be done to combat this health epidemic? Tattoos seem to be an alternate route to traditional therapy that college students are choosing to take to cope with the pressures.

There are even befits to going under the needle.

The sensation of the needle can feel like a massage and the hum of the machine can be calming to the ears. The American Journal of Human Biology also said tattoos can reduce cortisol levels. This improves the immune system and aids in stress reduction. Meaning tattoos could be useful for depression and anxiety.

For those interested in the aesthetic, being tattooed can be used as a reward system.

But, there are still ‘tattoo therapy’ critics who are not sold on the idea that tattoos are a form of self care.

When someone gets a tattoo, the tattoo serves a purpose that varies owner to owner. But all tattoos are constant reminders of a specific moment in a person’s life.

 Project Semicolon is a popular form of recovery art that intertwines with mental health. It was created in support of those struggling with suicide, depression, self-injury and addiction. Since it has become a symbol of mental health awareness. The semi colon was chosen because it represents where a writer could have ended a sentence but didn’t. Each person is symbolically the author of their own lives. This tattoo conveys the message that you chose to continue.

Getting a tattoo can be a way to ‘own your story’, but it is not the only way tattoos are intertwined with mental health. Artists like Rav Norris are using their skills to raise money for the cause while simultaneously increasing mental health awareness through the art.


Maybe supporting what you believe in through body ink will go past the stigmas that overcast tattoos and mental health.

Tattoos: The Mark of Self Expression

A mountain landscape similar to that showcased on Sailor Sean Murphy’s bicep.


Tattoos began almost 6,000 years ago and now the United States has over 20,000 tattoo parlors. In 2012, 45 million people in America have been inked according to the History of Tattoos website.

“It’s almost like you are out of place if you don’t have tattoos now.”

In the Pew Research study “Millennials: Confident. Connected. Open to Change,” it was suggested the number for those with tattoos, in the 18 to 29 age group, is higher. The percentage of millennials sits at 40.  

The trend of permanent self expression is now showcased throughout the popular media. Kylie Jenner, David Beckham, Angelina Jolie, Ariana Grande, Russell Brand, Johnny Depp, Miley Cyrus and countless other, high profile celebrities showcase their ink to the public.

Blindspot, a television series released in 2015, exemplifies the movement of tattoos to mainstream life. The plot of the show revolves around a heroine, covered from head to toe, with tattoos.

“It’s almost like you are out of place if you don’t have tattoos now,” Sean Murphy, a twenty-two year old Sailor in the U.S. Navy with a completed half sleeve, said.

After showing the rolling mountain landscape on his bicep, Murphy went on explaining the diminishing counterculture. He said, “[tattoos] used to be frowned upon by society because only tattoo artists and biker gangs had them. Not just anyone.”

Now artists see repetitive tattoo requests with the surge of design share websites like Pinterest and the increased popularity of Instagram and Twitter social media platforms. Jeana Jane, a tattoo artist at Traditional Tattoo in San Luis Obispo, promoted her own repetitive, popular designs with a $100 dollar special for a promotional event earlier in April.

Murphy proceeded with, “Tattoos are getting bigger and bigger [in popularity]. They look amazing. And after you get one, you just wanna keep getting more and more.”

Tattoos are even considered a form of self expression and are protected from criminal law in the ‘free speech’ clause of the U.S. Constitution. So, other than age, there are not many legal statutes that prohibit body art.

According to the “My Body is Not My Resume Campaign,” the highest percentage of tattooed staff is within the government itself. The United States Military wins the prize with civilian agriculture workers trailing them in numbers, for the workers with the most tattoos.

The ten most tattooed cities in the United States, according to Medermis Laser Clinic, are Miami, Florida; Las Vegas, Nevada; Richmond, Virginia; Flint, Michigan; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; Honolulu, Hawaii; Kansas City, Missouri; and Los Angeles, California.

Made by Jezzia Smith