It s not just for the rebellious dark underculture anymore, said Sims. Tattooing began, as far as researchers can tell, in Ancient Egypt. Over the many years, the art traveled across Europe into the America s. Tattooing was extremely popular around the time of WWII in this country, and recently a new-found interest has blossomed in America again. The procedure causes what is described as a precision abrasion.
Artists use an electrically powered instrument that resembles a dentist s drill.
The instrument vibrates vertically, and is fitted with solid needles that inject colors into the skin at an estimated rate of 50 to 3,000 times a minute. The healing process takes about a week. Tattooing is considered to be less invasive than piercing, in which a the skin is punctured by a hollow needle. USM students appear to have different views on the subject of tattooing and body art. Tessie Gregory, a junior nursing major, said she prefers piercing to tattooing.