For many millennia, human beings have decorated their bodies with tattoos and piercings of all kinds, and these images and piercings range from self-expression to proving an important role or accomplishment in society, ranging from tribal piercings of African or Oceanic peoples to the body tattoos of Japanese samurai to the related field of henna hand painting. Many people today are interested in getting the best tattoo they can think of or a stylish piercing for self-expression, and there are many tattoo and piercing parlors across the United States where a person can get this form of body expression done for a fee. A famous tattoo artist, for example, can make a name for him or herself for the beauty and professional quality of their work, and most American towns and cities will have a number of tattoo or piercing parlors a person can visit. Many Americans today have tattoos and piercings, but some people are concerned about the health effects of getting a tattoo or piercing. Migraines, a headache, stress, bleeding, and more are cited by those who are hesitant to get a piercing or tattoo. Are these concerns justified, nor not? Could a person get a headache from the stress of having a tattoo needle used on their skin?

Tattoos and Piercings Today

Getting tattoos and piercings has been popular for many years and still is today, and entire subcultures or art movements are often known for their body art. The punk movement of 1970s England and the United States in the 1980s, for example, is well known for its followers expressing individualism and non-conformity through body art such as piercings on the face, arms, or even genitals, and tattoos of all kinds can go along with leather clothing and hair dye to create a look many are familiar with today. The punk subculture’s heyday may be over, but many today are still interested in the aesthetic or idealism of this movement and others like it. But a person does not have to be a classic punk to desire body art. Many tattoos are bought simply because they are beautiful, and many involve not the skulls or devils of punk style, bur rather may have sentimental images or text, such as a tribute to a deceased loved one, a Bible or other faith-based verse, or even pagan symbology that often involves nature, peace, enlightenment, and more. Buddhist or Celtic images may be popular for this type of tattoo, among other sources.

An interested customer can find a tattoo parlor or piercing parlor and request a new tattoo or to get a piercing, and staff should be happy to help. Who has a tattoo today? Among Americans, about 14% of the population, young and old, have at least one tattoo, and they are more popular among the younger population. A 2015 Harris poll, for example, showed that 47% of Millennials (those born 1982-1995) and Gen Xers (those born 1963-1981) have at least one tattoo on their body. Ear piercings are most common on the ear lobes so that earrings can be worn, but some Americans choose to have other body parts pierced too, and as of 2015, about 14% of Americans had a piercing on a body part other than the ear lobes. Anything from the tongue to the eyebrows to even the nipples are popular places to pierce, and piercings in such locations and more are common forms of individualism and expression, whether to express a punk-style philosophy or simply for the beauty of the piercing and its place on a person’s body.

Some Americans may be interested in a tattoo or piercing but are concerned about the pain of these procedures, and while minor bleeding may be involved, it is more common for people to stress themselves about a piercing or tattoo, which can result in a headache, panic, or even migraines. A tattoo does not cause a headache, but a headache might happen from stress and anxiety about exposure to needles on the skin. Those considering getting a tattoo or piercing can rest assured that a tattoo or piercing artist does this work with care, and that serious health risks are very minimal.