Assessment of tattoos in dermatology

Abstract

Introduction: Over the past decades, tattoos have become increasingly popular probably in most European countries. This study aimed to find out people’s motivations for getting tattoos and when they decide to get them. Material and methods: This was a cross-sectional questionnaire study developed through the cooperation of a psychiatrist and a dermatologist. More than 400 volunteers with tattoos were assessed. The majority of analyzed subjects started tattooing in their twenties (mean age ± SD: 21.6 ± 5.9 years). Results: The majority of subjects indicated aesthetic reasons as the main reason for tattooing (44.5% women vs . 29.6% men; p < 0.05). The most popular tattoo motifs were animal motifs (18.9% women vs . 10.4% men; p < 0.001), plant motifs (18.0% women vs. 1.8% men; p > 0.05) and lettering (18.0% women vs . 15.3% men; p > 0.05). A total of 423 (91.5%) respondents planned to get more tattoos in the future. Conclusions: Based on the study results, it can be concluded that tattooing is currently mainly done to mostly performed to beautify the human body. If tattooing should be assessed in terms of its medical significance, the Tattoo Severity Scale can be used, given its good reproducibility and relevance.